Fairfax County housing officials are considering hiring a consultant to tell them exactly how much affordable housing has been lost in the recent building boom.
The proposed study is expected help gauge the severity of one of the worst side-effects of the years-long development frenzy. The preservation of affordable units has emerged as a new priority after the rise in rents and home values effectively priced many low- and middle-income families out of the county.
But unknown at this point is the exact magnitude of loss of units available to residents at or below the area’s median income, said Mary Stevens, deputy director of the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development. The information is especially important, she said, in the wake of the mass of condo conversions.
“[The study] will certainly give us an idea of the scope of the challenge we have,” Stevens said Thursday.
The county has not prepared a request for bids or made any formal commitment to hiring a consultant to perform the study, Stevens said, though staff may take steps in that direction this fall.
The average home in Fairfax County is valued at about $540,000, making living there a difficult prospect for much of the work force. For example, only about 30 percent of county police and firefighters live within the borders.
The county has taken steps to purchase and revamp some buildings for use as below-market dwellings, and has set a goal of preserving 1,000 units before 2007.
