BLACKSBURG — Housing affordability is increasingly a concern for renters and homeowners alike as Blacksburg and the university continue to grow. Blacksburg strives to be an affordable place to live for all of its residents: students, service and retail workers, young professionals, families, and retirees.
At the same time, Blacksburg has set ambitious goals to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions; and energy associated with the residential sector is the single largest contributor to the community’s emissions profile.
To advance the parallel goals of improving housing affordability while making Blacksburg’s housing stock greener and more energy-efficient, the town is exploring options to offer a set of economically persuasive and voluntary development incentives.
Three community conversations were planned last year. The first meeting titled “Framing the Issue; Identifying and Understanding Citizen Priorities” was held in October.
The public is invited to attend the second of the three community conversations on the topic, to explore scenarios and potential strategies to create greener and more affordable housing options while also providing a setting for citizens to share their concerns and priorities.
Community Meeting #2: Exploring Scenarios and Potential Strategies, Tuesday, June 25, 6 p.m., Blacksburg Community Center Program Room, 725 Patrick Henry Dr.
Community Meeting #3: Review Draft Policies; Explore Tradeoffs & Implications of Inaction, Date/Time/Location – TBA (est. Fall 2019)
Throughout this process, which is anticipated to be completed by early 2020, the town will partner with the Virginia Center for Housing Research to explore policy options and conduct an economic analysis to determine the scale and type of incentives that will promote green-building and the creating of affordable housing.
A stakeholder team made up of developers, community members, advocates for affordable housing and green building, and individuals with policy expertise in land use, affordable housing, and residential energy will also provide ongoing guidance and feedback as the process unfolds.
For more information contact Matt Hanratty, Assistant to the Town Manager/Housing & Neighborhood Services Manager Town of Blacksburg at
mhanratty@blacksburg.gov or call 540-443-1611
