Jun 27, 2025, 09:47
by
Hannah Jane Costilow
Welcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of public policy issues and headlines from around the Northern Virginia Region, the Commonwealth, and Capitol Hill.
by Danielle Finley, Associate Director of Political Engagement
Welcome to FIVE FOR FRIDAY: A weekly roundup of Public Policy Issues and Headlines. In this Issue: In this Issue: 1. In first big federal relocation, HUD will move to Virginia 2. Arlington’s controversial ‘missing middle’ housing policy to stay in place following court ruling 3. Democratic congressional candidates make their pitch to succeed the late Gerry Connolly 4. Tysons Casino Backer Donates $105K To Earle-Sears 5. Homeowners Face a Stiff Penalty for Staying in Their Homes Too Long — a Hidden Home Equity Tax.
By KATIE SHEPHERD, LAURA VOZZELLA, RACHEL SIEGEL, TEO ARMUS AND MEAGAN FLYNN, Washington Post
The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that the Department of Housing and Urban Development will be the first major federal agency to relocate its headquarters outside of D.C., part of a larger plan to restructure the federal government’s real estate footprint. HUD Secretary Scott Turner, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and Michael Peters, commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Public Buildings Service, said at a news conference that the agency will move 2,700 workers from a building in such a state of disrepair that the ceiling appears to be crumbling to a more modern building in the city of Alexandria.
The controversial saga of the "missing middle" housing policy continues in Arlington after a Virginia appeals court reversed and kicked a case back down to the lower court. Ultimately, developers can tear down a single-family home and replace it with multi-family homes, all in an attempt to expand access to affordable housing in Arlington County. This latest court ruling reverses a block on the missing middle, allowing development of multi-unit buildings to proceed — at least for now. Some say the latest court ruling is a big win for affordable housing and developers. But critics assert that homes built under the missing middle are far from affordable.
Local Democrats seeking to succeed the late Rep. Gerry Connolly sought to distinguish themselves from a crowded field yesterday (Wednesday), outlining how they would represent Virginia’s 11th Congressional District if elected. Nine of the 10 candidates vying for the Democratic nomination attended the party’s lone forum at the Reston Community Center in Hunters Woods ahead of a primary election on Saturday (June 28).
By MICHAEL O'CONNELL, Patch.com
The Republican candidate running to be Virginia's next governor received $105,000 from the company seeking to build a casino in Tysons, according to the latest state financial filings. Building a Remarkable Virginia, one of two political action committees funded by casino developer Comstock Holding Companies, made the donations to Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears' campaign in two installments — $55,000 on June 2 and $50,000 on June 3, according to state financial filings reported by the nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project. The company's other PAC is Comstock Hospitality Holdings.
By ALLAIRE CONTE, Realtor.com
Millions of American homeowners are sitting on a hidden tax burden they never planned for — one that threatens their hard-earned home equity and, at the same time, is tightening the nation's already strained housing supply. Today, roughly 1 in 3 homeowners — nearly 29 million households — have built up more home equity than the federal capital gains tax exclusion for single filers protects when they sell their primary home, according to a recent analysis by the National Association of Realtors®. By 2030, that number is expected to grow to 56% of homeowners.