Governor’s New Virginia Economy Report Calls for Housing for the Workforce

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Yesterday, Governor McAuliffe released “New Virginia Economy,” his administration’s recommendations for how to reposition the state economy to support more private sector jobs. As we know, a large percentage of the Commonwealth’s growth and economic activity takes place here in NoVA, so this report has particular relevance for us. The report lays out five priorities: ‘project ready’ infrastructure, diversified high-growth industries, preeminent business climate, innovation and entrepreneurs, and ‘credentials to careers’ workforce.

It is encouraging to note that within the goals and strategies for ‘project ready’ infrastructure, there is a section on housing that begins with:

Quality, affordable housing is a core component of sustainable economic growth. Housing is foundational for a high quality  workforce, great school performance and healthy communities.

The report goes on to lay out some modest steps to support and preserve affordable and mixed-income housing. While no funding was identified in this section, it is in our interest to follow the work of the Steering Committee that has been charged with executing this four year implementation plan, and support any and all discussions of housing needs. We know that at the local level, some jurisdictions are having similar conversations about how to stimulate economic growth and development as we transition from our over-reliance on federal contracts.

I’ve provided a link to the full report below. I recommend taking a look as it’s brief, and contains good charts and useful data.

http://governor.virginia.gov/media/3501/new-virginia-economy-12052014.pdf