Herndon leaders took a long-awaited step last week to ensure affordable housing will be a priority in future development.
The Herndon Town Council directed town staff and a hired consultant on March 24 to develop guidance for promoting affordable housing until a more detailed, long-term policy can established as part of a comprehensive plan update for 2050.
In its resolution, which was approved 6-0 with Councilmember Naila Alam absent, the council stated that it will prioritize residential and mixed-use development proposals that include affordable units and that the interim policy should adhere to Fairfax County’s established affordable housing standards and procedures “to the greatest extent possible.”
The interim policy will be developed by the consulting firm TPMA, while town staff have been tasked with securing an agreement with the Fairfax County Redevelopment and Housing Authority (FCRHA) that will eventually allow the county agency to administer affordable housing in Herndon.
“This is an important place to bridge us as we continue to work towards a more full and richer policy that takes into account everything,” Herndon Mayor Keven LeBlanc said before the council’s vote, adding that he “so appreciate[s] all the work staff has done and undoubtedly will continue to do.”
Study evaluated supply and demand
After years of discussion about the lack of affordable housing expected in new development spurred by Metro’s Silver Line, Herndon hired TPMA in spring 2025 to conduct a housing study evaluating existing conditions, challenges facing residents and future needs.
Presented to the town council on Feb. 17, the study found that the town’s housing stock is dominated by single-family houses and one-unit townhomes, and more than 70% of all units were built between 1970 and 2000. Less than 20% of units were constructed after 2000.
“The Town’s housing stock is older than both Fairfax County and Virginia overall,” the report said. “An aging housing stock can pose additional challenges to a community’s housing ecosystem. Older homes have increased needs for major maintenance and repairs, renovations, and upgrades.”
Because the buildings are generally older, most of the multifamily residences in Herndon are “naturally” affordable, meaning they are affordable to those earning less than 80% of the area median income (AMI) — approximately $113,000 annually — without any government subsidies or rent cap, according to the study.
The only dedicated affordable housing in town limits is Herndon Harbor House, an apartment complex for seniors managed by Fairfax County, as well as a handful of units in the Trellis and Berkdale apartments.
Though Herndon is more affordable than other parts of Fairfax County and Northern Virginia as a whole, more than a quarter (26.4%) of households are cost-burdened, spending over 30% of their income on rent or a mortgage, utilities, insurance and other housing-related costs, the study found.
Affordability challenges are more prominent for renters, and many “essential” workers, including teachers, childcare workers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians, would meet the definition of cost-burdened for a two-bedroom apartment.
With the 3,700-plus units currently in Herndon’s residential development pipeline, the study projects that the town will have enough homes overall to meet demand over the next five and 10 years, but the incoming housing is expected to be heavily weighted toward multifamily rental apartments priced above the “naturally occurring affordable” threshold.
“While Herndon’s existing housing stock has a majority of for-sale housing, there may be a mismatch in supply and demand in future years,” the study said. “Addressing this mismatch means identifying housing types and available land that would lend opportunities to meeting this demand.”
Among other recommendations, TPMA stresses a need to preserve the town’s existing affordable housing stock, while also incentivizing the inclusion of affordable and workforce units in new projects.
Residents facing biggest obstacles left out, advocates say
The report drew sharp criticism before the town council’s vote at its March 24 meeting from several residents and advocates with the New Virginia Majority, a left-leaning civic engagement organization that focuses on organizing communities of color and immigrants.
Though the U.S. Census estimates that more than half of Herndon’s 25,180 residents speak a language other than English at home, TPMA’s findings were based in part on a public survey whose respondents were overwhelmingly English speakers (89.9%) and single-family detached homeowners (70.6%). More than 70% of participants reported incomes of at least $100,000, with the largest percentage (35.6%) earning $200,000 a year or more.
New Virginia Majority was “upset” that the study didn’t make more of an effort to involve the working-class immigrants and people of color it represents, organizer and Herndon resident Eva Belis said in Spanish.
“We have families who, every single month, must decide which bill to pay late, trapping themselves in a cycle of poverty compounded by late fees,” she told the town council. “Other families face the agonizing choice of whether to pay their rent or hire legal counsel for their immigration hearing. These are the stories that the housing study fails to include.”
While it’s hard to say definitively how the pool of respondents affected the study’s results, the survey showed support for single-family homes and dedicated affordable housing, but opposition to higher-density multifamily development, along with duplexes or triplexes in areas currently zoned for single-family-only housing.
One speaker noted that he could only afford to live in Herndon because he has family in town he could rent cheaply from, while others described experiences of mistreatment by landlords jacking up their rent or neglecting maintenance.
The New Virginia Majority advocates urged the council to take a more aggressive approach by adopting an ordinance that would require 40% of all new housing units to be affordable for those earning 40% AMI or less.
“Even if renters don’t make the majority of Herndon’s population compared to homeowners, I believe that renters — specifically immigrant working-class renters — face unique vulnerability due to threats of security and continuity in where they live,” Molly Cullen, a local renter, said. “… I think this unique vulnerability means that if we want an effective and equitable housing policy, working-class renters need to be prioritized in any solution that the council takes.”
Councilmember Cesar del Aguila acknowledged that the public survey “did not completely represent a balanced voice” in terms of capturing the perspectives of all residents.
LeBlanc noted that the housing study is just one factor that town leaders will consider as they develop an affordable housing policy, adding that they “understand the urgency and importance” of taking action.
“We will work diligently to make sure we have enough product … for the need in town, not just today, but going forward,” Del Aguila said. “In junction with that, I think we’re on the right path.”
According to a spokesperson, the Town of Herndon anticipates that TPMA will take about two months to draft an interim policy for the town council’s consideration.
The council also voted at its March 17 meeting to officially initiate consideration of a new comprehensive plan, setting a deadline of Dec. 31, 2027 for the Herndon Planning Commission to hold a public hearing and deliver a final recommendation. Replacing a plan adopted in 2008, the Herndon 2050 Plan will guide land use decisions, including around affordable housing, for the next 25 years.
