Arlington is set to unveil a program aimed at increasing the number of municipal employees who can afford to own homes in the county.
Only one-quarter of the 3,776 county employees live in Arlington, said county spokeswoman Mary Curtius. The percentage of Alexandria employees living in that city is even lower, with approximately 14 percent of 2,254 full-time workers living in the city, according to Steve Mason, special assistant to the Alexandria city manager.
Providing affordable housing in these areas has been difficult recently due to skyrocketing home prices and an influx of well-paid workers. Officials worry that longer commutes and competition from other jurisdictions could lure municipal employees to other parts of Northern Virginia.
Under the new Arlington plan, the Federal Home Loan and Mortgage Corp. will provide $50 million in low-interest mortgages over the next three years to workers so they can purchase homes in Arlington, said Arlington Home Ownership Program coordinator Doug Myrick.
He said an introductory meeting on the homeownership assistance program is scheduled for June 6.
He said the county is working to educate private-sector middle- and low-income workers on homeownership and is pushing companies to provide financial assistance for home purchases.
Helen McIlvaine, deputy director of the Alexandria Housing Office, said the city has four programs that target country workers, and that 16 city employees participated in the programs this fiscal year.
Douglas Peterson, executive director of the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing, said around the country, employees are being forced to live far from where they work.
“The price of real estate is going up faster than inflation and salaries,” he said. Municipalities “can’t attract new employees. They’ll have to raise salaries, and then they’ll have to raise taxes.”
One Alexandria employee, who spoke to The Examiner anonymously because she feared for her job, said it was impossible to live in Alexandria on her salary. She commutes from Manassas each morning.
“Everything they’re building in the Washington area is too expensive,” she said.
A second longtime Alexandria employee said price wasn’t the only factor in deciding where to live.
“It’s not only the cost, it’s the type of housing money can buy,” he said.
At a glance
» Myrick said an introductory meeting on the homeownership assistance program is scheduled for 2 to 3 p.m. June 6 in the offices of the Arlington Development Department, 1100 N. Glebe Road, Suite 1500.
» Private-sector partners of the program include George Mason University, the Virginia Hospital Center and Marymount University, among others.
