Alexandria NAACP statement on Housing

November 18, 2023

Mayor Justin Wilson, City of Alexandria, VA

Members of the Alexandria City Council

City Clerk and Clerk of Council

Good morning:

The Alexandria NAACP encourages the City of Alexandria to provide housing stability and

affordable housing to all residents in order to maintain a diverse population. While our city’s well-designed footprint of apartments allows our city residents to live close to transit, employment and entertainment at a lower price point; the city’s plan comes up short in creating affordable and attainable single family and townhomes throughout the city. All residents need high-quality homes that help create healthy, diverse neighborhoods.

According to Redfin the Alexandria, Virginia Housing Market the median sale price of a home in Alexandria was $602K last month, up 20.5% since last year. The median sale price per square foot in Alexandria is $378, down 2.2% since last year.

Past research has shown that neighborhoods with diverse housing types (i.e., a mix of single-

family homes, duplexes, small and large multifamily buildings, and so on) can also promote racial and income diversity. We believe that communities within the City of Alexandria with a broad range of housing types and prices provide another benefit: greater stability in the face of a housing market downturn like the foreclosure crisis.

The Alexandria NAACP is committed to address and to work with the City of Alexandria as we advocate for equal opportunity and affordable housing to keep our community diverse.