Richmond, VA — YIMBY Action and its local chapters—15 Minute Fredericksburg, RVA YIMBY, YIMBY Hampton Roads, and YIMBYs of NOVA—express deep disappointment in the Virginia General Assembly’s failure to pass much-needed housing reforms during its 2025 legislative session, including legalizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs); allowing affordable housing on faith-owned land; and establishing housing targets for localities. These proposals represented key steps in addressing Virginia’s housing shortage, which continues to drive up home prices and put affordable housing further out of reach for Virginians.
“Virginians are suffering, and the General Assembly is asleep at the wheel,” said Liam Rowell, YIMBY Hampton Roads Lead and Norfolk Virginia resident. “While other states are addressing their housing crises, Virginia refuses to act. Instead, the legislature sat idly by while residents struggle to pay rent or save for a down payment, with many getting priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in.”
The General Assembly’s failure to act comes at a time when neighboring states, including North Carolina and Maryland, are taking meaningful steps to boost their housing supply and expand affordable options for residents. The Commonwealth, on the other hand, risks losing its recent accolade as CNBC’s #1 State for Business by failing to address its housing supply crisis. The state ranks 19th in cost of living and quality of life criteria, which would improve dramatically with the passage of practical pro-housing bills.
While the lack of progress on these critical reforms leaves Virginians with few options as home prices and rent continue to rise, we recognize and applaud the efforts of the lawmakers attempting to address this challenge head on, including Senators Schuyler VanValkenburg, Saddam Salim, and Kannan Srinivasan, as well as Delegates Shelly Simonds and Dan Helmer. These legislators introduced pro-housing bills that would have cut bureaucratic red tape, allowed for more and varied housing types, and affirmed that the provision of abundant and affordable homes is essential to the state’s economic growth.
Moving forward, we urge legislators to take meaningful action to address the Commonwealth’s worsening housing shortage in the next General Assembly Session.
“Voters say over and over again that they are concerned about rising costs, and chief among these is home prices,” said Joh Gehlbach, RVA YIMBY Lead and Henrico resident. “Virginia can slow increases in rent and home prices by building more homes, following the examples set by Austin, Nashville, and other Sun Belt cities. Or we can follow the path of California and New York and watch as residents and businesses move out of state because we have done nothing to make it easier to build new homes.”