A Plan to Bring Affordable Homes to King George
Exodus Family Institute wants to build affordable housing. The George Washington Regional Commission is looking to help.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR & CORRESPONDENT
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A public meeting on August 18 may lead to a small step forward toward Exodus Family Institute’s goal of constructing 21 “affordable” homes in King George County.
The George Washington Regional Commission is supporting the county in its application for a planning grant of up to $100,000 from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). If awarded, the grant will fund feasibility work for the project, “which aims to develop 21 affordable homes for essential King George County workers such as teachers, first responders, and healthcare staff,” according to a press release from GWRC.
The neighborhood would be located on a 16-acre parcel off Colby’s Lane, which Exodus owns and which is zoned for single-family suburban development.
Mary Parnell, executive director of Exodus Family Institute, attended a meeting of the King George Board of Supervisors in February to ask supervisors to apply for the planning grant.
She told supervisors then that there is “a real need” for workforce housing in the county, where the median home price is $465,000, according to the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors’ 2024 year-end housing report.
“The income level of these essential workers we are serving — teachers, healthcare workers, first responders — those salaries do not meet the level to afford a $465,000 home,” Parnell said. “Income typically needs to be $100,000+ [per year] to afford that.”
Nonprofit organizations are not eligible recipients of the CDBG, which is why Exodus asked the county to apply for the grant.
If the planning grant is awarded and if the project is found to be feasible, the county can then apply for a construction grant of up to $1 million, which would go towards funding infrastructure such as water, sewer, and sidewalks, GWRC executive director Chip Boyles told King George supervisors in February.
Meeting Details
Date: August 18
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: L.E. Smoot Library, 9533 Kings Highway
Purpose: The public will have a chance to hear more about the project and provide feedback.
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