The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved a set of measures intended to support and preserve manufactured housing communities, which are considered an important source of affordable housing in the county. The actions include updates to the Comprehensive Plan, a zoning ordinance amendment, and new relocation guidelines.
Fairfax County is home to seven manufactured housing communities with about 1,750 homes. These neighborhoods offer affordable housing options but face unique challenges because residents typically own their homes while renting the land beneath them. This arrangement can create instability for homeowners.
To gather input on these changes, the Department of Neighborhood and Community Services organized around 20 community meetings over the past year. These sessions were held both onsite at the communities and virtually to provide opportunities for residents to share their ideas.
The update to the Comprehensive Plan sets long-term policy direction for manufactured housing in Fairfax County. It recommends preserving affordability in all seven existing communities and aims for no net loss of affordable units if redevelopment occurs. The plan also revises definitions in its glossary and makes specific land use changes for each community.
These updates incorporate several recommendations from the Manufactured Housing Task Force, which was established by the board in 2021 to examine issues affecting residents and owners. The task force produced 34 recommendations focused on stability, resident needs, and strategies for long-term preservation.
A separate amendment to the Zoning Ordinance addresses longstanding issues related to nonconforming status in many manufactured housing communities—most of which were built before current zoning standards existed. The new rules modernize density limits, setbacks, and spacing requirements so they better match how these neighborhoods were originally designed while considering current safety and sanitation standards.
Additional tools have been introduced through this amendment. Residents may now request flexibility when replacing or expanding a home with park owner approval via a special permit. Property owners can apply for a special exception to reconfigure entire communities to meet current standards. The amendment also clarifies how state law applies in floodplain areas, allowing homes to be replaced as required by Virginia code.
Alongside these actions are new Manufactured Housing Relocation Guidelines developed by the Department of Housing and Community Development. These guidelines outline benefits and services available to homeowners and renters with lease agreements who are displaced due to redevelopment. Owners or developers submitting rezoning applications should follow these guidelines; those pursuing by-right developments are strongly encouraged to do so as well.
According to county officials: “The Comprehensive Plan amendment, zoning amendment and relocation guidelines, combined together, will support the county’s overall strategy to support the preservation, of manufactured housing, including preservation of affordability through redevelopment.”
These coordinated efforts represent Fairfax County’s approach toward maintaining affordable housing opportunities within its manufactured housing sector.