City of Alexandria, Virginia
Office of the City Manager
Alexandria City Hall
301 King Street, Suite 3500
Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211
www.alexandriava.gov
Telephone: 703.838.4300
Fax : 703.838.6343

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2001
CONTACT: MILDRILYN DAVIS, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF HOUSING (703) 838-4990
LORI GODWIN, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER (703) 838-4300


CITY TO HOST COMMUNITY DISCUSSION ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The Affordable Housing Summit, hosted by the City of Alexandria’s Affordable Housing Task Force, will bring together a cross-section of Alexandrians to address the issue of affordable housing on Saturday, May 19, 2001, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Old Town Radisson Hotel, 901 North Fairfax Street. Alexandria, like all jurisdictions throughout the entire metropolitan region, is experiencing rising costs in sales and rental housing, and very low vacancy rates in rental housing. The result is that not only low income, but moderate income households, as well, are having difficulty finding housing they can afford.

For the past four months, a Task Force composed of two members of City Council and City staff, with the help of outside experts in housing finance and development, and members of City committees, have been focusing on the City’s affordable housing needs. The Task Force has developed a series of recommendations to preserve and enhance affordable housing opportunities in the City. The purpose of the Affordable Housing Summit is to bring together members of the community to discuss what the City’s housing goals and priorities should be, and how best to achieve those goals, using the recommendations of the Task Force as the basis for the discussion.

The Summit will feature a keynote address by Ms. Chickie Grayson, President of Enterprise Homes, Inc., a Baltimore-based developer of affordable housing in the Mid-Atlantic Region. Enterprise Homes is part of The Enterprise Foundation, a national organization that works with partners and a national network of nonprofit organizations to provide affordable housing and enhance communities. Ms. Grayson is a graduate of the University of Maryland, with a M.A. in Urban Affairs. She is a past president of the Citizen Planning and Housing Association, and she is also a board member and Vice President of the Parks and People Foundation.

The Summit is free and open to the public. A light lunch will be served. To register for the Summit and receive a copy of the Task Force recommendations, call the City’s Citizen Assistance Office at 703-838-4800.
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