Governor Abigail Spanberger signed a package of bipartisan bills in Rocky Mount yesterday aimed at reducing housing costs, increasing housing supply, and promoting homeownership across Virginia. The new legislation includes measures to encourage housing development, streamline regulations for manufactured homes, and safeguard renters from undisclosed fees.
Speaking at Cavco – Rocky Mount, a prominent home manufacturer, Governor Spanberger emphasized the urgency of the state's housing affordability crisis. "Virginia has a housing affordability problem across the board. It is real, it is urgent, and it is one of the biggest threats to the strength of our Commonwealth," said Governor Abigail Spanberger, highlighting the bills as key components of her "Affordable Virginia Agenda."
A significant focus of the new laws is on manufactured housing, which Governor Spanberger noted has often been unfairly restricted by zoning. She toured the Cavco facility, stating, "Zoning laws across Virginia have sometimes treated manufactured housing as something ‘less than’ — blocking it from neighborhoods where traditional site-built homes have always been welcome." The new bills aim to change this, opening more pathways to homeownership.
The legislation includes creating a two-year pilot program for housing development, establishing a revolving loan fund for mixed-income housing, and strengthening housing data reporting. Additionally, bills were signed to protect manufactured home tenants from hidden fees and grant residents the first right of refusal to purchase their communities when they are sold. Delegate Paul Krizek noted this protects tenants in existing manufactured home communities.
Local homeowner John LaFlamme shared his experience, explaining that new laws easing zoning restrictions allowed him to buy a new home in his area after losing his previous one to fire. Randy Grumbine, Executive Director of the Virginia Manufactured and Modular Housing Association, praised the Governor's initiative, saying, "All of this would not have been possible without Governor Spanberger’s work to make housing more affordable."