Virginia Officials Say Amazon Won't Stifle Affordable Housing
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- Leaders of Alexandria, Virginia, say Amazon's area headquarters likely won't cause unbearably high housing prices and rental rates.
WTOP-FM reported Monday that Alexandria Director of Housing Helen McIlvain says reports show rental prices may temporarily increase by 4 to 6 percent. She says that increase is similar to what the city has seen in recent years. Amazon is expected to open a campus in a new neighborhood that includes parts of Arlington and Alexandria.
City Manager Mark Jinks says Alexandria won't see affordable housing dwindle in response to Amazon in the same way as Seattle, Washington, and its skyrocketing housing costs. He says city leaders will need to keep housing affordable despite increasing home values, and there are tens of thousands of housing units planned along area transit lines.
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