At its monthly meeting, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors approved $656,300 in grants to support 10 local planning initiatives and development projects which address the need for more housing, affordable to those with lower incomes and near transit. The grants come from the new Housing Affordability Planning Program (HAPP), which is administered by COG and backed by the Amazon Housing Equity Fund.

The 10 winning proposals will serve diverse communities across the region, including a housing development for older adults earning 30 to 50 percent of Median Family Income near Fort Totten in the District of Columbia, the production of affordable units in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties to ensure a “no net loss” goal along the Purple Line corridor, feasibility analyses for constructing new housing on Metro-owned property in the City of Alexandria, and an innovative housing trust program in the City of College Park to maintain long-term homeownership affordability in neighborhoods under pressure from investors looking for student rental properties. 

“This grant program sets plans in motion for more housing at affordable price points and in optimal locations—near transit—and it’s the latest example of how our region is coming together to turn our shared goals into action,” said Christian Dorsey, COG Board Chair and Arlington County Board Vice Chair. “I fully expect we will gain some valuable knowledge from these promising projects that COG will then share with local governments and developers to apply toward future initiatives.”

“The Amazon Housing Equity Fund is thrilled to collaborate with regional partners, like COG, to increase the number of affordably-priced homes across our region, especially near transit,” said Catherine Buell, Director of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund. “The 10 proposals being announced today address a great many of our top priorities--advancing equity, expanding access to jobs and opportunity, and creating more vibrant, sustainable communities.”

The Amazon Housing Equity Fund is a $2 billion commitment to preserve and create more than 20,000 affordable housing units in Washington State’s Puget Sound region; Arlington, Virginia; and Nashville, Tennessee—three hometown communities where the company expects to have a growing presence in the coming years.

“There’s broad regional consensus that we need more action on housing, which is why I am so pleased to have this new partnership among governments, businesses, and nonprofits to produce a much-needed spark,” said Chuck Bean, COG Executive Director. “These HAPP grants will help ensure that everyone—from longtime residents and future workers, to young families and older adults—has an opportunity to live and thrive together in our communities.”

In 2019, the COG Board adopted three regional housing targets calling for at least 75,000 additional housing units by 2030 beyond the 245,000 new units already anticipated, at least 75 percent of the units in Activity Centers or High-Capacity Transit Station Areas (HCTs), and at least 75 percent of the units affordable to low-and-middle income households.

In addition to helping advance the region’s housing targets, these projects also support climate, equity, and transit priorities featured in COG’s new Region United planning framework for 2030. All of the winning proposals are located in a COG-designated Activity Center, near High-Capacity Transit Station Areas, and will serve residents in Equity Emphasis Areas (EEAs), locations with high concentrations of traditionally underserved communities. In 2021, the COG Board endorsed HCTs and EEAs as key concepts to inform regional planning and future growth and investment decisions.

A selection panel of housing experts reviewed and scored the applications for the grant funding. HAPP now joins a portfolio of COG programs supporting the creation of transit-oriented communities throughout the region.

MORE: Housing Affordability Planning Program (HAPP) Memo