Andrew Basham, HBAR President – A Message

Dear Members –

As HBAR celebrates its 80th anniversary, it is hard to think of a time when our local industry has faced more headwinds—or when HBAR’s role has been more important.

Our mission is to protect the American Dream of homeownership and ensure our region has housing options for people at every stage of life. As HBAR’s first multifamily developer president, I believe that includes both homeownership and rentership.

Today, that mission is being tested by decisions that will shape our region’s housing supply for decades.

Chesterfield PlanMod
Chesterfield County’s Comprehensive Plan Modernization is one of the most consequential issues we are working on. The county’s draft plan reduces residential density countywide by nearly 10% compared with the current comprehensive plan—at at time when the county’s housing market is already undersupplied.

HBAR’s analysis indicates that the proposed changes will eliminate nearly 100,000 potential lots, while the county has identified a minimum reduction of approximately 30,000 lots.

This matters because housing supply affects housing affordability—and because our industry’s pipeline of work depends on the land-use decisions being made today.

HBAR Has Stepped Up
With support from a National Association of Home Builders grant, we commissioned polling of likely Chesterfield voters. The results show that residents are deeply concerned about housing affordability:

• 72% agree that teachers, first responders and other essential public employees cannot afford to live where they work.
• 70% are concerned young adults and young families will not be able to afford to live in Chesterfield.
• 60% are concerned a housing shortage will result in higher housing costs. 
(More on the poll here)

At the same time, residents have legitimate concerns about traffic, schools and infrastructure. Our job is to make sure the conversation includes both responsible growth and the need for adequate housing supply.

We have also invested in a public affairs campaign to educate Chesterfield residents about the long-term implications of the proposed changes. That effort has already generated 200 emails to the Board of Supervisors from constituents expressing concerns about housing affordability and the proposed plan.

There was also a positive development at the September 15 Planning Commission meeting, including new staff recommendations that preserve residential opportunities in Western Midlothian.

But Our Work Is Not Finished
Please take a few minutes to contact the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors and tell them why housing supply and affordability matter to you, your employees, your business and our region.

The Homes for Tomorrow campaign makes this easy. The site will identify your Supervisor and allow you to send a message directly. 

Contact Your Chesterfield Supervisor through Homes for Tomorrow.

The decisions being made today will shape the housing and construction market for years to come. HBAR will continue to advocate. I hope you will join us.

Sincerely,

Andrew Basham
President, HBAR Board of Directors