SMART GROWTH VALUES
REALTORS® Do More than Sell Houses. REALTOR® Build Communities.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE VIRGINIA PENINSULA REALTORS®
PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE
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Neighborhoods shape our lives. Where we live can influence our health, our economic potential, and our children’s futures. Everyone in America—no matter their age, ability, income, or race—deserves the option to live somewhere affordable, convenient, beautiful, and safe.
Smart growth means reinvesting in America’s downtowns and main streets, the economic engines of big cities and rural towns alike. Smart growth means creating homes for families of all income levels alongside one another in locations where daily needs are close by. Smart growth means diversifying our transportation system so everyone has a choice in how they move around their community. Smart growth means building streets that are safe for people walking, bicycling or using any sort of assistive device, as well as driving. Smart growth means protecting our open green spaces for generations to come.
Above all, it’s about helping every town and city become a more economically prosperous, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable place to live, helping everyone flourish.
Creating a High Quality of Life across the Virginia Peninsula
The basic building blocks of opportunity and a high quality of life are safe and affordable housing, jobs, good schools, transportation, and healthcare.
Vibrant communities are healthy and safe places to live and provide quality life for community stakeholders. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) encourages and supports REALTOR® Associations, and their members, to become engaged in efforts to enhance, develop and revitalize their communities which can create more desirable places to live and foster economic development. As a community prospers, the demand to live, and buy homes, in the area increases, as do property values. Associations’ outreach and engagement efforts need to include partnering with elected and public officials, as well as state and local stakeholders, to advocate for affordable housing, walkable communities, creation of public spaces and amenities, revitalization of our small town “main streets, suburban neighborhoods, and urban downtowns areas and commercial corridors, smart & sustainable growth, mixed-use development, public private partnerships and transportation choices.
Promoting and Protecting Neighborhood Vitality and Character
VPAR understands, appreciates and values the unique qualities and special histories that make neighborhoods throughout the Peninsula special. From Hilton Village and the Southeast Community in Newport News to Old Wythe and Fox Hill in Hampton, from the water-focused lifestyle in Poquoson to the rural character (and growth pressures) in Isle of Wight County, to the suburban feel of York County.
VPAR supports policies that protect our region’s neighborhoods but also strengthen the fibers that make them special. From appropriate short-term rental ordinances to rental inspection programs, accessory dwelling units and infill development, we advocate for local ordinances that promote and protect community character.
Supporting a Variety of Housing Options and Prices: “THE HOUSING SPECTRUM”
Housing is the foundation of a healthy community. Whether it is su. pporting a new Habitat for Humanity home or advocating for additional housing at all price points, VPAR is known for its “housing for all” and its “throughout the housing spectrum” approach. Read more about how REALTORS® support increasing housing supply at all income levels.
AND, last year, NAR released this new toolkit on increasing the supply of housing.
Promoting Smart Growth and Supporting Mixed-Use Zoning
Smart Growth principles encourage the development of healthy and vibrant communities through compact building design, walkable neighborhoods, diverse housing and transportation options, and a variety of land uses including open spaces and areas for social interaction. Mixed-use zoning permits a complementary mix of residential, commercial, and/or industrial uses in a single zoning district and is an efficient use of land and resources.
NAR has long been an advocate for Smart Growth, which does encompass the principles of mixed-use zoning.
Advocating for 21st Century Building Products and Sustainable Construction with our Homebuilder Partners
According to the National Association of Homebuilders, “sustainability and high performance building incorporates construction and development techniques, materials and designs intended to minimize a home’s impact on the environment and conserve natural resources. It is a practical response to a wide range of issues affecting all consumers: rising energy costs, the need to improve air quality, ensure clean water and minimize water usage.”
NAR likewise promotes sustainability, as evidenced by this 2024 report:
VPAR works with all of our local and regional governmental partners to promote housing construction and renovation techniques and systems that will stand the test of time and provide quality and efficient housing.
Promoting Environmental Stewardship
VPAR pays attention to changing environmental conditions along with changing practices in real estate development and construction. The Association pays particular attention to issues impacting climate change, recurrent flooding, resiliency and land subsidence. VPAR is a member of the American Flood Coalition (AFC) and works collaboratively with the AFC and other partners to focus on policy solutions at all levels to mitigate environmental conditions. From stormwater management and infrastructure improvements to flood plain plans and smart development, VPAR supports sustainability efforts, policies and programs that prioritize viability, resiliency and adaptability. But climate change isn’t the only factor for people deciding where to live. Affordability will also loom large as the biggest constraint, and more affordable housing that is resilient to climate change or is located in areas naturally resilient to climate change will need to be built.
Promoting Redevelopment and Historic Preservation
VPAR supports adaptive reuse, redevelopment and repurposing of older structures and gray-scapes to generate new life and purpose to existing structures that are vacant, underutilized or nearing obsolescence from what had been their original use. Not only does this “use what we have” approach save valuable open space and greenways that contribute to a community, but also, redevelopment, reuse and repurposing of already-built structures retain community character and connection.
Existing older buildings have long been part of the urban fabric; redeveloping one at a time or even an entire block can serve as the anchor to the lifting up of a corridor, an historic region or a neighborhood. Once multiple uses are reintroduced into the area, others follow. The effort becomes one of “a rising tide lifts all boats,” leading to healthier and more vibrant communities that offer a safe environment and a high quality of life.
Advocating for Transit-Oriented Development and Reliable, Multi-Modal Transportation Infrastructure
VPAR supports Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) to create walkable, mixed-use communities with a high density of housing and businesses situated close to public transportation hubs, such as train and bus stations. TODs promote a healthy, movement-focused lifestyle; establish multi-modal travel that include walking, cycling, training, etc.; create enhanced housing opportunities at a variety of prices; and lead to more inclusive, accessible and diverse communities.
Advocating for Economic Development, Workforce Development and Rooftops
The connection between economic development and housing cannot be underestimated. When companies expand in an existing area or when new companies locate to a community, jobs are created, and because people need a place to live, real estate and housing are directly impacted. Jobs lead to rooftops, and rooftops lead to an expansion of the tax base, a more skilled workforce, business retention, a stronger and more resilient community, the promotion of entrepreneurship, diversification of the economy, increased per capita income, and ongoing private sector investment.
Supporting Predictable Regulatory Frameworks at the Local Government Level
VPAR’s core function is to represent the interests of REALTORS®, their customers and clients, and property owners at the local government level. Through decades of trustworthy relationships with decision makers and professional staff at the local and regional level, VPAR is the resource for housing data, policy development and collaboration that yields pro-housing, pro-property rights and pro-REALTOR® ordinances. VPAR frequently is represented on local government boards and commission, advisory committees, work groups and other bodies where policy is vetted, written and amended. Our members can count on VPAR having a seat at the table!
Continuing the VPAR WAY of serving as a Trusted Advisor and Stakeholder
VPAR is known throughout the region as being a valuable and trustworthy partner to our Mayors and Chairs, City Councils, Boards of Supervisors, Planning Commissions, Planning District Commissions, authorities and other appointed decision makers. We collaborate regularly with professional staff at the municipal executive levels from City Managers and County Administrators to Planning Directors, Zoning Administrators, Codes Compliance Directors and others to ensure that VPAR is engaged early and often in policy development.
Providing High Quality Housing Data and Market Analyses
VPAR also is known throughout the Peninsula as a source of housing data and market statistics that are unavailable from any other local source. Through multiple research projects and reports that assess current housing stock and future market needs, to information regarding housing inventory and buyer preferences, to quarterly market reviews covering each individual locality on the Peninsula, local officials know that VPAR is a trusted source of accurate data. In addition, VPAR provides copies of the NAR “ON COMMON GROUND” smart growth publication to our local officials and staffs when the magazine is published.