This morning, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, with premier partner Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and co-hosts Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, Loudoun Chamber of Commerce, Prince William Chamber of Commerce, and Northern Virginia Regional Commission hosted the 7th Annual Northern Virginia Regional Elected Leaders Summit, sponsored by Dominion Energy. 

More than 200 business, government, and community leaders from across the region gathered at George Mason University's Van Metre Hall, for a discussion with Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol, Prince William Board of County Supervisors Vice-Chair Margaret Franklin, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall, and City of Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson. NBC Washington's News4 Today Anchor, Jummy Olabanji moderated the program. 

The elected leaders discussed virtual participation in advisory boards and commissions, economic and workforce development, public transportation, and housing affordability in the Northern Virginia region.   

In response to a question about the uncertainty of the office market and record high vacancy rates, Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson said, "I don’t think the pandemic created these trends. I think [it] accelerate them. These are all things that we have been talking about before. They’re part of a much larger issue at play."

The importance of housing affordability and access to reliable transit was referenced repeatedly by all officials, particularly as they relate to the region's current workforce struggles.

"It is a major problem that this generation - the one that’s right now starting families - cannot afford a home. What’s challenging is that many people don’t quite understand how much the housing situation has changed," said Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol. "A pathway [to home ownership] that was attainable 25 years ago does not exist today."

Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair Phyllis Randall noted, "When we’re talking about attainable housing, we are talking about our teachers, our firefighters, our responders, our health care workers. They’re the people who keep the economic engine of our communities moving."

Regarding the importance of continuing to fund Metro, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay said “Metro is built for everyone, not just those in DC, not just in Virginia, but all those in the region. What we have to do is think of Metro as more of a regional investment. Think of it as an economic investment.”

In addition to housing, transit, and general economic development in the region, the officials each touched on the status of schools, both regionally and at the state level. Prince William Board of Supervisors Vice-Chair Margaret Franklin said, "I do think it’s worth taking a second to recognize that we have done a great job with our resources [on education]. But we can do more."

This was the seventh in a series of summits started in 2016, as a collaboration between chambers of commerce from across Northern Virginia. "We are grateful for the continued collaboration on this important event," said Kate Bates, President & CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. "Our elected leaders discussed the shared challenges we are facing as a region and provided more understanding on the work they are doing to help maintain Virginia as a top state for doing business."