After legislation passes through both the House and Senate chambers of the General Assembly, it reaches the Governor's desk. Here, the Governor can either veto the legislation outright or propose amendments. Following this, the bills return to the General Assembly for final consideration during what is termed a Veto Session.

Analyzation of 2022-2023 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that jobs within the multifamily industry, like maintenance professionals, property managers, construction workers, marketing managers and more, are among the fastest growing jobs in Virginia.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued guidance on applying the Fair Housing Act to AI in tenant screening and housing advertising, aligning with President Biden's executive order to combat discrimination in housing. The guidance emphasizes fair, transparent and non-discriminatory practices, urging housing providers and screening companies to consider only relevant information, provide avenues for disputing inaccuracies, and ensure compliance with the Fair Housing Act, particularly regarding race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability and familial status. The aim is to promote fair evaluation of applicants and transparent screening processes while addressing potential biases in AI algorithms.

In his State of the City address, Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander announced plans for the redevelopment of MacArthur Mall into a mixed-use project including residential units, a hotel, amenity space and retail. While there is not yet a timeline or budget for the project, the city is predicting a 400-room military-themed hotel and a 518,000-square-foot high rise, housing 400 to 600 residential units, with both for sale and for rent options. 

The final phase of New Manchester Flats, a nearly 12-acre development with hundreds of apartments, will hopefully break ground in late 2024 or early 2025. The 93,000-square-foot building will house 127 units, reserved entirely for households earning around 60% of AMI. 

The Lawson Companies recently bought a 6.5 acre-tract near Forest Hill for $2 million, where they plan to develop an apartment community where 108 of the units will be reserved for households making 51-80% AMI, and 36 units reserved for households making 50% AMI or below. The community will consist of 6 three-story buildings housing one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, along with a 37,000 square foot clubhouse featuring a business center, pool, fitness center and more. Construction is expected to begin this year. 

Artspace, a Minnesota-based housing developer for the arts, recently conducted a feasability study in Roanoke. They found that Roanoke's Riverdale mixed-use development could support 44 private art studio spaces and up to 67 live/work housing units for artists earning up to 80% of the area median income (AMI). The company also has ideas for shared spaces within the project, like gallery space, a clay studio and rehearsal spaces.