A newly introduced measure by State Sen. Jeremy S. McPike seeks to grant all localities increased authority in creating zoning programs that support affordable housing projects, the Virginia State Senate reports.
The legislation, known as SB74, was submitted on Jan. 14, 2026, during the regular session, formally described as: “Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority.”
The following summary is based on legislative text and includes clarifications for a clearer understanding of its provisions.
Essentially, this proposal would allow any locality in Virginia to establish zoning ordinance programs that encourage affordable housing, removing previous restrictions to certain counties or cities. Such initiatives could involve density bonuses, decreased lot sizes, accessory units, duplexes and other forms of “missing middle” housing within single-family neighborhoods, office space conversions to residential units, transit-oriented development, monetary incentives, manufactured homes, and contributions to housing trust funds. It also prohibits extra housing fund payments for projects already participating in similar programs. Under the bill, localities launching new programs on or after July 1, 2027, must create an advisory committee with residents and various stakeholders in housing, planning, finance, and real estate to assess available incentives and effective strategies for increasing affordable housing supplies. The legislation will take effect July 1, 2027, with ordinances adopted before Jan. 1, 2026, being unaffected.
The sponsorship for this measure includes Sen. Jeremy S. McPike (Democrat-29th District), Sen. Barbara A. Favola (Democrat-40th District), and Sen. Jennifer B. Boysko (Democrat-38th District), along with three more supporters.
Since the start of the current session, McPike has also introduced 20 additional bills.
McPike earned a Bachelor of Arts from George Mason University in 1997.
McPike, a Democrat, has represented Virginia’s 29th Senate district in the State Senate since his election in 2016, succeeding former state senator Charles Colgan.
In Virginia’s legislative process, a bill is presented in either the House of Delegates or Senate. After its introduction, it is referred to one or more committees for review and possible revision. If the committee approves, the bill proceeds for full chamber debate and votes in both legislative houses. Passage in both sends the measure to the governor for signature, veto, or enactment without a signature. The Virginia General Assembly holds regular annual sessions beginning the second Monday each January, at which time legislators bring forward hundreds of bills, though only some become law.
| Patron(s) | Bill Number | Date Introduced | Short Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy S. McPike, Barbara A. Favola, Jennifer B. Boysko, Kannan Srinivasan, Russet Perry, and Saddam Azlan Salim | SB74 | 01/14/2026 | Affordable housing; local zoning ordinance authority. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Christie New Craig | SB122 | 01/14/2026 | School boards; student diabetes care & management in schools, division wide plan required. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Russet Perry | SB138 | 01/14/2026 | PFAS monitoring; DEQ to require for industrial wastewater source, publicly owned treatment works. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB139 | 01/14/2026 | Income tax, state; subtraction for long-term capital gains from sale of principal residence. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB140 | 01/14/2026 | Fire Programs, Department of; development of mental health awareness training. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB148 | 01/14/2026 | Income tax, state; subtraction for tax, military retirement benefits, uniformed services. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB149 | 01/14/2026 | State-facilitated IRA savings program; various changes to the program. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Bill DeSteph | SB164 | 01/14/2026 | Health insurance; ethics and fairness in carrier business practices, downcoded claims. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB165 | 01/14/2026 | Contracts; retainage bonds permitted in construction contracts, effective clause. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB166 | 01/14/2026 | Insurance; contingent deferred annuities, nonforfeiture benefits. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB170 | 01/14/2026 | Protection of employees; covenants not to compete, discharged employees. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB256 | 01/14/2026 | Appliance minimum energy and water conservation standards; requirement of manufacturers. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB321 | 01/14/2026 | Abandonment of highway; section of the secondary state highway system, local authority. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Jennifer D. Carroll Foy | SB324 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Public Procurement Act; additional public works contract requirements. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB326 | 01/14/2026 | Virginia Public Procurement Act; cooperative procurement. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Kannan Srinivasan | SB371 | 01/14/2026 | Electric utilities; electric demand flexibility programs, high energy demand customers, report. |
| Jeremy S. McPike, Angelia Williams Graves, Jennifer D. Carroll Foy, Kannan Srinivasan, and Saddam Azlan Salim | SB388 | 01/14/2026 | Affordable housing; religious organizations and other nonprofit tax-exempt properties. |
| Jeremy S. McPike and Angelia Williams Graves | SB443 | 01/14/2026 | Siting of battery energy storage projects; commercial solar photovoltaic generation facilities. |
| Jeremy S. McPike, Adam P. Ebbin, Jennifer B. Boysko, Kannan Srinivasan, Saddam Azlan Salim, and Scott A. Surovell | SB446 | 01/14/2026 | Limited-duration licenses, driver privilege cards, and permits; validity periods for documents. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB487 | 01/14/2026 | Electric cooperatives; authorized to establish and implement a virtual power plant program. |
| Jeremy S. McPike | SB591 | 01/14/2026 | Income tax, state; free tax filing program for individuals |
This report contains information from the Virginia State Senate. Source data is available here.
