ZONED OUT is a comprehensive outreach and education initiative tied to the launch of the completed Virginia Zoning Atlas thanks to the generous support of Capital One. Developed by HousingForward Virginia and Incremental Development Alliance and supported by Virginia Housing, the goal of this initiative is to spread awareness and educate community leaders about the impacts of restrictive zoning practices on housing supply and affordability, ultimately demonstrating how zoning reform creates more abundant housing options.
ZONED OUT leverages the Virginia Zoning Atlas, an innovative tool that visualizes and simplifies complex zoning codes in order to educate Virginians on the many ways restrictive zoning contributes to the housing challenges we face today. ZONED OUT offers multiple virtual and in-person session offerings to communities across Virginia, bringing data and information on zoning directly to you.
Interested?
If you’d like to bring one of these events to your community in 2026, please click the button below and fill out the form.
Brought to you with generous support from
Zoning plays an important role in shaping housing opportunity for all Virginians. Virginia Housing’s investment in this initiative is an important step to ensuring communities have the data and information needed to create policies that support the creation and preservation of affordable housing across Virginia.
tammy neale, virginia housing
ceo
WHEN DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ZONING?
I don’t know about you, but I never learned about zoning in my civics classes, even though it impacts each and every one of us on a daily basis. It is a function of local government that we as residents can directly shape to create vibrant, welcoming communities. Moreover, zoning is a major contributing factor to our housing shortage, which means we need to fill three key gaps in public knowledge about this vital local process:
- Understanding what zoning is, how it functions in local government, and why it matters
- Understand how zoning impacts housing affordability and racial equity
- Know what to do about zoning to help better their communities
ZONED OUT seeks to address these three knowledge gaps by breaking down the complex topic of zoning and land use with simple-language, clear connections to what matters most to Virginians, and evidence-based solutions to reform zoning for more diverse and affordable communities.
But knowledge alone is not enough; we want to ensure attendees and members of the public know how to take action around zoning issues. To that end, we have partnered with YIMBY Action and YIMBY Law to raise awareness about local community advocacy strategies and opportunities.
YIMBY Action and YIMBY Law are excited to partner with HousingForward Virginia on the ZONED OUT campaign! Utilizing our expertise in housing law implementation and our network of local chapter activists across VA, our organizations are ready to help solve the Commonwealth’s housing shortage. We look forward to sharing effective strategies and lessons learned from our housing wins in over 80+ chapters in 30+ states (and counting!), including filing lawsuits, mobilizing communities, educating electeds, and more. Through this collaboration, we hope to ensure Virginia’s future is filled with new homes, not unnecessary hearings.
Andrew Gothard, YIMBY Action
Director of Advocacy
BRINGING ZONING EDUCATION TO YOU
From March to December 2026, we are offering free, virtual and in-person sessions for organizations, communities, and other interested groups across Virginia. In partnership with practitioners and educators at Incremental Development Alliance, we have crafted accessible content for these sessions that clearly demonstrates the relationship between housing and vibrant, inclusive communities.
The Incremental Development Alliance is honored to partner with HousingForward Virginia on the ZONED OUT campaign. After training more than 9,000 small-scale developers and cities nationwide, we’ve seen how neighbors with the right knowledge and tools can transform their communities one building at a time. We’re bringing examples from successful projects and policy victories across the country as Virginia’s leaders work to create the walkable, affordable neighborhoods that Virginia desperately needs—built by the people who love them.
Margaret mcclintock, incremental development alliance
program director
We will bring this information to you in an engaging format. All you need to do to help is:
- Meet with us to discuss your needs and audience;
- Help promote the event within your network and ensure good attendance; and
- Provide an event space and refreshments (if in-person).
Express your interest by February 1, 2026 as these sessions will be provided on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Interested?
If you’d like to bring one of these events to your community in 2026, please click the button below and fill out the form.
learn about the basics of zoning and housing
A straightforward, accessible 90-minute module that introduces key zoning concepts and zoning’s impact on housing affordability. After covering the basics, we’ll go over how you can get involved in zoning in your community. Limited to 12 sessions in a year.
Who should sign up for Zoning 101??
- Groups that have limited knowledge about or experience with zoning
- Advocacy groups and community associations
Learn about why zoning matters to you
A series of 90-minute virtual or in-person sessions focused on explaining why zoning matters to elected officials, housing advocates, and community members. In these brief sessions, we’ll discuss the impacts of zoning on local communities and how advocates can best frame conversations about zoning reform. Limited to 8 sessions in a year.
Who should sign up for Zoning Matters??
- Elected and appointed officials
- Housing industry professionals (e.g., REALTORS, service providers, etc.)
- Community members (e.g., business leaders, advocacy organizations, etc.)
Dive deep into a zoning issue
Bringing Up Zoning is a single 90 minute in-person session that brings local stakeholders and expert speakers together for a panel discussion of specific zoning and housing issues in your community. This deep dive covers zoning reform strategy and how to build a grassroots movement. Limited to 4 sessions in a year.
Who should sign up for Bringing Up Zoning??
- Community and advocacy organizations ready to find solutions
BRING TOGETHER YOUR COMMUNITY AROUND ZONING
ZONED IN is a mini-conference dedicated to a specific community or region that brings together outside experts and local stakeholders to talk about zoning’s local impact on housing. The mini-conference is composed of two panel sessions with a networking break in-between.
Limited to 2 sessions in a year. ZONED IN events may require additional sponsorship funding.
Who should sign up for ZONED IN??
- Local or regional governments ready to engage with community on zoning
- Community or advocacy organizations ready to build momentum on zoning reform
Interested in one of these events?
If you’d like to bring one of these events to your community in 2026, please visit the interest form.
Interested?
If you’d like to bring one of these events to your community in 2026, please click the button below and fill out the form.