Housing

Housing Planning and Progress in Shenandoah County

Click Here For Full Housing Study

Shenandoah County and the Town of Woodstock partnered to address housing needs through a comprehensive planning process supported by Virginia Housing’s Community Impact Grant. Two coordinated studies, a County-wide Local Market Assessment and a focused Area Market Study for Woodstock, are guiding efforts to understand housing conditions, identify gaps, and explore opportunities for sustainable development.

To date, we've completed kickoff activities, gathered local data, conducted stakeholder interviews, and launched community engagement efforts. Early accomplishments include developing work plans, assessing zoning and infrastructure capacity, and compiling initial housing inventory and market data. These findings are already informing strategies for Mixed-Use/Mixed-Income (MUMI) development, zoning reform, and infrastructure planning.

Work is ongoing to complete detailed market analyses, forecast future housing demand, and deliver actionable recommendations for both Woodstock and the broader County. Continued engagement with the community, elected officials, and local stakeholders will ensure the final plans reflect shared goals for affordability, economic vitality, and preserving Shenandoah’s rural character.

Ongoing Housing Work & Innovation

We launched the Shenandoah Housing Design Challenge, a county‑wide design competition inviting architects, designers, and homeowners to create practical, locally appropriate Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and “missing middle” housing solutions. The competition is generating innovative design concepts — from carriage house conversions to small detached homes — that could help expand housing options and support aging in place, rental opportunities, and flexible living. Found Here.

Virginia Governor's Housing Conference

We’re also honored to have been selected to speak at the Virginia Governor’s Housing Conference, sharing our rural‑community approach to housing innovation and small‑scale development. That visibility allows us to highlight how local planning, community engagement, and creative housing strategies can come together to address housing challenges, offering a model for other rural localities to follow.