The high cost of living in our region impacts every employer, hampering their ability to attract and retain a high-quality workforce. The NOVA Roadmap identifies housing affordability as a critical issue in our region.

This panel will feature developers, planners, and business leaders who will examine what is actually slowing housing production in Northern Virginia, from permitting delays to community opposition. This conversation will explore solutions that are proving effective in other fast-growing regions, and focus on actions our business community can take to increase Northern Virginia's housing supply so we can continue to attract and retain the talent that supports our economy.

Northern Virginia is home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers, firmly placing our region at the center of the global digital economy. As our ecosystem of AI, cloud, and advanced technology companies rapidly grows, the demand for energy infrastructure is reaching a critical inflection point. To maintain our leadership position, we must strengthen the power grid, scale renewables and battery storage, and adopt on-site small modular reactors (SMRs) — all of which are fundamental to powering Northern Virginia's digital future. 

Leaders from the energy, technology, and infrastructure sectors will examine how we balance the growing demand for power with the need for resilient, future-ready energy infrastructure. Join us as we discuss the strategies required to sustain Northern Virginia's innovation-driven growth while building the infrastructure a world-class digital economy demands.