When we moved to Northern Virginia in 2001, I had no idea Herndon would become home. We've been here since 2002, which is long enough to have heard "big changes are coming downtown" more than once. So when the town started talking about a 25-year plan this spring, I did what a lot of longtime residents did. I raised an eyebrow, and then I started reading.
Here's what's actually happening. The Town Council voted to begin Herndon 2050, a new comprehensive plan that will guide land use, development, and economic policy for the next generation. The town expects to wrap it up around the end of 2027 or early 2028. Before the full plan arrives, two early action plans will take a closer look at the Metro station area and downtown, and that's where I'd pay the closest attention if you own a home nearby. Town staff held a public workshop at the community center on October 1, and engagement is expected to continue through the review process.
The part that surprised me most came from the housing study the town commissioned. More than 70% of the housing units in Herndon were built between 1970 and 2000, and fewer than 20% were built after 2000. The pipeline of new housing is real, more than 3,700 units, but the study found it's expected to be mostly multifamily rentals. About a quarter of households, 26.4%, spend more than 30% of their income on housing. In late March, the council voted 6 to 0 to direct staff to develop interim guidance that prioritizes affordable units in new residential and mixed-use proposals.
Now, you don't need to be a planner to see what that means for people who live here. Herndon is an established town of older homes, and living in Herndon VA means living in a place where single-family homes aren't getting built at scale. That's my read, not a promise, but the study's own numbers point in that direction. Supply of detached homes and townhomes stays tight, and the homes that come up for sale tend to get attention.
It also means condition matters. When most of the housing stock is thirty to fifty years old, buyers pay more for homes that have been kept up and updated, and they discount the ones that haven't. If you own, that's an argument for maintenance and thoughtful updates over the next few years, whether or not you plan to sell.
There's a bigger story underneath all this, and it's about identity. In January 2025, the council unanimously adopted "Live Differently" as the town's new brand concept, an effort to separate Herndon from the rest of Northern Virginia. The pitch is a small-town feel with a historic downtown, the W&OD Trail, the train depot and caboose, and a community that is genuinely diverse. I'd add that the Silver Line, which reached the Herndon station in 2022, changed how people think about getting around from here. But the long-promised downtown redevelopment never materialized the way anyone hoped, and that gap between the vision and the reality is something the 2050 process will have to address head on.
One detail from the housing study stuck with me. The town's public survey was about 71% single-family homeowners, and advocates pointed out that renters and working families were underrepresented. The council acknowledged it. I think that's worth saying out loud, because it means the voices shaping this plan may not yet reflect everyone who lives here. If you're a homeowner, a renter, a small business owner, or someone who has been thinking about buying in Herndon, your input counts. The town's website will have the next workshop dates.
I'm a Washingtonian Top Agent and an NVAR Platinum Top Producer, and I've sold 158 homes in Herndon since 2009. But the credential I trust most is the one that doesn't show up on a plaque. I've lived here for more than two decades, I've watched what the town said it would do and what actually got built, and I've learned to separate the announcements from the outcomes.
Herndon 2050 won't change your street overnight. Plans like this move slowly, and most of what gets proposed gets debated, revised, and scaled back before it becomes real. But the direction it sets will shape what this town looks like when my granddaughters are my age. Whether you've been living in Herndon VA for twenty years or twenty days, that's worth showing up for.
About LeAnne Anies & The Fox Homes Team
LeAnne Anies is a top-producing Herndon real estate agent and CEO of LeAnne + Company with the Fox Homes Team at Samson Properties, based in Herndon. She is a Washingtonian Top Agent and NVAR Platinum Top Producer, and a military spouse. LeAnne is on the most-reviewed real estate team in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with 2,155+ five-star Google reviews. She has sold 375+ homes and $229M+ in lifetime volume, including 158 homes in Herndon since 2009.
