Danville Program
A Scalable Solution for Affordable, Green Housing
HILOA’s Danville Program is more than a local development initiative. It is our working prototype for addressing one of the most urgent challenges facing communities across the country: the shortage of affordable, energy-efficient housing in small and mid-sized metros.
Danville is where this model begins. It is also where we prove what is possible.
By combining affordability, sustainability, and measurable outcomes, the Danville Program is designed to serve as a repeatable framework that can be adapted and implemented in communities nationwide.
Why Danville, and Why Now?
Danville reflects the reality facing hundreds of communities across America.
The region is experiencing a severe housing shortage, with local leaders identifying the need for hundreds of additional units to meet current demand. At the same time, job growth from sectors like gaming, advanced manufacturing, and logistics is accelerating faster than housing production, putting even more pressure on an already strained market.
For working families, the impact is immediate. Rising rents and utility costs are making it harder for low- and moderate-income households to secure stable housing without becoming cost-burdened. Many are already spending far more than the recommended 30% of their income on housing.
There is also a deeper issue at play. Much of the older housing stock in communities like Danville is inefficient, unhealthy, and expensive to operate. That means families are not only paying too much for housing itself, but also carrying a heavier energy burden in homes that often do not support long-term health and well-being.
Danville is not an outlier. It is a powerful example of a housing and economic profile shared by communities throughout the country. That is exactly why it is the right place to build a model with national relevance.
Phase 1: Pilot Build
The first phase of the Danville Program will introduce approximately 50 all-electric, LEED Platinum-certified townhomes as the launch community.
Key features of the pilot include:
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100% of homes reserved for working families earning at or below 80% of Area Median Income
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Total housing costs, including rent and utilities, targeted at no more than 30% of household income
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Climate-smart, ultra-efficient design that lowers utility burdens while improving comfort and resilience
Full Build-Out Vision
Over time, the Danville Program is expected to grow into a larger mixed housing community with:
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150 to 200 apartments and townhomes
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A mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes
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Integrated EV charging
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Solar infrastructure
The Danville Program at a Glance
Expected Impact
The Danville Program is designed to create measurable value for residents, employers, and the broader community.
When fully built out, the program is expected to provide:
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Stable housing for 150 to 200 households
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Homes for approximately 400 to 600 residents
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200 to 300 construction jobs
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15 to 20 permanent jobs
Beyond those numbers, the long-term impact includes lower utility costs, healthier living environments, and reduced emissions, all while helping communities retain workforce talent and support economic growth.
Built to be Measured
The Danville Program is not just designed to be built. It is designed to be measured, managed, and improved over time.
HILOA will track outcomes across four key categories:
Housing Stability
We will measure tenancy length, rent burden reduction, and eviction prevention to understand how stable, affordable housing changes household security over time.
Household Outcomes
We will evaluate indicators such as school attendance and academic performance for children, employment stability, and household income growth.
Building Performance
We will compare energy use, utility costs, indoor air quality, and resilience metrics against conventional housing benchmarks.
Community Impact
We will assess workforce retention, employer feedback, and neighborhood-level investment to understand broader economic benefits.
Our goal is clear: to demonstrate that affordable, green housing in cities like Danville can keep housing costs predictable, improve health and productivity, and strengthen local economies.
From Pilot Project to National Model
HILOA views the Danville Program as the beginning of something much larger.
What starts in Danville is intended to become a standardized, scalable housing model for communities across the United States. This is not a one-time development. It is a framework for solving the housing crisis in places that are too often overlooked in national conversations.
By using hard data, proven performance, and a disciplined implementation strategy, we are building a model that cities, investors, employers, and philanthropic partners can trust.
1. Proven Results
We will validate the model through real-world performance, including tenant outcomes, energy savings, and long-term financial durability. The results will be documented and shared so that future partners can move forward with confidence.
2. Scalable Design
Danville serves as a blueprint for communities with similar characteristics, including comparable population size, income levels, aging housing stock, and workforce needs. The model is designed to be adaptable while preserving the performance standards that make it effective.
3. Strategic Expansion
Our long-term implementation plan includes:
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Phase I: Danville launch site with 50 affordable green townhomes
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Phase II: Danville mid-rise mixed-use affordable green development
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Phase III: Additional sites across the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions
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Phase IV: National rollout in comparable metropolitan areas
Each future location can be tailored to local conditions, financing tools, zoning requirements, and evolving climate-friendly technologies while maintaining the integrity of the core model.
Our approach focuses on three priorities:
A Solution to the National Housing Crisis
The Danville Program directly addresses some of the most pressing housing challenges facing the country today.
It responds to the widening gap between housing demand and supply for working families. It reduces long-term operating costs through high-performance design. It lowers climate risk and energy burden. And it creates a repeatable, investable template for small and mid-sized metros that need practical, scalable housing solutions.
This is how local innovation becomes national infrastructure.
Partnerships Power the Model
The Danville Program is intentionally collaborative. Its success depends on strong partnerships across sectors.
Public Sector
HILOA is working in alignment with the City of Danville, including local support mechanisms such as HOME and CDBG funding, as well as broader state housing and economic development goals.
State and Federal Partners
The program is positioned to align with financing and support tools from Virginia Housing, including LIHTC and rental financing, as well as potential opportunities through federal agencies focused on housing, efficiency, and resilience.
Private Sector
Mission-driven lenders, tax credit investors, and employers in need of workforce housing all have a role to play in helping bring this model to life.
Philanthropy
Foundations, donor-advised funds, and high-net-worth individuals have the opportunity to support a high-impact housing strategy that delivers both social and environmental returns.
The Path Forward
HILOA is building on the lessons, systems, and outcomes of the Danville pilot to create a new standard for affordable, climate-smart housing in small and mid-sized metros.
Following the success of our Danville pilot, we are preparing for multi-region expansion to make this housing model accessible to communities across the United States.
We believe the future of housing will require solutions that are not only affordable, but also healthy, efficient, resilient, and scalable. The Danville Program is designed to meet that future head-on.
Bring the Model to Your Community
If you are a city leader, employer, investor, or philanthropic partner interested in bringing the Danville Program model to your community, HILOA can help develop a localized implementation plan grounded in the same scalable, phased, data-driven approach.
Together, we can create housing solutions that work for families, strengthen communities, and set a new national standard.
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