The Virginia Counties, Cities and Towns Committee advanced several contested housing and land-use bills, most notably reporting a 'housing near jobs' bill (12–8) that would allow multifamily development by right in 50% of commercial districts, over the objections of Chesterfield County, Fairfax County, VML, VACO, and more than a dozen other localities. The committee also reported an ADU framework bill (12–6), a public-hearing-before-land-conveyance bill, and a private transit contractor wage-parity bill, while carrying SB 116 over to the 2027 session.
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Joe Lurch (VACO) argued the housing near jobs bill upzones 'pieces of land that otherwise the locality could have negotiated with the developer on getting some of those off site impacts,' that site plan law 'only applies to the parcel in question,' and that Virginia's cash proffers were 'substantially gutted about 10 years ago in 2015' with no impact fees or adequate public facilities ordinances to replace them. Andrew Clark (Home Builders Association of Virginia) countered that cash proffer statutes are not amended by the bill and that proffer revenue is typically 'maybe 1 to 3%, sometimes even smaller' of capital improvement budgets. Delegate M. Keith Hodges also pressed the patron on whether the bill undoes Virginia's proffer practice and limits localities' ability to generate revenue on the commercial side.
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“Austin, Texas, permitted more homes than the entire Commonwealth did in 2023. And it's not the only city that that's true of.”
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Sign in to subscribeCommittee will come to order. The committee will be at ease. All right, while we're coming over, if everybody could get to their seats. Meeting of counties, cities and towns. Our dream it plan it build it Committee, our committee of shires and spires. With that, the clerk shall open the roll. Clerk still has the roll open. Still has the roll open. Alrighty. I think everybody is here. A quorum is present. Clerk shall close the roll. All right. We have some relatively easy business to take care of. Where we've already talked to the patrons about their bills. Senate Bill 116 before us by Senator Lucas. We've had a long discussion with the senator. The House bill by Senator, By Delegate Hayes, 679 was carried over to the 2027 session. I would entertain a motion to do the same with Senate Bill 116 been moved and multiple times and seconded multiple times to carry over Senate Bill 116 to the 2027 session. That's a voice vote. All who favor that motion shall say aye. All opposed? No. Okay. I'm the only. No. All right. And that's just for you, Senator Lucas. And with that, we have carried that…
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