#valeg — Public Fediverse posts

Councilor Payne notes that there are state and federal code barriers that make it hard for us to address urban transportation needs. True! I have this on my workplan for this legislative year. Mr. Chambers confirms this will be considered as part of this plan. #VALeg

https://www.wavy.com/news/virginia/new-super-speeder-law-in-va-aims-to-slow-down-drivers/ “if you’re going 85 miles an hour in a 20, if you’re going over 100 miles an hour, in lieu of suspension or impoundment, instead of losing your license, you will put an ISA device in your vehicle” #Virginia #VALeg #SafeStreets #WarOnCars

https://www.29news.com/2026/07/08/virginia-renters-get-new-protections-under-newly-signed-state-budget/ “It’s a bipartisan issue — everyone is struggling with housing shortages” Thank you @katrinacallsen.com #housing #VALeg #Virginia

"In a lot of ways, the systems we have in place are bulging at the seams" #Virginia #VALeg #LegislativeCalendar https://virginiamercury.com/2025/03/03/enough-already-extend-the-length-of-virginias-regular-legislative-sessions/

https://virginiamercury.com/2026/06/22/virginia-localities-raise-119m-for-school-construction-through-targeted-sales-tax/ “we are billions behind, and we still have kids in classrooms with leaky roofs and air conditioning that often breaks” #VALeg #education #cville #Virginia #BudgetsAreValuesDocuments

https://www.wvtf.org/news/2026-06-11/new-virginia-law-requires-data-center-water-usage-be-made-public #VALeg #AIBubble #drought #CleanWater

https://www.ffxnow.com/2026/06/05/fairfax-delegates-new-law-sets-statewide-ceiling-on-parking-requirements-near-transit/ “A huge factor that drives these costs is minimum parking requirements for new construction, which are a significant but often overlooked driver of housing costs” #ParkingReform #housing #VALeg #shortage #inflation #TOD #transit

https://www.cvilletomorrow.org/virginia-law-does-not-make-it-easy-for-a-renter-to-force-a-landlord-to-improve-conditions-even-hazardous-ones/ “when a landlord is unresponsive, or fails outright to maintain a safe living environment, tenants in Virginia have few options” #Virginia #housing #VALeg #health #CleanAir #mold

https://wset.com/news/local/governor-abigail-spanberger-signs-bills-to-boost-affordable-housing-in-virginia-rocky-mount-cavco-manufactured-homes-your-money-delegate-dan-helmer-paul-krizek-josh-thomas-senator-schuyler-june-2026 “When we talk about the issues facing our communities, housing affordability, not enough housing supply, the answers and the solutions lie right before us” #housing #shortage #Virginia #VALeg

https://ggwash.org/view/103580/two-steps-forward-one-step-back-for-housing-in-virginia “Spanberger holds the crown for heading one of the most productive sessions for housing reform in recent Virginia history” I wish we were moving faster of course but we are finally moving! #Virginia #VALeg #housing

https://cardinalnews.org/2026/05/20/6-things-to-know-about-spanbergers-tuesday-afternoon-massacre-of-bills/ This has been an absolutely wild legislative year here in Virginia y’all. #veto #Virginia #Spanberger #VALeg #USPol #LegalizeIt

"Water is essential. For our bodies, for our food, for our businesses to be successful. It sustains the existence of every living thing," #VALeg #virginia #CleanWater #PFAS #SaveTheBay #Flooding https://virginiamercury.com/2026/05/07/gov-spanberger-signs-bills-aimed-at-protecting-wetlands-detecting-pfas-and-preparing-for-natural-disasters/

https://www.arlnow.com/2026/04/30/faith-in-housing-bill-line-crosses-finish-line-clears-path-for-church-based-affordable-housing/ “this is a huge step forward in addressing a housing shortage where Virginia is missing over 300,000 homes” #zoning #housing #VALeg #Virginia #YIGBY

Super early, but starting to think of legislative relief ideas for Virginia in 2027. This section of zoning law is especially on my mind: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title15.2/chapter22/section15.2-2286/ #zoning #VALeg #housing

https://virginiamercury.com/2026/04/16/a-new-law-will-make-it-easier-to-build-a-tiny-house-in-your-back-yard-starting-next-year/ “Virginia has shown that states can cut through restrictive zoning” #Virginia #VALeg #housing #zoning

I believe HB282 permitting Charlottesville, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, and Newport News to tax land at a higher rate than buildings has been signed by the Governor and enters into effect on July 1st! https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB282 #VALeg #TaxReform #SplitRateTaxation #HB282

https://www.governor.virginia.gov/newsroom/news-releases/2026/april-releases/name-1116382-en.html “Governor Abigail Spanberger did not sign dozens of tax bills into law — because the General Assembly never passed them, and the bills never reached her desk.” #VALeg #Virginia #TaxReform

https://virginiamercury.com/2026/04/08/repub/drive-for-more-housing-sparks-rare-bipartisanship-in-statehouses/ “Fix housing prices, for the love of God” #housing #Virginia #VALeg #USPolitics #inflation #shortage #zoning

https://www.wvtf.org/news/2026-04-03/virginia-will-soon-have-an-eviction-prevention-program “Evictions are not just the result of poverty. Evictions can also be the cause of poverty” #VALeg #housing #virginia #Homelessness #poverty #eviction

A helpful rollup of some of the housing bills I have been tracking and some I didn't know about. Giving localities the ability to enforce safe living conditions for renters is extremely interesting. #VALeg #housing #Virginia https://virginiamercury.com/2026/03/17/housing-bills-to-boost-supply-protect-tenants-on-way-to-spanbergers-desk/

Helpful rundown on this legislative session in Virginia focusing on the Bay #SaveTheBay #VALeg #conservation #Flood #RGGI #CleanWater #TreeCanopy https://www.cbf.org/virginia-legislative-session/

7. Support for nonprofit affordable housing development (YIGBY), passed. Similar to efforts in Charlottesville, this allows many nonprofit landowners like houses of worship to build affordable housing by right if they can get the funding support to do it. #YIGBY #housing #VALeg https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1279

6. Right of first refusal on publicly supported housing, passed. Similar to the mobile home park bill I talk about above, this gives localities a chance to protect below market rate homes after their terms of subsidy expire, preventing mass displacement for relatively low cost. #housing #VALeg #LIHTC https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB4

5. Greater tree canopy zoning powers, awaiting Governor's action. This was a major ask from the public in the local zoning rewrite but we were limited by state regs. Should this become law, we can increase protections in sensitive areas like flood plains and along rivers and streams. #VALeg #TreeCanopy #zoning #FloodSafety #CleanWater #SaveTheBay https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB549

Fourth, clarifying legal standing for zoning litigation did not pass. In years past we did have an informal standard here in Virginia similar to Texas’s formal written standard but have lost that. Hopefully we can get this right next year. City staff have a couple of good ideas I think will work. https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB447 #VALeg #litigation

Third, permission to reduce taxes on structures and raise them on land, waiting for the Governor’s action. We joined with our friends in Falls Church, Fredericksburg, and Newport News on this. The idea is to reduce displacement while encouraging maintenance and investment https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB282 #VALeg #TaxReform

Second, Accessory Dwelling Units (AKA Granny Flats) permitted statewide, waits for the Governor’s action. This is something Charlottesville already does, but most other localities in Virginia have not. By acting together, we can create a strong market to provide standard affordable solutions for this flexible building type to address the shortage https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB531 #housing #VALeg

First up, should the Governor wish to sign there will be a right of first refusal giving mobile home park residents time to work with nonprofits and local government to buy their homes, preventing shocking mass displacement. This has been a repeated challenge here in Charlottesville because of our budgeting process, government is not optimized to move fast with large expenditures, very much on purpose https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB375 #housing #VALeg

Been a bit, hello again all. I think the most interesting thing that happened while the server was down is I did a quick analysis of what legislative changes the Charlottesville Planning Commission requested and Council approved and what came. I count seven bills introduced and six passed and heading to Governor Spanberger. This has been an exceptionally productive year here. #cville #VALeg

https://progressandpoverty.substack.com/p/boom-unanimous-vote-puts-land-value “With the passage of HB 282, Virginia now appears perfectly-poised to actually implement LVT. Perhaps Charlottesville will be the first city to try it out.” #cville #TaxReform #housing #SplitRateTaxation #VALeg #HB282