The Shortline 1-26-24
Rockingham Supervisors vote down VIA transit proposal • Local rent control bill survives General Assembly committee vote • Increased housing supply in Cincinnati slows rising rents
The Valley
The Rockingham County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 against bringing a demand-response transportation pilot project to the county in 2024. Valley Interfaith Action, a large community organization of Harrisonburg and Rockingham residents that has been seeking to bring a public transit program to Rockingham County. (WHSV, DNR)
Increasing housing density and reducing off-street parking requirements are among items being considered in Harrisonburg’s Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances Update Project. (Daily News-Record)
DRPT is seeking input via a survey to determine if there are unmet intercity bus needs between Virginia Beach and the Shenandoah Valley. (DRPT)
The Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority continues to work toward the creation of the Bluestone Town Center. Residential applications are due in March and HRHA will continue to take steps throughout the year to prepare to begin construction in the fall. (WHSV)
Trinity Presbyterian Church in Harrisonburg recently installed a bioretention feature on its property with help from the Harrisonburg Conservation Assistance Program. The feature will help filter out pollutants from local waterways. (WHSV)
A pedestrian was hit by the driver of a sedan at the intersection of South Main and Port Republic Rd. The 18-year-old victim was transported to the UVA Hospital with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries.” (The Breeze) The story mentions the windshield was cracked. Had the pedestrian been hit by an SUV or truck, it may have been fatal.
Virginia
House Bill 721, sponsored by Del. Nadarius Clark, would empower local governments to pass an ordinance that would limit the amount landlords could increase rents to no more than the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index — the basic measure of inflation — or 7%, whichever is less. (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Local governments say Airbnb has been flouting Virginia law, refusing to send them basic tax information. Its noncompliance is frustrating those governments, who feel they have little recourse against the multibillion-dollar corporation. (The Daily Progress)
Two bills in General Assembly propose allowing Virginia localities to incorporate an increased focus on community health into their regular comprehensive planning processes. As a Dillon Rule state, the General Assembly must enable municipalities to do this. (VAIPL)
Charlottesville City Council unanimously adopted a new zoning ordinance in late December. Starting immediately, the new code abolished mandatory parking minimums, modernized the permitting process, and legalized duplexes citywide with the potential for up to eight units per lot based on location, preservation, and affordability. (Greater Greater Washington)
Some Charlottesville homeowners filed a suit against the city seeking to block the new zoning ordinance, passed by City Council in December, from going into effect next month. The suit argues the city’s process did not comply with Virginia statutes, and therefore the new zoning cannot be enforced. (The Daily Progress)
Balcksburg Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith would like to see Virginia Tech do more to alleviate the pressure its yearly enrollment growth puts on the town. It is not the first time she has made her views known on the issue of housing and Virginia Tech’s role — which for years has been one, if not the most pressing issue facing the town. (The Roanoke Times)
Virginia’s efforts to transition to a zero-carbon economy will be swamped by new demand from the fast-growing data center industry, unless the industry itself can be made part of the solution. Several bills seek to regulate data centers. (Virginia Mercury)
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted 8-1 to rezone a 12-acre parcel of land in Chantilly for a data center upwards of 110 feet tall. It would be the tallest one proposed in the county. (WJLA)
Over 170 community members gathered at Woodgrove High School on Monday night to hear representatives of the Piedmont Environmental Council present information about the effects of data centers and a 500 kV transmission line that is proposed to cut through rural western Loudoun. (Loudoun Now)
Two Democratic party leaders have introduced budget amendments that would require Virginia to rejoin the regional carbon market, despite the continued push by Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin to withdraw from it. (Virginia Mercury)
Danville has formed a climate task force to come up with ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to a 2022 Danville greenhouse gas inventory, the city produced just more than 650,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide that year. (Danville Register & Bee)
Bristol Planning Commission discussed a potential series of changes to city zoning guidelines, including potential language involving so-called “skill games.” (Bristol Herald Courier)
The aspiration to connect the cities of Hampton Roads with walking and biking trails received a huge boost from Washington recently with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s announcement it has awarded $14.9 million to Virginia Beach for its part of such a network. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Elsewhere
Developers brought about 5,000 new apartment units online in the Cincinnati area over the past two years, with thousands more in the pipeline for 2024. Increasing options for renters have resulted in a slower pace of rent hikes as landlords lower asking rents and even offer move-in incentives to attract residents. (Cincinnati Inquirer)
The number of ‘cost-burdened’ renters in the US hit a record 22.4 million in 2022 — up 2 million households from just three years before, according to a new study. (The Washington Post)
Outdated zoning rules are a big factor in the tight housing supply because they often limit construction of smaller homes packed more tightly together — exactly the dense type of housing that is more affordable to build and buy. (NPR)
Some longtime environmentalists oppose denser urban housing development, while others see increasing density as a major aid to a greener and more racially just economy. Transportation creates more than a fifth of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. With denser populations, there’s more use of mass transit, walking, and biking. (Forbes)
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green is proposing aggressive steps to shift more vacation rentals into residential use to meet both Maui and the state’s acute housing needs exacerbated by the Lahaina wildfire. (The Seattle Times)
The US needs an estimated 7 million more homes to house everyone who needs shelter. But to build all those homes, America would need many more construction workers. More than two-thirds of construction firms say their job applicants lack the skills they need. (Stateline)
New research shows how habitat-friendly solar energy can safeguard insect populations—and improve pollination services on adjacent farms. (Anthropocene)
A new study found that initiatives such as subsidies for e-bikes may align with both environmental and public health goals, as the subvention led to an increase in the bicycle mode share and an overall rise in active transportation. (Science Direct)
A review of records from approximately 100 U.S. hospitals suggest that e-scooter users do not suffer more severe injuries compared to cyclists and e-bike users. (Rutgers)
Grand Rapids city commissioners gave unanimous approval to a $500,000 car-share pilot that will run over the next three years and offer people without a vehicle an affordable option ($5 an hour) to get where they need to go. (MLive)
Míocar, a nonprofit car-sharing platform, is expanding its reach across the rural California Central Valley, bringing electric vehicles and expanded transportation options to low-income communities. (Government Technology)
Rising car insurance rates, coupled with rising financing and maintenance costs, have made it more expensive than ever to own a car—which spells trouble for both consumers and auto manufacturers. (Fortune)