The Shortline 2-9-24
Valley Conservation Council grant for conservation easements • Virginia Tech growth impacting local housing stock • A modular housing policy proposal
The Valley
Peter Hujik, the new executive director of the Valley Conservation Council, said as long as new development stays in “properly zoned areas,” it is up to landowners to conserve their property through conservation easements. VCC will expand efforts with a $215,000 land protection grant from the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service. (The News Virginian)
Rockingham County is continuing the process of revising and updating its comprehensive plan. The plan has not drastically changed but that there have been updates made to better represent where the county is today with the level of growth and development it has seen. (WHSV)
Several projects in Rockingham County’s Urban Development Area are in various stages of planning or construction, including two hotels and 271 apartment units on Stone Spring Road. (Scott Rogers)
The Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission (CSPDC) is promoting a survey seeking input on changes to the Dinkel Avenue and Friedens Church Road corridor in Rockingham County. (WHSV)
The median home in Staunton city listed for $357,250 in January, up 1.4% from the previous month's $352,500. (News Leader)
Virginia
Housing has been a major point of contention between Virginia Tech and nearby communities in the New River Valley, where housing prices have continuously increased in the wake of the university’s expansion. (The Roanoke Times)
Most communities in Virginia that are losing populations through both deaths over births and people moving out are rural, economically distressed localities. Roanoke is an outlier. (Cardinal News)
Roanoke planners are exploring zoning amendments allowing multiplexes and reductions in minimum lot size. There are also amendments to make group homes, like a nursing home, easier to build in the city. (WFXR)
A bill being considered in General Assembly would prohibit Virginia localities from requiring new special exceptions, special use or conditional use permits for owner-occupied short-term rentals. (Virginia Mercury)
A House subcommittee on Tuesday voted to carry over for a year a bill that would give state regulators more authority to approve large renewable energy projects. (Cardinal News)
Last year, a Charlottesville developer allowed a neighborhood association to help them design a new building project in the Fifeville neighborhood. Now, city leaders say they want that to be the norm. (Charlottesville Tomorrow)
New Kent County has grown faster than anywhere else in Virginia since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study, but the county’s popularity has pushed up the price of an average home by almost $150,000 since 2021. (Daily Press)
A housing study in Virginia Beach shows that a third of Virginia Beach households pay more than 30% of their income toward housing. Recommendations include the creation of a housing trust fund and a campaign to change attitudes around high-density housing. (WHRO)
Chesapeake is exploring a potential change that would disclose on public planning documents the names of companies and individuals paid to lobby city leaders for rezonings and special use permits. (The Virginian-Pilot)
Delaying or outright denying all rezoning applications for new housing developments during the seven months Supervisor Renee Rountree’s proposed “growth management” task force would meet could run afoul of Virginia law, Isle of Wight County Attorney has warned. (The Smithfield Times)
Senate Bill 645, which sets up a process for Virginia to help prop up so-called “fiscal-distressed localities,” passed out of the Senate Local Government Committee Monday morning on a party-line vote of 8-6. (The Progress-Index)
A Floyd-based energy conservation group’s lawsuit that seeks to reverse Virginia’s withdrawal from a regional clean air initiative (RGGI) was allowed to move forward. (The Roanoke Times)
Some say protecting Loudoun’s gravel roads will ensure that its rustic soul and charm survive a suburban onslaught. But not everyone wants to go along for the ride. (The Washington Post, Loudoun Now)
A study found $135 to $215 million in transportation investments would be needed to bring the Washington Wizards and Capitals to Northern Virginia. (Virginia Mercury)
The Greyhound bus station in Richmond sits on prime real estate. Developers now plan to raze it and build apartment towers and retail space. It's one of many bus stations being shut down. (NPR)
When it rains in Hampton Roads, water runs off asphalt parking lots into storm drains, which can get clogged during heavy rain events. That’s compounded by rising sea levels. The PDC’s chief resilience officer said local officials could get rid of minimum parking requirements or incentivize developers to retrofit lots. (WHRO)
Elsewhere
Modular building has the potential to reduce construction costs and make building new homes more affordable, especially in areas experiencing severe affordable housing shortages. Modular homes are constructed off-site, but in contrast to manufactured housing, they are assembled on-site and attached to a permanent foundation. (American Progress)
A recent study found that density is necessary, but not sufficient, to maximize well-being. The researchers found that many large towers with smaller units were designed for lower-income residents and didn't have as much access to community spaces and amenities. (Business Insider)
Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) and Tim Kaine (Va.) have reintroduced their Housing Supply and Affordability Act to the U.S. Senate in the hope of establishing a new grant program that would fund local government efforts to develop and implement housing policy plans. (Housing Wire)
Legislation introduced in the Illinois statehouse on Tuesday would ban single-family zoning statewide, allowing for the construction of duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. (MyStateline)
Housing inventory in Texas is surging, and the number of homes for sale has more than doubled from its low during the pandemic. vacant land has been converted into housing, which is great for those that are in need of housing, but not so great for those that, you know, understand the need for green space. (Marketplace)
Soaring home prices and rents, combined with meager inventory of housing options, have made it harder to move to Rhode Island, move within Rhode Island or start a family here, even for those with a job. (The Providence Journal)
Legislation in the Washington state legislature would increase the state’s tax on property sales above $3 million while decreasing the tax rate for less expensive sales. The change is estimated to create an additional $300 million in revenue that would fund the state’s Housing Trust Fund. (Stateline)
Solar energy's surge, driven by cost efficiency and climate change urgency, is prompting a rapid transition to a renewable energy source with substantial land requirements. (Penn State IEE)
Americans looking to buy a car are finding themselves priced out of the market. Just 10 percent of new car listings are currently priced below $30,000 and only 28 percent of used car listings are currently priced below $20,000. (Newsweek)
Parisians voted in a referendum on Sunday in favour of a threefold increase in parking charges on large SUVs in the French capital. (The Energy Mix)
Thanks for the info. Makes me think about doing things differently!