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