Virginia Conservation Network |Coalition for Smarter Growth |Piedmont Environmental Council |Virginia League of Conservation Voters

PRESS RELEASE - Februrary 7, 2006

Contacts: Laura Olsen, 202-244-4408 x 4# or 202-320-4578 (cell)
Stewart Schwartz, CSG, 703-599-6437 (cell) or Chris Miller, PEC, 540-347-2334

Photos from the event are available for download.

Governor Kaine joins Virginia Voters to Support
Common Sense Solutions for Growth & Traffic Problems

Kaine, Legislators, Citizens Urge General Assembly Action
to Help Communities Better Manage Development

Richmond -- On Tuesday, Governor Kaine and Democratic and Republican Legislators joined over 200 citizens in rallying to support a package of common sense tools to help communities better manage growth and to ensure that runaway development doesn’t clog their roads and ruin Virginia’s beautiful landscapes.

Governor Kaine said to the crowd, “I’ve held town hall meetings across the Commonwealth to talk about transportation, and the people of Virginia are sending a very clear message to their legislators: don’t come home empty-handed on this issue.”

The rally brought citizens from as far as three hours away to speak to legislators before this week’s key House and Senate committee votes. The bills include those that:
-- Require traffic impact studies for comprehensive plans and new development proposals;
-- Clarify that localities can turn down rezoning proposals that increase development on a parcel if the roads can’t handle it; and,,
-- Allow counties to adopt policies to transfer development rights from one part of their community to another.

“These bills represent first steps and common sense solutions for our growth and traffic problems,” said Christopher Miller, President of the Piedmont Environmental Council.

The rally follows recent elections which hinged on community demands for better growth management. Demands to improve land use planning to reduce traffic have increased dramatically in the past few years.

“Virginia voters are frustrated, but not partisan about growth and traffic. We want all of our officials to look at the big picture and work with us to make wise decisions about where and how our community grows,” said Andrea McGimsey of the Campaign for Loudoun’s Future, the civic organization leading the fight against proposals to undo the approved comprehensive plan and triple the size of Loudoun County.

The bi-partisan package of bills introduced by the Governor, Senators and Delegates is the first step toward helping communities wisely plan where and how Virginia’s communities will grow.

House Democratic Caucus Leader Brian J. Moran (Alexandria) joined the Governor at the rally, noting, “To address our transportation crisis, Virginia needs to adopt sensible and responsible growth policies. I am committed to working with Governor Kaine and members from both sides of the aisle to promote this agenda.”

Clay Athey, the Republican House Policy Chair, addressed the crowd, saying, “We need better land use planning, make Virginia DOT more responsive to the people and a package of transportation and land use measures. We need to ensure that the development community pays for the infrastructure needs of the development they are bringing to our community.”

Hap Connors, Chairman of the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors, said, "For too long, discussions about development have been positioned as zero sum, win-lose propositions. We've tried to offer a new way in Spotsylvania County that begins with mutually beneficial goals reached with common sense development ideas and smart planning, and I'm glad that Governor Kaine and General Assembly leaders are advancing these solutions at the state level."

"Residents of Hampton Roads have made the connection between uncontrolled growth and transportation problems. They make it every day, sitting in traffic. All that remains now is for our elected representatives to connect those same dots," said Skip Stiles, a Norfolk resident, and Vice-Chairman of Virginia Conservation Network.

The bills have been introduced by Republicans and Democrats from all parts of the state, including Senators Houck, Hawkins, Quayle and Herring and Delegates Marshall, McQuigg, Jones, and Sickles.

Delegate Marshall, a Republican from Prince William, said to the crowd, “Paying for development is neither a Democrat issue nor a Republican issue; it is an economic justice issue. Those who create debt should pay the debt."

Voters came to Richmond from across the Commonwealth seeking tools to help their community deal with poorly planned growth and the traffic problems it's creating.

Kim Sandum from the Shenandoah Valley’s Rockingham County noted, “I have sat through many rezoning meetings with frustrated Supervisors who know our local roads can’t handle the additional development, but aren’t sure they can do anything about it. These bills would allow us to put our planning process in the right order - plan infrastructure to serve future growth where it makes sense rather than continuously playing catch-up with new development.”

“This is an extremely exciting time for the Fredericksburg region, its elected officials and citizens, many of whom have been urging their legislators, for a number of years, to provide them with the necessary tools to better plan and manage growth,” said Doris Whitfield, with the Rappahannock Group of the Sierra Club.

“We are encouraged by bi-partisan leadership seeking to improve land use and transportation planning. We need a comprehensive state, local and private sector partnership to design communities to minimize traffic and provide more transportation choices, and to use land use planning solutions to reduce transportation infrastructure needs,” noted Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

A hearing on the all of the growth related bills is set for Wednesday morning in the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee.

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NOTES:
For contact information about residents from your community that attended the rally contact Laura Olsen (202-244-4408) or Liese Dart (540-347-2334).

Photos from the Rally are available for download and use from the Coalition for Smarter Growth’s website.

Summary of additional remarks made by Governor Kaine and Legislators at the Rally and Quotes from citizens attending the Rally

Speaking to the Crowd, Governor Kaine also noted
In the campaign, I made it clear that the old rules aren’t going to work for the new Virginia. If we just tax and pave it will make things worse.

There are a lot of issues where you can expect party line votes, but this is an issue where there is no party line. If we want to keep Virginia strong and a strong quality of life, we need to better connect land use and transportation.

Delegate Marshall also said to the crowd,
I said I will help the governor and I am helping him get this bill passed not for us, but for Virginians that are stuck in traffic.

Fairfax
“Our legislators need to understand that we care, we are watching and we want all communities in Virginia to have better tools to plan where, when and how we grow,” said Roger Diedrich, Fairfax County resident.

“Virginia residents and local officials have been asking for better tools to plan growth and transportation for a long time. I am thrilled that the General Assembly is taking action,” said Stella Koch, a Great Falls resident and Conservation Advocate at Audubon Naturalist Society.

Fauquier
“I was here 20 years ago and fought the Balilies road funding program because they didn’t couple it with land use tools. It is past time to tie our land use and transportation planning,” said Georgia Herbert, Fauquier resident and former chairman of the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors.

Orange
“We’ve seen runaway development clog our roads, ruin our scenic beauty and force up local taxes. Orange is facing serious road and development pressures and we need better tools for local government to deal with the growth pressures,” said Anne Snyder, Orange County resident.

Albemarle
“For the health of Albemarle County, it is critical that we have support from legislators to better address our development decisions,” said Tony Vanderwalker, Albemarle County resident.

Richmond Area
“Recognizing the area is growing, now is the time to give our communities the tools they need to wisely plan without making the mistakes of Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads,” said Adele MacLean of Henrico County and the Partnership for Smarter Growth.

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