RICHMOND – The General Assembly this week passed a bill sponsored by Del. David Englin (D-45), to improve pedestrian-friendly development in communities all across Virginia. 
 
The legislation strengthens the ability of communities and local governments to negotiate proffered pedestrian improvements from developers by preventing the Virginia Department of Transportation from blocking those improvements after the fact. 

“We had two cases in the Fairfax County part of the 45th District where VDOT refused to issue permits for previously negotiated pedestrian improvements — improvements that VDOT had not objected to during the negotiation process,” said Englin.  “This caused our neighborhoods to miss out on tens of thousands of dollars worth of street-level improvements that would have come at no cost to taxpayers.  This bill will prevent that in the future and will give local governments a stronger hand to negotiate these improvements.”

Englin noted that his legislation still gives VDOT the opportunity to deny permits to projects that would violate laws, regulations, or mandated safety standards.

House Bill 1084 passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 98 to 1 on Feb. 6, and it passed the Senate with a minor technical amendment by a vote of 38 to 1 on Monday.  Yesterday the House of Delegates voted unanimously to accept the Senate’s amendment, representing the final passage of the bill.

For more information on Englin and his legislative agenda, visit http://www.DavidEnglin.org.