Va. House committee unanimously tables homebuilders plan

The unanimous vote of the Virginia House Rules Committee delayed consideration of the measure until 2009 with the understanding that homebuilders and local leaders would try to iron out their differences by January.

The proposal would have replaced the cash proffer payments, often more than $35,000 per home in Northern Virginia, with $12,500 impact fees that would apply to a broader array of homes.

Critics contended the plan would not give local governments enough money to build schools and roads, while supporters countered that the cash payments had driven up the cost of new homes to unaffordable levels.

State lawmakers will ask cities and counties not to increase their cash proffer requirements over the next year, but there will be no legal requirement to prevent them from doing so.

Lawmakers are also expected to consider a measure today that would prevent additional counties from imposing transportation impact fees on builders between July 1, and June 30, 2009.

Local governments and critics of extensive development claimed victory, while homebuilders said they had demonstrated the issue resonated with lawmakers, despite the delay.

“It took a full-court press … to fight back against this sweeping homebuilder-written bill,” said Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “I am hoping that we can have a more fair, a more balanced approach next year.”

Both sides say there will be discussions over the details, including the amount of the fees and how the fees would apply to mixed-use developments or major redevelopment projects.

“We are certainly going to use that next year to further our case that the system was really broken and that what we offered local governments was a very, very good deal,” said Jim Williams, executive vice president of the Northern Virginia Building Industry Association.

dgenz@dcexaminer.com