The inaugural edition of YOUR VIRGINIA, the Virginia Homeowners Alliance's e-mail newsletter is on the street. In this edition, we cover five General Assembly bills that, if passed, will have a positive impact on property values and homeowner rights in the Commonwealth.
Didn't get a copy? Check out the first edition now, and register at VAHomeownersAlliance.com to make sure you get the next edition.
Posted on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 9:04am
 According to the Free Lance Star, Fredericksburg City Council has resumed discussion of an ordinance to limit the size of "out of scale" new homes. Originally considered in 2008, the Council placed it on hold, only to be shuffled between the Council and the Planning Commission. As the housing market slowed and new construction sales tumbled, the urgency passed and the issue was placed on the back burner - until now. The Council will hold a public hearing to seek input on a proposed ordinance that would limit the height of new homes, as well as the amount of space the "footprint" of the house would occupy in relation to the lot size.
Read the full story...
Posted on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - 10:38am
 New Kent, a partly suburban but mainly rural county thus far, is slowly changing shape. Within the last two years, the County has seen increasing residential and commercial development. Next on the list is a project that will include both businesses and homes in the style of an English village. The new project is expected to bring $500,000 in real estate, personal, business, sales and meals taxes in five years. Residential units -- with prices ranging from the low $200,000s to the mid-$300,000s -- reflect the architecture of the English countryside. They include carriage houses, cottages, flats and town homes.
Read the full Richmond Times-Dispatch story...
Posted on Monday, February 8, 2010 - 5:01pm
 Virginia's families hold their neighborhoods sacred. However, new development can change the face of where residents live, work and play. Unfortunately, either a miscommunication (or a complete lack of information) can create angst for both property owners and developers. Different expectations can result in unwelcome surprises once construction begins. In some instances, landowners will confront developers on site, which can postpone work and lead to headaches for all parties. Sometimes neither party is at fault; perhaps the developer negotiated with the state and the state did not communicate the information to homeowners. Other times, developers may have held multiple community hearings to disseminate information and answer questions about a slated project. The moral to the story: stay engaged at the local level. Pay attention to what your local officials are doing - especially when it comes to zoning and land use decisions. If you feel strongly about something, let your voice be heard. By doing so, you will remain informed about what is going on in your locality and, even better, your neighborhood.
Read the full Washington Post story...
Posted on Monday, February 8, 2010 - 4:02pm
 While the Lynchburg City Council has taken tax increases off the table, it is, however, considering new fees for services that are currently free. Services being examined are leaf collection and bulk refuse pickup, along with the concepts of privatization of services, regional partnerships, and reconsidering the traditional five-day work week. The council is grappling with possible solutions to the ten-percent cuts to the new operating budget that will take effect July 1, 2010.
Read the full Lynchburg News & Advance story...
Posted on Sunday, February 7, 2010 - 2:47pm
 Newport News is taking its future of retail very seriously, and will commission a study on the direction of retail and preventing sprawl. Thanks to an explosion of retail stores in Williamsburg and Hampton, Newport News find itself in competition with them - often to its detriment. As a result, City Council is seeking ways to redevelop vacant commerical properties and plan to commission a study to focusing on redevelopment and preventing sprawl. To the extent that they can utilize vacant properties, they can hopefully minimize the need for new development that is likely to increase traffic congestion in surrounding areas. The study is expected to cost between $50,000 to $100,000.
Read the full Daily Press story...
Posted on Sunday, February 7, 2010 - 1:37pm
 The Virginia Department of Transportation has amassed its resources and is ready to address yet another major winter storm expected to impact much of Virginia on Friday and Saturday. VDOT crews are still completing cleanup efforts from two other winter storms that impacted parts of the commonwealth in the past week. As of February 1, VDOT has already expended the $79 million budgeted for statewide snow-removal efforts this year and has now tapped into emergency maintenance reserve funds to pay for snow removal. “We will not reduce service levels or scale back on snow-removal efforts regardless of how much it costs this year," said Gregory Whirley, acting commissioner.This will hopefully allay the concerns of many homeowners wondering whether the state's current budget woes would impact core services this early in the year.
Read the full Gainesville Times story...
Posted on Friday, February 5, 2010 - 2:53pm
 The federal estate tax is dead — at least for now. It's 2010, and the temporary, one-year repeal of the federal estate tax is in effect.
The failure of Congress to either extend the 2009 estate tax rules into 2010, or to enact a permanent estate tax law has created several unfortunate consequences.
Here are some things you need to know to protect your family and your assets.
- Both the federal estate tax and the federal generation-skipping transfer tax (a separate tax on property given to grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.) are repealed for 2010 unless Congress enacts legislation to reinstate them, retroactive to Jan. 1, or otherwise.
Read the full Daily Press column...
Posted on Friday, February 5, 2010 - 12:19pm
 According to Powhatan Today, Powhatan's budget woes, like many localities, have been compounded by a sharp decrease in assessed property values, Powhatan County leaders are faced with raising the county’s tax rate or drastically cutting services in order to get by.
The county is projecting a budget shortfall of $8.1 million in the next fiscal year, with its school system to feel the brunt of the pain with a $5.5 million funding gap, mostly because of proposed state cuts. Localities will not be certain of the actual state revenune they will receive until the session adjourns in March. Powhatan, which assesses its real estate every two years, saw a nearly 12 percent decline in property assessments for 2010. At the current real estate tax rate of 71 cents per $100 of assessed value, that’s a $3.1 million revenue loss.
To offset that, county supervisors will consider raising the tax rate at least 9 cents, to a revenue-neutral 80 cents.
Read the full story...
Posted on Thursday, February 4, 2010 - 12:52pm
 According to the Altavista Journal, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will hold a public information hearing Tuesday, Feb. 16, at town hall at 6 p.m. The community is invited to hear the presentations, ask questions and offer input. Comments from the February meeting will be presented to two Virginia Department of Historic Resources boards on March 18. The proposed district takes in about 50 buildings in the heart of downtown, including commercial properties, government and churches, but no single-family residences. Buildings have to be 50 years old and retain some historical character. A major benefit of the designations would be that contributing properties in the district would be eligible for historic rehabilitation tax credits from the state and federal governments. The designations would not impose restrictions on property owners.
Read the full story..
Posted on Thursday, February 4, 2010 - 12:16pm
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