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Va. transportation board reverses vote on considering land use in funding decisions [1]

['Nathaniel Cline', 'More From Author', '- January']

Date: 2024-01 

The Commonwealth Transportation Board on Tuesday reversed an earlier decision to stop considering efficient land use as a factor in determining what transportation projects to fund through the state’s SMART SCALE program.

The reversal followed recommendations by Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration and consultants who had questioned whether it was legal to remove the factor from the board’s considerations.

“I think the key for me and the administration has been is that it puts us in a scenario where we do a couple of things: One, is that we keep it in as a legitimate piece of our discussion, and two, we make sure that it’s in a way that has appropriate weighting and appropriate impact,”said Secretary of Transportation Shep Miller.

The vote came a month after the board made several major updates to SMART SCALE, Virginia’s transportation funding system.

Virginia Department of Transportation staff had recommended the board reduce the weight it gives to the efficient land use factor, which considers population and employment density surrounding potential transportation projects.

The concern was that applications from Northern Virginia were getting too much of an advantage over other projects because of the region’s density.

Instead, the board voted to stop considering land use entirely.

In the resolution passed by the board reversing that decision, the members indicated they believe state code “requires the prioritization process” to include the land use factor.

Tuesday’s vote to overturn the earlier decision in favor of VDOT’s recommendation means land use will continue to be a factor in SMART SCALE decisions but won’t have as much of an influence as it previously did.

Other changes made in December included requiring public bodies applying for funds to calculate traffic congestion for seven years in the future, adjusting the weight given in calculations to safety, congestion and accessibility, and keeping existing application caps in place.

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