Kaine Pursues Sprawl, Traffic
Unveiling of Policies Today Will Spotlight Local Growth Curbs

By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 16, 2006

RICHMOND, Jan. 15 -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine will call for new controls on growth and development Monday night, saying the only way to solve congestion on the state's roads is to slow the march of suburban sprawl.

In his first policy address to the General Assembly, the new governor will urge passage of a law that gives local governments the right to halt housing construction if roads are not adequate. The proposal will be part of a package of transportation initiatives he will unveil during his speech, according to a senior Kaine adviser who asked not to be named because the speech has not been authorized for release.

Kaine also will acknowledge the need for more money to build wider highways, buy more buses and trains and erect bridges. But he will not suggest an increase in gas or sales taxes or offer specific legislation that details how he thinks the state should raise the new funds, the adviser said.

Kaine also hopes to make good on a promise he made during the campaign to lock up the state's transportation fund so road and transit money can't be used for other purposes.

"I am proposing initiatives that better link land use and transportation decisions so that uncoordinated development doesn't overwhelm our roads and infrastructure," Kaine says in a draft of the speech, a portion of which was read to a reporter.

The fact that the centerpiece of Monday's speech will be about growth makes Kaine the first Virginia governor in modern times to tackle the politically touchy issue, which is usually left to city councils and boards of supervisors.

Northern Virginia governments, especially in the outer suburbs, have been struggling for years to find the right balance between growth and property rights. Some officials have said they fear lawsuits from developers if they turn down requests to build because of congested roads.

In October, Kaine ran a television ad promising to give local governments more control over development. Political observers said those ads helped deliver suburban voters -- and the election victory -- to Kaine in November.

The speech will be the first indication from Kaine -- fresh from his inauguration in Williamsburg -- of how he intends to move beyond the vague direction he offered as a candidate and the thematic generalities he discussed in his inaugural speech Saturday.

The governor has spent the past two months hosting town hall meetings across the state to discuss transportation issues. But he did little talking at the meetings, leaving lawmakers and others to wonder aloud about what exactly Kaine hoped to achieve during the legislative session, which began last week.

The speech might disappoint some business executives, lawmakers and transportation advocates, who have for years demanded more money to pay for road and transit construction.

Michael Anzilotti, a Northern Virginia banker who co-chairs the transportation committee for the Greater Washington Board of Trade, questioned whether Kaine's proposals go far enough.

"It doesn't seem like it creates the same sense of urgency that he heard at town meetings," Anzilotti said. "We need to create a source of funding that . . . acknowledges that we have a $1 billion-to-$2 billion-a-year problem."

And developers and home builders are certain to balk. Last month, Mike Toalson, chief lobbyist for the home builders, said: "We stand solid in our opposition to that new authority to local governments. That is something we will vigorously oppose."

In addition to the new powers for local governments, Kaine will call for three laws to manage growth and traffic.

One would require developers to submit a standardized traffic impact statement whenever they request a rezoning. That would give the Virginia Department of Transportation and localities the ability to monitor the cumulative impact of development across the state.

A second proposal would strengthen the state's office of intermodalism, which is responsible for ensuring that people and goods can make connections between ports, airports, roads and rail lines. The office would get more resources and more accountability, the adviser said.

Kaine also will promise to convene a bipartisan commission to set measurable goals for spending on transportation "so that we invest in the most critical projects first, ensure that the traveling public gets the most for their money, and holds elected leadership -- you and I -- accountable for the performance of our transportation network."

On Sunday, Chief Justice Leroy R. Hassell Sr. of the State Supreme Court swore in Kaine's Cabinet, including Secretary of Transportation Pierce R. Homer. Before administering the oath of office, Hassell noted the difficulty of Homer's task.

"Given the subject of your cabinetship, I think we should give you the oath two or three times," Hassell told Homer. The audience laughed, and then Hassell asked, "Are you prepared to take the oath of office?"

"I am," Homer replied.

"Are you sure you are?" Hassell asked, prompting more laughter before Homer was sworn in.