Va. Panel Rejects Kaine's Bid For Local Controls on Growth

Homebuilders, who vigorously oppose greater authority for local governments, had lined up business leaders from across the state to testify against the bill.

Meanwhile, slow-growth supporters from Northern Virginia had driven down in the hopes of testifying in favor of the governor's bill. The fact that Kaine had campaigned for office in part on a promise to push for the bill gave them hope.

But neither side got the chance to have its say.

Moments after Homer began to speak on behalf of the bill, Del. G. Glenn Oder (R-Newport News) made a quick motion to "lay the bill on the table," a parliamentary move equivalent to rejecting it.

"I'm just not convinced this is necessary," Oder said, before joining his colleagues in voting.

Several of those who attended the hearing said they were frustrated by the decision not to allow them to testify before the vote.

"We're very disappointed," said Lisa Guthrie, executive director of the League of Conservation Voters. "The committee doesn't seem to understand that the public and citizens do not want business as usual. The committee was not listening."

Ted N. Smart, a developer from the Stafford area, said he drove to Richmond hoping to testify in favor of the bill. In prepared testimony that he was not able to give, Smart said that not all developers are opposed to greater authority for local governments.

"This legislation is a common-sense way to set logical, reasonable and uniform standards by which local governments can plan for future road and transportation needs," Smart wrote in his testimony.

Chris Miller, the president of the Piedmont Environmental Council, said current law restricts local governments in planning for development. However, he said, he has hope for change.

"The public is increasingly aware of the joke," he said.

But Del. Terrie Lynne Suit (R-Virginia Beach), a mortgage lender, said there is no need for new legislation to authorize powers that local governments already have. She noted that the City of Chesapeake has established rules that use traffic concerns to guide development.

"This can already be done," she said. "Chesapeake has been doing it this way for years."