‘Housing near jobs’ bills have cleared Virginia House and Senate

Bills that could allow by-right zoning for apartment buildings, townhomes and mixed-use developments in certain commercial corridors cleared the Senate Thursday, one of several proposals to boost housing supply working through the Virginia legislature.

Framing it as “housing near jobs,” sponsor Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico, emphasized that his measure can help address Virginia’s housing shortage and particularly benefit public servants such as teachers, firefighters, law enforcement officers and service industry workers.

VanValkenburg, …