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By ROBERT T. DENNIS
Rappahannock News
Contributing Writer
It will probably be sometime in May before we know the ultimate fate of 1999 House Bill 2324, by which the General Assembly seeks to torpedo the zoning strategy used by Rappahannock and several other rural counties.
However, since the House of Delegates rejected Governor Gilmore’s suggested amendments by a veto-proof vote of 67-30, and since the Governor has expressed support for the bill’s central intent to open the door to faster growth in Virginia, I expect that HB 2324 will be enacted.
Before approving the bill, the General Assembly amended it so as not to apply to cities or to certain fast-growing counties including Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William. HB 2324 thus becomes the latest move to open up Virginia’s rural counties to land use policies (such as requiring acceptance of house trailers) that are not tolerated in urban areas.
Passage of the bill was greased by political contributions from land speculators, and builders from Northern Virginia and outside the Commonwealth (Democratic leaders seem to feel that developers’ money is their only hope for regaining control of the assembly this November).
Interestingly enough, HB 2324 was opposed by most of our home-grown building and real estate interests - w'ho see the issue as a sort of “developer” counterpart to the conflict between corporate agriculture and the family farm.
There is historical precedent here. The colony of Virginia was established as a government-sponsored land speculation enterprise. Virginia governments and the land development industry have maintained a close alliance for 392 years.
This all suggests that those of us who cherish Rappahannock County should not count on government to protect our worldclass landscape. That simply is not a priority of the Commonwealth.
No doubt, our Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission will seek to undo the damage of HB 2324 - but over the long-haul the General Assembly may well continue to frustrate any such effort. Besides, regula
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