An Act to amend and reenact § 15.2-2223 of the Code of Virginia, relating to comprehensive plan; social determinants of health.
HB257 amends Virginia’s comprehensive planning law to require local planning commissions and governing bodies to consider health-related factors more explicitly when preparing local comprehensive plans. The bill keeps the existing requirement that comprehensive plans guide coordinated development, but adds language tying that planning to the “social determinants of health” by emphasizing how land use, transportation, housing, and community services affect residents’ health and well-being. It also retains and reinforces existing references to the elderly and persons with disabilities.
A major focus of the bill is the transportation element of the comprehensive plan. Localities must continue to prepare a transportation plan identifying infrastructure needs and recommendations, but they must now consider how transportation infrastructure and facilities align with affordable, accessible housing and community services to support community integration of elderly residents and persons with disabilities. The bill also preserves requirements that transportation plans include maps, cost estimates, and consistency with state transportation plans and VDOT guidance, and it requires localities to submit plans to the Department of Transportation for review and comment before adoption.
The bill amends § 15.2-2223 of the Code of Virginia, which governs local comprehensive plans, by adding a health-oriented planning framework and strengthening the transportation planning component. It does not create a new standalone program, but it changes the factors localities must consider when drafting or amending comprehensive plans, especially in relation to housing, transportation access, and community services. Local governments will need to incorporate these considerations into planning documents, and the Virginia Department of Transportation retains a review and advisory role for transportation plan consistency.
The available record shows no committee transcript or recorded votes, so there is no direct evidence of debate or opposition in the provided materials. Based on the enacted text, the bill appears to have been framed as a planning modernization measure with a public-health and accessibility emphasis, suggesting generally supportive sentiment around integrating health, transportation, and land-use planning. The fact that it was enacted as Chapter 375 indicates it ultimately received sufficient support for passage.
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided transcripts or vote history. Potential areas of concern, based on the bill text, could include the added planning burden on localities, the scope of state review by VDOT, and how broadly local governments must interpret social determinants of health in land-use and transportation decisions. However, the record provided does not identify any named opponents or disputed amendments.