Category: Infrastructure
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Why There's No Swimming Pool at Gilpin Court
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in Business and Economy, Courts and law, Demographics, Economic development, Housing, Infrastructure, Labor and Workforce, Land use & Development, Media, Money in politics, Planning, Politics, Poverty & income gap, Property rights, Public safety & health, Race and Race Relations, Regulations, Gov’t OversightBy Peter Galuszka Heat and humidity seem to have been especially intense this summer. But it can be much worse at an inner city public housing project where there are few trees and other vegetation and lots of bricks and concrete that and retain heat. So, wouldn’t a swimming pool seem nice, especially when your…
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Tobacco Commission: Six of Eight Projects Fail
By Peter Galuszka Down Danville way, of eight companies that have received money from the Tobacco Region Opportunity Fund (the old, embattled tobacco commission) only two have managed to fulfill contractual obligations to create jobs and help the local economy. According to a report by Vicky M. Cruz in the Danville Register & Bee, the…
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Richmond’s Pathetic Leadership
By Peter Galuszka Richmond is going through an existential crisis. Its “leadership” can’t get anything done after wasting the public’s time and attention on the supposed possibilities of this so-called “Capital of Creativity.” Two examples come to mind. One is the city’s and region’s utter failure to do anything about its crumbling ballpark. The other…
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Richmond's Pathetic Leadership
By Peter Galuszka Richmond is going through an existential crisis. Its “leadership” can’t get anything done after wasting the public’s time and attention on the supposed possibilities of this so-called “Capital of Creativity.” Two examples come to mind. One is the city’s and region’s utter failure to do anything about its crumbling ballpark. The other…
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“Spankdown” at Woodlake
By Peter Galuszka Homeowners Associations are double-edged swords. They can preserve home values by enforcing covenants but sometimes morph into Neo-Nazi privatized governments that make life miserable by meddling. One HOA in suburban Richmond is in something of a unique situation. Woodlake, a 2,800 home, 1980s-styled PUD in Chesterfield County, has been having problems. The…
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"Spankdown" at Woodlake
By Peter Galuszka Homeowners Associations are double-edged swords. They can preserve home values by enforcing covenants but sometimes morph into Neo-Nazi privatized governments that make life miserable by meddling. One HOA in suburban Richmond is in something of a unique situation. Woodlake, a 2,800 home, 1980s-styled PUD in Chesterfield County, has been having problems. The…
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At Last: Objective Criteria for Scoring Transportation Projects
by James A. Bacon After lengthy study, the Commonwealth Transportation Board yesterday approved new metrics for prioritizing transportation funding in Virginia. The new metrics are designed to create objective criteria for evaluating the selection of road and rail projects. It remains to be seen how the metrics will be applied in practice, but in theory they represent a big step…
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Issues Crystallize in Gas Pipeline Debate
by James A. Bacon The battle over the Atlantic Coast Pipeline is intensifying. Foes of the project, residing mainly in picturesque Augusta and Nelson counties, have raised about $500,000, halfway to a $1 million goal, to rouse opposition to the planned 550-mile natural gas pipeline, reports the McClatchy News Service. The “All Pain No Gain” group…
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Dubious Oil Lobby Bankrolls Dubious Poll
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in Business and Economy, Courts and law, Demographics, Disasters and Disaster Preparedness, Economic development, Electoral process, Energy, Environment, Federal issues, Government Finance, Infrastructure, Insurance, Labor and Workforce, Land use & Development, Media, Money in politics, Planning, Politics, Public safety & health, Science & TechnologyBy Peter Galuszka In a recent post, Bacons Rebellion extolled the findings of Hickman Analytics Inc., a suburban Washington consulting firm hired by the Consumer Energy Alliance, which found that according to a survey of 500 registered voters, the vast majority of Virginians support Dominion’s Atlantic Coast Pipeline. The $5 billion project would take natural…
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The Volcker Alliance Appraises Virginia's Budget
by James A. Bacon Critics of Virginia’s state constitution often point to the one-term limit for governors as a source of dysfunctional governance. The state’s chief executives have little time to put their imprint on policy and the budget before they’re gone. But it is precisely that term limit — and the resulting shifting of budgeting power…
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The Volcker Alliance Appraises Virginia’s Budget
by James A. Bacon Critics of Virginia’s state constitution often point to the one-term limit for governors as a source of dysfunctional governance. The state’s chief executives have little time to put their imprint on policy and the budget before they’re gone. But it is precisely that term limit — and the resulting shifting of budgeting power…
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When Forecasts Go Bad: Dulles
by James A. Bacon Washington-area media finally have woken up to the major problems gripping Washington Dulles International Airport. In an April article Michael Neibauer with the Washington Business Journal noted that this important “economic engine” of Northern Virginia is sputtering. The problem of declining domestic traffic, siphoned mainly to Reagan National Airport, is compounded by…
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How Tax Policy Favors Trucks over Rail
The “external” costs of transporting goods differ widely by truck and rail, but freight-transport prices do not reflect those costs, argues a new report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). In very rough numbers, I calculate from the CBO numbers, the differential amounts to $.03 per ton-mile transported. That differential is not reflected in the…
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Hottest Primary May Be 10th Senate District
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in Education (higher ed), Education (K-12), Electoral process, Energy, Immigration, Infrastructure, Insurance, Labor and Workforce, Land use & Development, Media, Money in politics, Planning, Politics, Poverty & income gap, Property rights, Public safety & health, Race and Race Relations, Regulations, Gov’t OversightBy Peter Galuszka Primaries in Virginia used to be a bore, but no longer. Last year, Dave Brat’s Tea Party-backed insurgency against the seemingly impregnable Eric Cantor garnered national headlines in the 7th Congressional District. This year, you have several General Assembly races come June 9 that will seek to replace several prominent politicians who…
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In Praise of Organic Tourism
by James A. Bacon Promoting tourism is a major part of Virginia’s economic development strategy for good reason. Tourism supports jobs, expands the tax base and helps pay for amenities — restaurants, arts, cultural institutions — that can be enjoyed by the whole community. But it can create problems, too, such as crowding, traffic congestion, noise…