Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger has recently signed bills that could make housing more affordable in the state. Despite signing the seemingly popular legislation, however, the governor still faced criticism from Virginia voters online, many of whom have not forgotten her recent vetoes.
As reported by WSET ABC, Spanberger signed bills creating a two-year pilot program aimed at encouraging housing development and making housing more affordable. According to the governor, these measures will help people purchase homes in regions where communities and demand already exist, instead of having to create entirely new neighborhoods.
The new legislation will reportedly require local governments to treat manufactured housing (such as double-wides) the same as traditional site-built homes in their regulations. It would also include a two-year period providing lower interest rates to mixed-income home builders.
Virginia Voters Are Not Happy With Abigail Spanberger
Reactions on Reddit’s r/Virginia were not very positive after Spanberger signed the bill, as many voters still seemed disappointed with her recent vetoes. “So she CAN sign bills,” someone said sarcastically. Another person added bitterly: “Yay, she finally signed one! I bet that made her feel even more powerful, the ability to pick, choose, and discard from the pile. Bet she felt like the ultimate boss.”
One seemingly irritated Virginia resident said, “Want a cookie for doing one thing right? How long before Virginians actually see the fruits of these bills? Or is it just lip service that sounds good, that’ll take 10 years of work to do anything?”
However, not all reactions were negative. Some people seemed happy about the new bill: “She did something right, finally. About damn time. I’d been half considering just buying a fat chunk of land and dropping a mobile/manufactured/modular home on it instead of a stick-built or existing home. Excited to see where this leads for future pricing.” Another user summarized the situation: “I’ll take that as a win.”
Spanberger has only been governor for a few months, but she has already been controversial, vetoing over 30 bills, including some projects that would give more power to unions and legalize the sale of marijuana.
