Loudoun County Supervisor Geary Higgins (R), and Delegate John Bell (D). Images from the candidate's websites. 

One big battleground for control of the Virginia state legislature this November will be in the 13th Senate district, in Loudoun County and part of Prince William. Incumbent Republican Dick Black is retiring, and current Delegate John Bell (D) and Loudoun supervisor Geary Higgins (R) are the two candidates on the ballot November 5.

The district contains most of Loudoun, except for the area around Leesburg and Lansdowne, then stretches south through Prince William County to Haymarket and Gainesville. Like these two counties generally, it’s been growing more Democratic in recent years. The district voted for Ken Cuccinelli over Terry McAuliffe in 2013, 50%-46%, but Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in 2016, 50%-44%, and then 55% for Ralph Northam versus 44% for Ed Gillespie in 2017.

Bell ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Higgins, on the other hand, won a divisive primary against fellow county supervisor Ron Meyer, whom we endorsed in the GOP primary, focusing on his support for Donald Trump’s border wall, anti-abortion policy, and gun rights. Bell supports gun regulations and this is one of a few Virginia races which have attracted money from outside groups on both sides of gun issues.

However, while GGWash contributors have their opinions about gun policy for sure, our aim is to inform readers about candidates’ views on transportation, housing, and other issues we focus on, and GGWash is a nonpartisan organization. Both Bell and Higgins have filled out our 2019 questionnaire, and it’s clear both know about a lot more than guns.

Below are their responses. What do you think?

October 15 is the deadline to register for the November 5 election. Virginians can get more information about voter registration and absentee balloting here. Our Elections Committee will be deciding whether to make endorsements in this and other contested races this fall.


How do you see the transportation network changing to deal with growth in the region and increased numbers of trips? Specifically, what role do you see for transit, bicycling, and walking in the transportation network?

John Bell: I support increased investment in multi-modal transportation solutions to meet our complex and urgent needs. For the 13th District, the opening of Metro’s Silver line will significantly change commuting options and transportation networks in Loudoun County and specifically to the Dulles Airport. The Silver Line offers the most robust solution for commuters in the 13th, but continued investment in connecting roadways, bike paths and walkways will be essential to the overall success since many commuters struggle to exit developments to reach major thoroughfares. Another important long term objective must be to grow more businesses in the 13th District so that Loudoun and Prince William counties can become “live, work, and play” communities that reduces commuting distances and also diversifies the tax base.

Geary Higgins: As noted in NVTA TransAction Report, “the Washington metropolitan region is home to more than seven million residents and more than four million jobs. Northern Virginia accounts for approximately one third of that total, including 2.4 million residents and over 1.3 million jobs.” There has been and will continue to be significant pressure on our transportation network. By 2040, population and employment estimates for Northern Virginia are estimated to grow by 24% and 37% respectively. In my opinion, the transit and Bike/Ped infrastructure will have to grow with this increased demand to accommodate this growth especially in areas near Metrorail stations. I would note that Loudoun (32%) and Prince William (28%) Counties are estimated to have the largest increases in population growth by 2040 exceeding the Northern Virginia total of 24%. Integrating transit and bike/ped facilities is already a focus for us in Loudoun County as we plan for three new Metro stations. I also worked hard to integrate this infrastructure into the Route 15 improvements I was able to get passed at the Board of Supervisors. In that project, we will be building a multi-use trail along the corridor and will be working with Maryland to identify increase transit opportunities in an effort to take cars off Route 15.


Do you support adding transportation revenue to replace the loss to Northern Virginia from the 2017 Metro funding increase deal? If so, what new sources of revenue would you support and what types of projects would you like to see prioritized for the funding?

John Bell: I voted for the Governors Amendments to SB-1716 (the I-81 bill in the recent reconvene session which restored approximately $20M to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to replace a portion of lost funding. I would also support a number of other actions to replace the remaining deficit a) use of surplus General Funds (which are currently projected) b) redirecting tolls from inside the beltway (which have exceeded projections) c) excess funds from internet sales tax due to the recent Wayfair Supreme Court decision.

Geary Higgins: I do support finding additional transportation revenue to replace the funding loss we suffered in Northern Virginia due to the need to fund Metro. The first place I would like to start would be to begin would be to work with NVTA to review bonding capacity in order to determine the feasibility of additional funding availability. The first projects I would like to see funded would be to extend Shellhorn Road between Loudoun County Parkway and Sterling Boulevard as a Greenway alternative. I would also look to fund a number of the projects submitted for Smart Scale that did not receive funding such as Prince William County’s Rt. 1 at Rt. 123 Interchange Improvements, Loudoun County’s Rt. 7 (Route 9 to Dulles Greenway) widening, Route 15 improvements north of Leesburg, Croson Lane from Claiborne Parkway to Old Ryan Road, Belmont Ridge Road from Shreveport Drive to Evergreen Mills Road, Northstar Boulevard from Tall Cedars Parkway to Braddock Road; improvements to the Rt. 50 corridor between Northstar Boulevard and Pleasant Valley Road and constructing roundabouts at Rt. 50 Roundabout and Trailhead Drive, Rt. 15 and Braddock Road, and Braddock Road and Trailhead Drive. Another important project is the Rock Hill Road Bridge project that connects Loudoun and Fairfax counties with a bridge over the Dulles Toll Road just west of the Innovation Center Metrorail station, near the Center for Innovative Technology. Our Board endorsed this project and sent a letter to Secretary Shannon Valentine endorsing a $100 million for the project. (That project has already been awarded $20 million from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, and Fairfax County is expected to ask the state for a further $30 million. Loudoun and Fairfax have each already contributed $500,000 toward a feasibility for the project.)


Given the growth in jobs and population in the region, what legislation would you champion to support the provision of more affordable housing in your district? How would you address housing supply across the cost spectrum?

John Bell: I supported the Governor’s amendments (Amendment 6, item 105) during the 2019 Reconvene Session which increased funding for Affordable Housing by $4 million dollars for a new total of $11 million for the 2018-19 budget. I was a Co-Patron for the HB 2342 (Proffer Bill) which significantly changes the previous proffer law and will aid in providing more affordable housing options and discussions when new developments are proposed. How would you address housing supply across the cost spectrum? First, I believe that Prince William County should have an Affordable Housing Program. Loudoun and Fairfax have programs which can be leveraged to develop a program in Prince William, which is a critical first step. Second, I support mixed-use developments which include a wide spectrum of housing options and prevents sprawl.

Geary Higgins: We have been working on a number of proposals in Loudoun County to increase more affordable housing in Loudoun. As Chairman of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Transportation and Land Use Committee (TLUC), I have presided over at least three meetings on affordable housing and passed the Housing Affordability ZOAM (zoning amendment), which is scheduled for a Planning Commission public hearing on November 2019.

The main focus of the Housing Affordability ZOAM are changes to the Affordable Dwelling Unit regulations to facilitate ADU availability in the County that: reduce the number of dwelling units and eliminate the density required within a development in order for the ADU Program to apply to that development; revise the ADU Program exemption for multi-family dwelling unit structures with four or more stories and an elevator; revise the zoning districts that are exempt from the ADU Program; revise the methodology used to calculate the number of ADUs required and density bonus provided for developments that are exempt from the ADU Program but voluntarily provide ADUs; revise the dwelling unit types permitted when exempt projects voluntarily provide ADUs; revise the percentages of occupancy permits that may be issued for market rate dwelling units prior to the issuance of occupancy permits for certain percentages of ADUs in a development; revise the process and requirements for modifications to the ADU Program; revise the cash contribution formula and requirements for modifications requesting to provide cash in lieu of required ADUs for single family detached developments.

We added two other recommendations in TLUC to 1) include townhouse (single-family attached (SFA)) and multi-family (MF) units in the dwelling unit types permitted for exempt projects when these projects voluntarily provide ADUs in return for bonus density and 2) include an amendment to increase opportunities to provide accessory dwelling units in the County.

This ZOAM is only one of several initiatives the County has pursued to address housing affordability. In addition to this ZOAM, TLUC has reviewed the Public Land Inventory and discussed the use of County-owned properties for affordable housing development in conjunction with the private sector. We have also commenced multiple initiatives on the Board to examine the opportunity to expand the County’s ability to work in partnership with the private sector to address the County’s continuum of housing needs. In addition, we made several policy decisions to improve the availability of state and local funding for affordable housing projects and amended a Memorandum of Understanding with the Town of Leesburg to increase the number of County- administered ADUs located in the Town. The Department of Family Services (DFS) formed a Housing Finance and Production Unit to strategically address the growing lack of housing affordability in the County. The Board also directed staff to develop an Unmet Housing Needs Strategic Plan at their May 8, 2019, Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan Work Session. Finally, affordability is a major issue addressed in the adopted General Plan, which includes a housing chapter and related policies, strategies, and actions.

At the state level, the Commonwealth can become a more effective partner in meeting Loudoun’s housing affordability challenge by continuing to pass incentivizing legislation such as House Bill 2229, which expands the authority for local governments to waive building permit fees and other local fees of private sector entities involved in the construction of affordable housing.