The Virginia Senate is set to vote on a new bill that would place restrictions on what local officials can ask for in development negotiations.

The bill seeks to limit developer proffers to those that offset impacts directly related to new residential development. A house version of the bill passed last week, RestonNow reports. The Senate version of the legislation does not apply to commercial developments, high-density areas or Metro-area neighborhoods.

If passed, the bill would limit what local officials can ask for in development negotiations through the proffer system, which has been used in Virginia since the 1970s, when rapid growth spurred government officials to begin to demand contributions from builders to help offset the population growth's effect on infrastructure, as well as helping to grow affordable housing.

This could be a significant development for Fairfax and Loudoun counties, where officials regularly use the proffer system to get builders to contribute to improvements in exchange for development. One project that has been targeted for developer proffers is in Reston Town Center North, where the Fairfax County Park Authority has planned to seek proffers to help pay for a multimillion-dollar recreation center. [RN]