Richmond (Va.) hopes to land seat on state’s transportation board

Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board may be adding an at-large seat, and the Richmond Regional Planning District believes it’s large enough to claim it.

Del. Christopher Peace (R-Hanover), outgoing co-chair of the Capital Region Caucus, is planning on sponsoring legislation that will change the definition of an urban area and add a seat on the board. Currently there are two at-large members from rural areas, two from urban areas and one at-large state representative serving on the board, and Richmond is one of Virginia’s three largest urban areas not to hold such a position.

The proposed change would allow urban areas with a population greater than 200,000 to qualify for an at-large seat.

“We have 7% of the vote and 15% of the population,” said Hanover Commissioner C. Harold Padgett. “So our suspicion is we may not be getting our fair share of money.”