Click on each question to expand and see each candidate's responses.
Susanna Finn:
I primarily drive because I do not live in a walkable part of the city. Like many Ward 3 residents, I face sidewalks that end abruptly, limited safe crossings, and destinations that are too far apart for walking or biking to be practical. Most of Ward 3 struggles with walkability due to fragmented pedestrian networks, busy roads without safe bike lanes, and residential neighborhoods separated from essential services by commercial corridors designed for cars.
When I lived in College Heights, I enjoyed the opportunity to walk and bike to work. That experience showed me how much quality of life improves when daily needs are within reach and getting around without a car feels safe and convenient. I want to extend that opportunity throughout the city, so every neighborhood, not just a select few, can benefit from walkable, bikeable infrastructure?
Matthew Kelly:
I walk a little over five miles a day. I walk downtown in the morning for coffee and again later in the afternoon. Right now, I do not have any significant issues during my walks. I do realize that riding a bike in the city is problematic. The city does not have what one would call a true transit system. FRED is not robust enough to get people out of their cars. With the increased level of development coming to this region, getting around the city in any form will become more difficult, and we need to focus on a multi-modal approach to transportation and safety.
Susanna Finn:
My priority is complete streets, roadways that protect pedestrians and cyclists while accommodating vehicles. I believe in respecting all modes of transportation, ensuring that pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers all have safe, reliable options.
I support expanding bike infrastructure, adding marked crosswalks, and implementing traffic calming measures where rated. When planning new developments, I’d require pedestrian and multimodal considerations as a baseline, never as an afterthought. Public feedback is vital; residents should help identify intersections or blocks where safety is a concern so solutions can be tailored. Vehicular access remains essential, but I’d pursue changes that ask drivers to respect safe speeds and share the road.
Matthew Kelly:
First, we need to look at multi-modal transportation—bikes, buses, etc., infrastructure, when planning the future, and not just build more roads. I was involved in ensuring multi-modal options were made part of the region’s long-range transportation plan.
Also, in my travels, I have taken time to look at how other communities deal with pedestrian and bike issues. I have posted about this on several occasions on my Facebook page—Fredericksburg Forum. I have included some photos showing some of the options needed to look at including better defined bike lanes, narrowing lanes of lanes, speed bumps, raised crosswalks, and more bike options. (Photos were submitted with response, but we removed from this post for brevity. They are available here).
- Bike cab and dedicated bike lane—Paris, France.
- Gradual raised asphalt coming in to residential area—London, England
- Raised and stamped sidewalk—London, England
- Variable messaging Speed limit signs—Killarney, Ireland
- Narrowing lanes and traffic islands coming into town—Germany
- Painted bike lanes, Dublin, Ireland
- Bike lanes on sidewalk—Schwetzingen, Germany
- Portable bike rakes with advertising—Schwetzingen, Germany
Susanna Finn:
I fully support utilizing these funds to invest in new initiatives, not as a substitute or supplement to our normal operating expenses. This is an opportunity to drastically move the needle on climate action and community affordability. I would like to establish two trust funds, one focused on sustainable initiatives and one on affordable housing. These funds would offer long-term financial leverage for matching funds and public-private partnerships. The sustainability trust fund could support our efforts to meet our renewable energy goals, invest in stormwater upgrades for neighborhoods struggling with inadequate storm infrastructure, and support energy-bill relief and weatherization programs for lower-income households. The affordable housing trust fund could provide direct grants and loans to support home-ownership within the City and contribute to making new home construction more affordable for families.
Matthew Kelly:
The issue here is that nothing concrete has been submitted to substantiate revenue figures. Based on data center technology advances, large facilities will not be needed in the future. Then there are the impact costs associated with data centers on communities, both related to the environment and infrastructure.
Localities are beginning to re-evaluate data centers and revenues in their communities. The County Administrator of Hanover County recently stated a concern about the long-term viability of data center funds, and they have decided to spend these funds only on one-time capital projects.
Having made these points, I would agree that such funds should focus on one-time capital projects. Street and transportation infrastructure would be one to be considered for these funds, as state/federal funding is declining and more strings are being attached to the use of these funds.
Susanna Finn:
I believe Fredericksburg needs to get serious about the rising cost of housing. The market alone has been challenged to produce the types of homes our low- and middle-income families need, and it’s time for the local government to take a more active role. Guided by our City’s Comprehensive Plan, I support developing a robust incentivized zoning program for affordable housing. I would also advocate for widening the range of housing types permitted in residential districts and partnering with community land trusts to ensure that any new affordable units remain affordable in the long term. I directly managed the City’s Direct Homeownership Assistance Program when employed by the City that offered closing costs and downpayment assistance to qualified buyers. I would like to explore partnership opportunities with regional employers to expand this effort.
Matthew Kelly:
The city has a diverse mix of housing stock, which can help with affordability. The problem is we are tearing down smaller homes and allowing more infill to make way for bigger and more expensive housing. This was documented in a recent city staff presentation to the Planning Commission.
This needs to stop, and efforts should be made to encourage maintaining smaller housing stock through tax breaks and fee reductions. HFFI, working with Central VA Housing, is working to bring preservation funds and housing funds together to rehab the city’s older housing stock. Changes in city tax abatement programs and neighborhood designations need to be made to facilitate this effort
Another approach is to start implementing the recommendations of the Regional Housing Affordability Action Plan, which I helped draft back in 2009/10. And yes, that includes ADUs—owner-occupied by Special Use Permit. This would meet our goals of helping new home buyers and allow older homeowners to age in place. Tax breaks for older homeowners would also help in this regard. We know what needs to be done: we just need to do it.
Susanna Finn:
I support amending zoning regulations to encourage a vibrant mix of retail storefronts and residential units in more neighborhoods. These regulations should be updated so new developments combine retail residences, using form-based codes to ensure retail activation along key corridors, and relaxing parking standards in walkable areas. These changes would help foster lively, walkable communities where people can live, shop, and meet in the same area, supporting both economic vitality and quality of life. The City has already made progress toward this goal by updating its Planned Development – Mixed Use (PD-MU) and Commercial-Downtown (C-D) districts, but there are important ways to extend and refine these efforts, particularly to ensure the ratio of commercial spaces required is supportable by the current market.
Matthew Kelly:
Mixed-use development of this type has been part of the city’s long-term planning. The issue has been that we get a lot of housing but little commercial development to go with it. There is a need to balance commercial and residential development. Right now, the counties around us are already planning for significant housing development around the city. We need to focus a bit more on commercial development. Another factor is making sure there is infrastructure to support it. Right now, under existing Comprehensive Plans in the region, we cannot provide the infrastructure to support it.