Morning Buzz — Sept. 23, 2009

A daily digest of what’s going on in Fredericksburg, and what news from elsewhere is relevant here. Send suggestions to ebattle@freelancestar.com.

Rental properties in Fredericksburg’s College Heights and College Terrace neighborhoods were the first to be subjected to regular inspections under the city’s rental housing inspection program. Last night, building officials made the case to City Council members for expanding that program to the Fall Hill Avenue corridor, with a focus on the Central Park Townhomes. Council members supported the proposal. More in the paper later this week. 

Germanna Community College will soon be asking Fredericksburg to contribute to the cost of a new academic building on its campus. Pam Gould reports today that the college asked Spotsylvania County for $1.2 million last night, and will be asking Fredericksburg, Stafford, Caroline and King George counties for a total of $1.5 million. 

Big boxes – While Fredericksburg is concerned about filling its empty big-box stores, the city of Lynchburg is worried about regulating folks who want to build more of them. That city passed an ordinance last night that specifically regulates "big-box" stores, defined as 75,000 square feet of more. The News & Advance reports that "Requirements include making provisions for mass transit access; building a connected system of external sidewalks and internal walkways; and employing a more environmentally friendly system of stormwater management that allows at least 25 percent of all water to return directly to the soil."

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