VA HB446

Expands the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority's eminent domain powers to include lands under water, riparian rights, oyster bottoms, and oyster-planting grounds for rail facility construction and operation

Removes previous limitations that required the Authority to attempt negotiation before exercising eminent domain, eliminating conditions related to price disagreement, owner incapacity, or nonresident owners

Exempts the Authority from local zoning ordinances for all transferred rights-of-way, not just those acquired from railroads

Authorizes the Authority to acquire entire tracts of land when partial takings would leave uneconomic remnants, cause building damage, or eliminate highway access

Aligns the Authority's eminent domain procedures with the Department of Transportation's statutory framework under Title 25.1 and applies § 33.2-1014 provisions to Authority condemnations