A conditional rezoning proposal for the River Bend site on North Main Street drew extended discussion Sept. 16 as developers proposed up to 497 residential units, riverfront public access and the conveyance of a historic former VDOT administration building to the city for use as a new school administration facility. The Planning Commission voted to defer action to its Oct. 21 meeting by a 5–3 vote to allow additional input from the Suffolk School Board.

The applicant sought to rezone 72.2 acres from B-2 (general commercial) to RU-18 (residential urban 18) conditional zoning, retaining parts of the site in B-2 and MUD (mixed-use development) to preserve commercial frontage. Gonzalo Borges, staff planner, said the conceptual master plan includes a 1.3-acre public park, trails, a small marina and public boat launch, and a range of housing including 168 age-restricted units and 329 single-family attached units. Borges said the proposal would yield a gross density of about 13.7 dwelling units per acre, below the 18/acre maximum in RU-18.

Developers said the project includes five proffers: a unit cap of 497 with 168 age-restricted 55+ units and 329 townhomes; adherence to a pattern book dated July 11, 2025; required road improvements identified in a VHB traffic study; conveyance of the historic office building and roughly 2.3 acres to the city within 30 days of subdivision plat approval in lieu of a cash school proffer; and a maintenance agreement for 6.6 acres of adjacent B-2 common space.

Gary Jones, interim deputy city manager, said the former VDOT administration building is 39,000 square feet and the city's current CIP includes a $22,000,000 line for a new school administration building scheduled in the 2031–2035 fiscal years. Jones told the commission that repurposing the VDOT building for school administration would provide usable space sooner than the existing CIP schedule.

Developer lead Adam Edbauer said the project was “about responsible growth and creative collaboration” and emphasized efforts to preserve views, protect marshland and add public water access. He said the donation “reduces the budget needed as you just saw on the slides by an estimated $15,000,000.”

Opponents raised traffic and safety concerns. Jeff Payne, a resident, said Main Street is already at capacity and argued the traffic study undercounts current congestion, stating, “Main Street cannot handle the amount of traffic it has right now.” Traffic consultant Karen McPherson of VHB said counts were collected in May 2022 and defended the methodology, noting signalization and multimodal safety considerations: “When you're looking at a corridor of Main Street, it's not just about moving cars. It's about safety.”

Staff and applicants also provided trip-generation estimates: Borges said the mixed-use proposal is expected to generate about 5,257 daily vehicle trips (515 morning peak, 535 afternoon peak). He contrasted that with a by-right B-2 retail scenario, which staff estimated could generate roughly 15,861 daily vehicle trips on the larger site footprint.

Commissioners discussed schools, CIP priorities and whether the school board supports accepting the donated building. The school board met Sept. 11 and the interim city manager requested a response by Oct. 1; commissioners deferred action to allow the school board and city staff to reconcile outstanding questions.

Action: The commission moved to table the rezoning until Oct. 21 to give the School Board time to respond and to allow additional review. The motion to defer passed 5–3.

Ending: The item will return to the Planning Commission on Oct. 21 with any additional materials the city receives from Suffolk Schools and staff analysis; if the commission then recommends approval, the rezoning would go to City Council for final action.