Planning commission recommends approval of two special exceptions for infill homes in Newport News

The Newport News Planning Commission on March 19 unanimously recommended that the Board of Zoning Appeals approve two special exceptions filed by Ella Homes LLC to build two-story single-family detached homes on nonconforming lots with less than 50 feet of frontage.

The commission recommended approval of SE2025-0004, for a property listed in the staff report as 115420 Fifth Street (approximately 0.10 acre, a 43.75‑foot wide lot), and SE2025-0005, for a property listed as 122320 Sixth Street (approximately 0.086 acre, a 37.5‑foot wide lot). Both proposals call for two‑story houses with covered front porches, siding, rectangular windows and a one-car garage recessed 18 feet from the front of the structure. Staff told commissioners the proposed side yard setbacks are 5.1 feet, meeting the 5‑foot minimum, and that each parcel has been zoned R‑4 (single‑family dwelling) since the citywide comprehensive rezoning that became effective Aug. 1, 1997.

City planner Eli Zarka presented the staff analysis and said the requests…