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Planning commission unanimously recommends zoning text amendment to update roadway setback rules
Summary
Commissioners voted 7-0 to recommend that City Council adopt a zoning text amendment (ZT20250001) updating setback requirements along key roadways to reserve future right‑of‑way for widening, sidewalks and bike lanes; staff cited additions and removals of specific corridors and higher right‑of‑way widths.
The Newport News Planning Commission unanimously recommended that City Council adopt a zoning text amendment (ZT20250001) to update special building setbacks along arterial and collector streets to reserve future right‑of‑way for transportation improvements.
Planning staff told commissioners the amendment would revise Article 28 (section cited in the presentation) to remove the CSX corridor (previously reserved for a fixed guideway transit project), add new roadway segments such as Chestnut Avenue (Brierfield Road to 30th Street) and the section of Denbigh Boulevard from Woodside Lane to the York County line, and increase right‑of‑way widths on selected roadways to accommodate wider sidewalks, bicycle lanes, lighting and other infrastructure. Staff said the regulations committee reviewed and recommended the change on March 19, 2025, and staff recommended forwarding the amendment to City Council.
There was no public comment on the amendment during the hearing. Commissioner motion and a second were followed by a roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 7‑0. Planning staff said the amendment may be heard by City Council on April 22.
The staff presentation identified specific streets to be affected in the amendment, including sections of Yorktown Road, Warwick Boulevard, Lucas Creek Road and Richneck Road, and stated the term “expressways” would be removed from the table to match current regulation language. The change is intended to preserve corridor space for future road widening and multi‑modal improvements while reflecting projects the city has completed since the last update.
The action before the commission was a recommendation to City Council; adoption by Council would amend the zoning ordinance and become part of the regulatory framework for development review along the listed corridors.
