Newport News council approves rezoning for Parkside at InView with proffers limiting units, requiring traffic and historic protections

Newport News City Council voted 7-0 April 22 to rezone roughly 282.3351 acres at 350 Yorktown Road to allow the Parkside at InView mixed‑use development, approving proffers that limit residential units to 620 and require traffic improvements and protections for historic resources.

The rezoning ordinance (listed in the meeting as "Charlie Zulu‑2025‑0001") applies to property owned by the Economic Development Authority. City staff and the developer’s project team presented the plan as a pedestrian‑oriented mix of housing and commercial space; the council adopted the ordinance after a public hearing and a period for council deliberation.

Developer representative Grady Palmer said the proposal replaces an existing entitlement for roughly 1,200 units and “is a very well designed, mixed housing, pedestrian connected proposal” that will emphasize homeownership opportunities. Palmer said the D.R. Horton team and the EDA included several proffers, including a cap on residential units at 620 and a suite of traffic improvements the developer will fund if warranted by signal studies.

The proffers described to council and the public include: a requirement that the developer perform a traffic impact analysis and submit signal analyses to the city, and pay for necessary signal improvements; an emergency‑only gated entrance on Crawford Road rather than a full public access point; dedication of land along Yorktown Road to allow future widening (the developer will not construct the widening); and a memorandum of understanding among governmental agencies to preserve, protect and promote historic resources on the property with signage and reporting obligations.

Local residents who spoke at the public hearing urged caution on traffic and safety. Emmanuel Ankrom, who said he lives at 548 Yorktown Road, said the neighborhood already experiences heavy traffic and tour buses and urged the council to “take a closer look at this project and make sure we cross t’s and dot i’s,” adding that he has “witnessed a school bus accident at Crawford Road and Yorktown Road.”

Another resident, George Eder, said he supports additional housing but opposed placing businesses at the corner of Yorktown and Jefferson and suggested relocating denser housing toward the interior of the site to preserve open space at the corner. Brian Rowe, who identified an address in Suffolk and spoke for the project team, said he would remain available to answer questions.

Council members called the roll after the public hearing. The ordinance passed unanimously: Mayor Philip Jones and six council members voted to adopt the zoning change (vote recorded as 7‑0). The council did not set a construction timeline in the meeting record.

The project team and city staff did not provide a final development schedule during the hearing; subsequent approvals and permitting will be necessary before construction can begin.