Newport News council reopens conditional zoning CharlieZulu-2024-001, sends it back to planning

Mayor Jones moved on March 11, 2025, to reconsider item E‑1 — an ordinance adoption tied to conditional zoning application CharlieZulu‑2024‑001 — and the City Council approved the motion 6-0, then voted to refer the matter back for further planning work and community engagement.

The move followed public discussion about process and proffers. Mayor Jones said the council needed to “do a better job when it comes to our process” and indicated the matter should return to planning so proponents and council could address outstanding concerns. The motion to defer and the subsequent referral were both approved 6-0.

The project’s lead representative, Mr. Kiel, who identified himself as the CEO and head of the project, addressed council after the motion. Kiel apologized for the way the proposal was presented and said the development team would rework promised proffers and expand community outreach. “I’ll take full blame from the standpoint that the process could have been more transparent to the citizens,” Kiel said, adding that the team would check “all of the boxes that need to be checked” and meet with North District council members before returning.

Council members made clear the referral was procedural: planning staff will review proffers and community engagement steps, but the matter will return to the City Council for final consideration when it is ready. The votes on the reconsideration motion and the later deferral were recorded as unanimous, with six council members voting in favor and none opposed.

Next steps: the application will return to the planning commission for additional review and community outreach; when the developer and staff consider it ready, it will come back to City Council for a hearing and final action.