Newport News planning commission defers Morrison Station rezoning after public pushback, schedules Aug. 6 review

The Newport News Planning Commission on June 4 voted 5–2 to defer action on a conditional change of zoning for the 109-acre Camp Morrison site, a proposed 638-unit residential development called Morrison Station, and set the matter for rehearing on Aug. 6, 2025.

Saul Gleiser, planner for the City of Newport News, opened the public hearing by describing the application (CZ2025Tech0002) as a request to change zoning on approximately 108.9 acres from the existing R‑9 mixed‑use/neo‑traditional overlay with proffers to a new R‑9 mixed‑use/neo‑traditional overlay with new proffers and a substantially different master plan. Gleiser told commissioners the applicant proffered transportation and stormwater improvements and that the Newport News Public Schools had “expressed no concerns with meeting capacity.”

The application was presented by Brian Rowe, vice president of D.R. Horton Southern Virginia, who described the proposal as a redesigned version of a 2013 plan and said the revision responds to current stormwater and fire‑safety standards. “We pulled it. We shrunk it to 2.5 acres and pulled it to the edge … to allow for better public access,” Rowe said of the proposed city park location. He reiterated the developer’s commitment to the project’s design guidelines and said the homes would be “for sale” units.

Why it matters: the project would replace long‑vacant industrial buildings with a master‑planned, mixed‑housing neighborhood and public open…