Portsmouth council approves five townhouse units in Port Norfolk over neighborhood objections

The Portsmouth City Council voted 5-2 on July 8 to grant Coastal Virginia Developers a use permit (UP2502) to construct five townhouse units on three parcels at 430, 436 and 442 Douglas Avenue in the Port Norfolk historic residential district.

Developer counsel Grady Palmer of Williams Mullen told council the project was reviewed and unanimously approved by the Historic Preservation Commission and that the design follows Port Norfolk’s historic-district guidelines. He said the five for-sale units would address “the missing middle” in Hampton Roads and estimated prices of $300,000 to $340,000 for approximately 2,000-square-foot units.

Neighbor speakers, including Erica Nessler, president of the Port Norfolk Civic League, and John Lipsey, the League’s vice president, urged council to require detached single-family houses that match the block’s established fabric. Nessler said the district’s guidelines “are not specific enough” about what can be built and asked the council to uphold previous decisions favoring single-family homes. Lipsey noted that since Port Norfolk’s historic designation in 1984, new construction there has typically been single-family and argued five attached townhouses would “visually overpower” adjacent homes.

Council discussion emphasized two competing priorities: preserving neighborhood character and increasing attainable housing. Several council members and staff noted that the planning commission recommended approval with conditions and that the proposed architecture responds to the historic guidelines. Councilman Tillich said he would vote no, citing incompatibility with the block’s aesthetics. Vice Mayor Moody and other council members said they were torn but cited the unanimous HPC approval, planning staff recommendations and the city’s broader housing needs in deciding their votes.

City Planning Director Dr. Russell confirmed the historic-preservation guidelines permit multiple-unit buildings in Port Norfolk and said updating material guidance for historic districts is not currently on the department’s work plan because higher priorities include the comprehensive-plan update and innovation-district implementation. Council members asked staff to prioritize a code and guidelines review so neighborhoods and commissions have clearer rules for future proposals.

The council’s approval followed a motion and second; the clerk recorded the outcome as adopted 5-2. The motion’s mover and second were not recorded in the public portion of the transcript.

The developer team introduced at the hearing included individuals identified in the record as Bob Arnett and Alan Reese; the applicant stated the development team and builder are Portsmouth-based.

The council action authorizes the use permit but did not specify certificate-of-occupancy conditions, construction start dates or final recorded lot configurations in the hearing record. Any subsequent permits, building approvals or modifications must follow standard plan-review and permit processes.