Planning commission recommends approval of special exception for two-story house on nonconforming 37.5-foot lot

The Newport News Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of special exception SE2025-0012 to the Board of Zoning Appeals to allow construction of a two-story single-family detached dwelling on a nonconforming lot with less than 50 feet of frontage.

Planning staff said the property—described in staff materials as 113820 Eighth Street—contains about 0.086 acres and is zoned R4 (single-family dwelling). Planner Ms. Okiki told commissioners the proposal meets the standards in the zoning ordinance that allow a special exception for a single-family dwelling on a lot with under 50 feet of frontage, and staff recommended forwarding the application with 10 standard conditions. “The proposed request to construct a 2 story single family dwelling on a nonconforming 37 and a half foot wide lot meets all applicable criteria stipulated in the zoning ordinance,” Okiki said during her presentation.

Key design and dimensional details included in the staff presentation and the development plan: the lot width was stated as 37.5 feet; the lot size was described as 0.086 acres; the proposed dwelling is two stories; the covered front porch is 8 feet deep and the proposed front-yard setback to the porch is 11.8 feet (above the 10-foot minimum); side building setbacks are shown as 5.1 feet on both sides; an attached garage is recessed 18 feet from the front of the dwelling; and the first-floor elevation and porch steps were required to be brick as a condition of approval.

Applicant Steven Hardy answered commissioner questions at the public hearing about materials: when asked what the 8-inch square porch columns and railings would be, he said the columns and the railings proposed for the front are “PVC.” He described the front door as “a fiberglass composite” and the garage door as metal with a wood-grain finish; he said the rear deck would use pressure-treated wood and that rear railings would be wood.

Several commissioners raised concerns about the long-term durability and historic character of exterior materials on new construction in the Southeast community, noting a preference for substantial materials such as brick and higher-quality siding. One commissioner said, “I worry as we start to build into these nonconforming lots that we’re building things that won’t be here past 30 years, 40 years with vinyl siding,” and asked staff to continue to emphasize durable materials in future reviews.

After public comment and discussion, Commissioner Jefferson Taylor moved that the planning commission recommend approval of SE2025-0012 to the Board of Zoning Appeals; the motion carried by a 6-0 voice vote. The commission’s staff noted that the Board of Zoning Appeals will consider the item at its Oct. 21, 2025 hearing. Conditions forwarded with the recommendation included submittal of building elevations and exterior material/color samples for director-level review by the Department of Planning, a property line vacation plat, brick at the foundation/porch steps and first-floor elevation, and other standard conditions listed in the staff report.

The commission’s recommendation is advisory; final action rests with the Board of Zoning Appeals at its October hearing.