Planning commission backs recommendation to forward special-exception for two-story home at 82430 First Street to zoning board

The Newport News Planning Commission on Aug. 20 voted unanimously to forward a staff recommendation that the Board of Zoning Appeals consider Special Exception SE-2025-11, an application by CBEG Enterprise LLC and owner Gershon Bempar to construct a two-story single-family detached dwelling on a nonconforming lot with less than 50 feet of frontage at 82430 First Street.

Planning staff presented the application and said the lot is 0.0861 acres and has been zoned R4 (single-family dwelling) since the citywide comprehensive rezoning effective Aug. 1, 1997. Staff said the requested special exception is evaluated under the city zoning ordinance provision that allows single-family dwellings on nonconforming lots with under-50-foot frontage if certain standards are met, including minimum setbacks and that the new dwelling be in harmony with surrounding properties. Staff recommended forwarding SE-2025-11 to the Board of Zoning Appeals with conditions requiring plan and elevation review and exterior materials approval, and that the first-floor elevation be brick. Staff initially referenced 10 conditions in the staff report and then corrected that to eight standard conditions during the presentation.

Gershon Bempar, the applicant and owner, answered commissioners’ questions during the public hearing. Bempar confirmed that the proposed house would have brick veneer on the first floor and vinyl siding on the second floor. "Vinyl for the rest of the house," Bempar said when asked about exterior materials. Commissioners asked about setbacks, materials and how the design relates to adjacent homes; staff responded that the front porch setback would be 10 feet and the side-yard minimums shown on the plan meet the ordinance requirements.

After the public hearing, a commissioner moved to accept the Planning Department recommendation and a second was recorded. The commission then took a roll-call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8-0. Planning staff said the Board of Zoning Appeals will hear SE-2025-11 on Sept. 16, 2025.

The public record for this matter included the staff report with photos, site and zoning maps, and the plan set referenced by staff. No other members of the public offered testimony on SE-2025-11 at the Planning Commission meeting.