Newport News council rezones former Regal Cinemas site for high‑density apartments after contested public hearing

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Newport News City Council voted unanimously Aug. 12 to rezone the former Regal Cinemas property at 115 Bridal Way from C‑1 retail commercial to R‑8 high‑density multiple‑family residential, approving case CHARLIEZULU‑2025‑0003 and clearing a major regulatory hurdle for a proposed luxury apartment development.

The proposal drew roughly 20 speakers during a public hearing that ran more than an hour. Supporters including the applicant’s representatives and current residents of nearby Signature Management properties said the redevelopment would replace a deteriorating commercial site and add housing choice. Opponents from adjacent neighborhoods raised concerns about traffic, noise, trash and the impact on neighborhood character.

Attorney Tim Trant, representing the applicant, told council that the theater had been on the market for some time and that developer Brad Weitzer of Platinum Management planned a project intended to “revitalize the existing commercial area” and “create a more functional and practical mixed‑use area.” Trant said the developer strengthened the landscape buffer around the site after community feedback and described the existing buffer as including roughly 315 trees, with a supplemental planting of about 100 evergreen trees to increase screening.

Kathy Scott, president of Signature Management, which would manage the proposed apartments, said the company uses a strict tenant screening process and promotes social programs to foster stable communities. “Our resident screening process is the most rigorous in the industry,” Scott said, adding that the company verifies income and landlord references, performs background checks and conducts other screening steps.

Nearby homeowners expressed opposing views. Mary Clark, who identified herself as an Ivy Stoneway resident, said the area already suffers from congestion and noise and argued the city should consider lower‑intensity housing such as senior housing. “The speeding on Commonwealth is atrocious,” Clark said, adding that she worried another large complex would “saturate the usage of utility sewer, water, noise pollution, schools, and especially traffic congestion.”

Other neighbors described real and perceived problems they attribute to existing nearby apartments — from additional sewer bills to increased emergency calls — and urged council to limit scale or consider alternative housing types. Robert Rakauskas, a resident of the Commonwealth at York and a representative of a local church that meets at the Regal site, urged approval, saying the vacant theater was already an “eyesore” that attracted crime and that a managed residential community would raise property values. “Leaving it as is will only drag values down,” Rakauskas said.

Council members discussed competing priorities: several cited the city’s recent housing study and a low apartment vacancy rate while acknowledging neighbors’ traffic and quality‑of‑life concerns. Councilman Long noted the city’s current apartment vacancy of “about 2 and a half percent” and said the city needs more supply. Councilman Neely referenced regional workforce growth and local employers’ need for more housing, saying the project could help meet demand for employees. Councilman Coleman said the site’s commercial zoning left the city vulnerable to other, potentially less desirable uses and supported the housing conversion.

Council voted first to close the public hearing and then to adopt the rezoning ordinance. Both votes were recorded 7‑0. The transcript does not specify a timetable for subsequent site plan submissions or construction approvals.

The rezoning authorizes the change in zoning classification; any required permits, site plan approvals and construction timelines will be subject to subsequent administrative review and approvals not detailed in the public hearing record.