Mary Point residents press Newport News council to enforce short-term rental rules after violent January incident

Residents of the Mary Point neighborhood urged Newport News City Council on June 10, 2025, to enforce the city's short-term rental rules after repeated complaints and a violent incident earlier this year.

At the regular session, Anthony Starkey told council that his neighborhood has long-standing problems with short-term rental properties that “violate the terms that they're supposed to operate under” and that repeated reports to the city have not produced visible results. Linda Kenwood, a Mary Point homeowner, said she learned only recently that short-term rentals were permitted in the city and asked council to strengthen compliance and communications after a January shooting in the neighborhood that she said “could easily have occurred.”

The residents’ testimony focused on safety, nuisance behavior and perceived gaps in enforcement. Michael Semarue told the council that an address on Langhorne Road continued to appear as a short-term rental on multiple listing sites despite representations that it had been removed. Morley Collins said 45 rounds were fired into a short-term rental and a nearby car in January and described long-running problems with trash accumulation near the property. Jamie Starkey, chairperson of the Mary Point Civic Association, said neighborhood leaders want the city to enforce existing rules so “we'd hope not to have another incident like we did in January.”

Mayor Jones responded during the meeting that the council “100%” heard the residents and said the city will publish guidance to the public and start enforcing the ordinance. Jones said a public information item will appear “tomorrow in Newport News Now” and a video will follow. The mayor said owners will have until Aug. 1 to come into compliance, and that council will discuss possible changes to the ordinance at an upcoming retreat. He described the immediate step as enforcement of the current ordinance rather than an immediate code change.

Councilman Brandon Coleman (title as recorded: Councilman) and Councilman Long (title as recorded: Councilman) both told residents the council is prepared to increase enforcement and to consider ordinance amendments if needed. Councilman Coleman said the city is focused on “number one enforcement of our current regulations” and then on whether the ordinance itself needs amendment. Councilman Long urged neighbors to document listings and report them to the city so staff can pursue enforcement, saying complaints help build an enforcement record.

Several speakers described specific compliance problems: multiple vehicles at a house listed as a four-bedroom, listings appearing on Airbnb and other national platforms even after residents reported violations, and trash and recycling left uncollected for weeks despite 311 complaints. Council members and the mayor did not adopt a new ordinance at the meeting; instead, they announced a compliance and communications plan and a timeline for owners to bring properties into compliance.

Next steps: the city will publish detailed guidance and a compliance website (Mayor Jones said the material would be published the day after the meeting), and owners will have until Aug. 1 to register or correct violations under the existing rules. Council members said they will consider strengthening the ordinance at a council retreat scheduled in the coming weeks.