Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Newport News outlines Strategic Housing Initiative to guide work toward 21,000 units by 2050
Summary
City staff and partners presented a Strategic Housing Initiative Plan (SHIP) informed by a December 2024 comprehensive housing study that projects a need for about 21,000 housing units by 2050; staff outlined four focus areas, stakeholder engagement to date, and next steps toward a final plan and council approval later this year.
City Manager Alan and staff presented the Strategic Housing Initiative Plan (SHIP) at a City Council work session as a coordinated follow-up to the city’s comprehensive housing study. Owen Miller, the city’s chief strategy officer, and Terry Francis, neighborhood services office manager, described the SHIP as a public-facing roadmap of strategies, measurable goals, and partners to help the city meet projected housing needs.
Francis said the comprehensive housing study, launched in December 2024, produced an inventory and gap analysis; one key finding reported to council was a projected need for about 21,000 housing units by 2050. To develop SHIP staff convened a steering committee of more than 14 members, conducted more than 30 stakeholder interviews with financial institutions, military professionals, housing industry representatives, faith-based organizations and nonprofits, and formed an internal housing committee that engaged multiple city departments.
The SHIP organizes roughly 20 tactics under four primary focus areas: housing policy and regulatory reform; housing production and redevelopment; preservation, maintenance and neighborhood stability; and housing affordability and access. Francis said tactics include zoning and land-use changes, permitting improvements, financial incentives, adaptive reuse, residential rehabilitation programs, and a potential housing trust fund. Staff said some tactics are already underway, others need further study, and many will require council direction and budget resources.
Council members asked about specific levers and constraints. The presentation and discussion noted that some uses of faith‑based properties and other land are affected by state law; staff said authority in this area is constrained by the state General Assembly. Council members also suggested ideas for maximizing impact, including permit process improvements and financing levers; staff said several tactics will be discussed in more detail at the council’s July retreat.
Francis said staff plan to complete the SHIP before the end of the year and to return to council with a final document that will require council approval and likely additional tactics and funding decisions. The city plans follow-up community engagement events this summer and fall and periodic progress updates. No formal council action on the SHIP was taken at the work session.
