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Adjacent property owners raise notice, access concerns as council vacates portion of 30 Eighth Street for shipyard parking
Summary
At a public hearing on Feb. 11, property owners told Newport News City Council they had not been notified about a proposed vacation of a portion of 30 Eighth Street tied to a shipyard parking deck; the city attorney said newspaper notice was published and staff said the shipyard holds title to the majority of the street. Council adopted the vaca
Newport News City Council adopted an ordinance on Feb. 11 vacating a roughly 6,000‑square‑foot portion of public right of way in the 300 block of 30 Eighth Street as part of the Newport News Shipbuilding parking project, despite several adjacent property owners saying they received no notice and expressing concern about lost access.
Alan Tanner, an attorney who said he assists in managing Victory Parking Management, told the council that many of his clients received no notice of the vacation and that the street has long been used by parkers to exit north onto Warwick Boulevard. “There is a procedure to follow when there is a vacation of a public right of way. It is prescribed in the statute. ... The parking lot owners that I represent have received no notice,” Tanner said, asking the council to “defer until all items are exhausted under the current statute.”
Neil Rosenbaum, a downtown parcel owner, said he likewise had not been contacted and urged the council to follow the statutory notification process. “I had no knowledge of it,” Rosenbaum said, adding that the route is an important exit for parkers and noting the city previously placed a traffic signal to support that circulation.
City project representative Skip Smith told council the request tonight was limited to a small portion at the front of the block and that “the bulk of that street is owned by the shipyard.” He said the parking deck project would add approximately 2,300 parking spaces to the area.
The city attorney responded to questions about notice and title, saying that notice for the public hearing “was properly published” in the newspaper and that the “balance of the street was vacated in 1952 and conveyed to the shipyard at that time.” Council members asked clarifying questions during the hearing about whether the shipyard already held title to much of the corridor; staff and counsel confirmed historical conveyances. After public comment and council questions, the council closed the public hearing and adopted the ordinance by roll call vote, 7–0.
Why this matters: The vacation removes a publicly accessible segment of downtown roadway used by local parkers to exit to Warwick Boulevard. Adjacent parking-lot owners and parcel owners told council they had not been notified and warned of operational impacts for employees and others who rely on the route. City staff said deed records show most of the block previously conveyed to the shipyard and that the current action concerns a remaining portion the city controls.
What council decided: Council adopted the ordinance vacating the stated portion of right of way (agenda item E3), 7–0. The city attorney indicated that publication notice for the hearing met statutory requirements; adjacent property owners said their records showed no receipt of direct notice. The city did not change its vote or defer the matter for additional outreach.
What’s next: City real-estate staff and the city attorney will record necessary conveyances and follow the statutory steps that accompany street vacations; affected property owners may pursue appeals or administrative review if they believe notice or process was insufficient.
