City presents Riverbend rezoning that would convey former VDOT office to Suffolk schools as potential administration building

City and planning staff told the Suffolk School Board on Sept. 11 that a developer’s rezoning application for the Riverbend/VDOT site would rezone about 72 of 89 acres to allow 497 residential units and would include a proffer to convey the 2.3‑acre parcel and the former VDOT office building to the city for use by Suffolk Public Schools.

The presentation came from Kevin Wine, Suffolk planning director; Kevin Hughes, interim city manager; and Gary Jones, interim deputy city manager, who described the application and the conditions the applicant has offered. Wine said the site is “an 89 acre site consisting of 3 separate parcels,” and that the rezoning request would rezone 72 acres to RU‑18, allowing a proposed 497 residential units (329 townhomes and 168 age‑restricted multifamily units) while preserving about 17 acres along North Main Street as commercial B‑2 zoning.

Why it matters: the applicant has proffered the 2.3‑acre parcel and the former VDOT office building — which city staff valuated at $6,270,000 — “in lieu of a cash contribution” toward school capacity. City planning staff said that, under the Unified Development Ordinance, the cash contribution that would otherwise have been required to address impacts to Hillpoint Elementary and Kings Fork High School would have been about $4,700,000. The division’s capital improvements plan already lists a $22,000,000 School Administration Building project.

City presentation and next steps: Wine said the planning commission has a first public hearing scheduled next week and that city council’s public hearing is tentatively set for Oct. 15. Jones and Hughes said the VDOT office building is roughly 39,000 square feet, was vacated by VDOT in 2018, and that their preliminary renovation cost estimate to bring the building to occupancy is roughly $5.8 million to $6.8 million plus $500,000–$750,000 for site work.

Board questions and timing: board members repeatedly pressed staff for clarity about timing and consequences. Several members said they are concerned that the proffer (a building and site) would not directly convert to additional classroom capacity for nearby schools and that the division’s current CIP does not show Hillpoint or Kings Fork projects in the near term. Vice Chair McGee and other board members asked whether the city would rewrite the CIP or stage funds; Hughes described two options: a lease‑to‑own arrangement with an outside developer using historic tax credits, or the city funding the renovation in the CIP. Hughes emphasized the school division’s lease for its current administrative space runs through December 2028.

Board members also asked when the new housing would be built and how that timing aligns with school capacity. Hughes said development — if approved — would likely begin permitting and site work in late 2026 or early 2027 and could take five to eight years to build out, depending on market conditions.

What was not decided: the school board did not take a formal vote on the rezoning or the proffer. City staff requested written guidance from the board by October so council can consider the school board’s position when the application arrives at council.

Ending: City staff and board members agreed further joint discussion and a possible joint meeting with council would help clarify sequencing, funding and community outreach before the planning commission and council hearings.