Norfolk council approves conditional rezoning for Kalana Shipyard after contested public hearing

At a meeting of the Norfolk City Council, members considered and adopted an ordinance to rezone property at 344 West Indian River Road and 335–350 Emmett Place from multifamily/residential plan‑development districts to a conditional Industrial Deepwater District requested by Kalana Shipyard.

The rezoning, which the planning commission recommended 6–1, drew extensive public comment from Berkeley residents and allied organizations who said the neighborhood already bears industrial impacts and should not be further industrialized without enforceable mitigation and community benefits. Michelle Olche, representing 1,252 members of Chesapeake Climate Action Network in the City of Norfolk, said, “We strongly oppose the proposed rezoning request” and urged the council to reject it on grounds of climate resilience and environmental justice.

Residents described decades of noise, sandblasting dust, bright yard lighting and truck traffic. Pastor Robert Green of Burning Bush Worship Center, which sits adjacent to…