Newport News council approves rezoning of 145‑acre Carlton site for industrial use

Vice Mayor Curtis Bethany said the council adopted ordinance CZ20260001 to rezone parcels at 165 and 185 Yorktown Road to M‑1 light industrial with proffers, a measure supporters said is intended to prepare the Carlton site for industrial investment.

Doug Smith, president and CEO of the Hampton Roads Alliance, told council the decision was about market competitiveness: "This is a competitiveness decision," he said, adding that the Carlton site is a rare 145‑acre property with interstate visibility, CSX rail access and the potential to support more than 800,000 square feet of production space. Robert McKenna of the Virginia Peninsula Chamber said the site’s proximity to I‑64 and existing industrial assets would make the city more attractive to advanced‑manufacturing investors and cited proffers addressing transportation, environmental protections and continued access to Lee Hall Mansion.

Derek Perry, speaking for the Economic Development Authority as owner and applicant, said the EDA has held the property since 1995 to position it as a long‑term economic asset and that rezoning is a key step to advance site readiness even though a specific end user has not been identified.

The council voted 6‑0 to adopt the rezoning ordinance. The ordinance record lists the rezoning as conditional and includes proffers intended to address transportation and environmental impacts and to preserve public access to the nearby Lee Hall Mansion. The city did not provide a specific timeline for marketing the site or identify a lead developer during the meeting.

Why it matters: city staff and regional economic development advocates said the action addresses a local shortage of shovel‑ready industrial sites, which they said has caused some companies to locate in neighboring states. The rezoning now enables the EDA and city staff to pursue site‑readiness work and recruitment for advanced‑manufacturing projects.