Council approves commissary kitchen permit at 615 34th Street with amended hours after neighbor objections

Newport News City Council on June 23 approved a conditional use permit allowing World Class Solutions Inc. to operate a commissary/ghost kitchen at 615 34th Street, but only after amending the permitted hours to 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The decision followed public comment from Carol McIntosh Totten, who lives next door, and a presentation from the applicant, Sharon Owens Clark. Totten told the council she had been told the building would be used as a community facility and later learned it would operate as a prep kitchen; she said 24-hour operation would bring trucks, noise and rodents to the quiet neighborhood and asked the council to protect her ability to enjoy her retirement. "To open up a prep kitchen 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, that's violating and disrespecting my life's salary," Totten said.

Clark, the applicant, said the commissary and a planned ghost kitchen would provide a community resource for food trucks, caterers, charitable organizations and small entrepreneurs who lack commercial kitchen access. She said she had invested more than $100,000 of her own money and stressed the facility would include registration, cameras and rules to prevent loitering. "Commissary kitchen is for the community," Clark said. "It gives everyone the opportunity to start a business…it's something that's really needed."

Planning staff initially recommended hours of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., while the planning commission later recommended a compromise of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Council discussion focused on balancing neighborhood impacts with the operational needs of caterers and food trucks, some of which require pre-dawn access to prepare for early shipyard shifts and morning events. Council members who operate or have worked in restaurants said earlier hours are often needed for successful catering and food-service operations.

After debate, the council amended the pending motion to adopt the permit with the 5 a.m.–10 p.m. hours and then voted 5–2 to adopt the conditional use permit under that amended schedule. Council members noted permit conditions would include registration of users, interior and exterior cameras, landscaping and periodic checks by the operator; the city attorney said the permit can be revoked if conditions are violated.

The ordinance and any permit conditions will be administered through the city's planning and permitting process and enforcement will fall to city staff. The applicant and neighbor were advised to maintain direct communication, and council members said revocation is an enforcement option if the operator fails to comply with conditions.