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Hampton council approves Orchard Oaks rezoning and use permit despite neighborhood opposition
Summary
The council voted to approve a community plan amendment and a rezoning/use permit to allow Orchard Oaks, a 316-unit market-rate apartment project, after a lengthy public hearing in which neighbors raised traffic, fit and drainage concerns. Vote split: 5-1 with one member absent.
Hampton City Council voted on July 9 to approve land-use changes and permits allowing Orchard Oaks, a proposed 316-unit market-rate apartment community along East Mercury Boulevard and Woodland Road.
The council approved the community plan amendment (25-0102) and then voted to adopt rezoning 25-0148 and use permit 25-0149 with conditions. The motions passed with five council members voting in favor and one against; Councilwoman Campbell was the lone dissent and Councilwoman Harper was absent.
Opponents who spoke during the public hearing urged council to deny the change. "I make this request because I believe this project does not serve as best fit for the neighborhood," said Brenda Marks, citing building height and impacts on property values and emergency services. Several residents emphasized traffic gridlock on East Mercury Boulevard and Woodland Road during peak hours and questioned whether the applicant's traffic study captured the full extent of local congestion.
Developer Daniel Whitmore Aston defended the proposal as a high-quality infill project, describing the scale and economic case for the development. "This is a reflection of the investment, which will be approximately $70,000,000 in total," Whitmore Aston said, and presented a consultant estimate that the project would generate about $875,000 yearly in real-estate taxes and approximately $1,000,000 in broader annual economic benefits.
Staff analysis presented by Chief Planner Donald Whipple said the application had extensive outreach: a city meeting with about 75 attendees and an online survey with 148 responses (a majority opposing), but that staff considered many concerns to be development-specific and addressable through rezoning proffers and use-permit conditions. Whipple told council that recent market-rate multifamily projects in Hampton were averaging about 95% occupancy, which staff said supports demand for new multifamily units.
During deliberations council members balanced neighborhood fit against the city's housing demand. Councilwoman Campbell said she could not support the measure, citing proximity to schools and the project's unit mix, which she described as aimed at singles and seniors rather than families. Vice Mayor Brown and others pointed to housing needs related to personnel moving to Langley Air Force Base and the developer's track record; Brown urged not to discount renters as economic contributors.
The approved rezoning and use permit include proffers and conditions addressing traffic improvements (turn lanes), landscape buffers, building materials and stormwater management. Council directed staff to monitor traffic impacts and consider a traffic signal if congestion does not ease after regional projects conclude.
Next steps: The approvals allow the applicant to proceed with detailed site plan and permitting work subject to the proffers and conditions adopted by council.
