Development of Publicly Owned Sites

The Industrial/Economic Development Authority of the City of Newport News, Virginia (NNEDA/IDA) oversees the development of Oakland Industrial Park, Patrick Henry CommerCenter and Jefferson Center for Research and Technology, Oyster Point of Newport News (including City Center), Carleton Farm and Endview.  The NNEDA also owns a five-acre site at Marshall Avenue and 39th Streets, and the Hoover-Clements tract.  The latter, when combined with Carleton Farm and Endview, will be developed by L. M. Sandler and Sons as a high-quality, new urbanist, neo-traditional, mixed-use community—Asheton.  The (NNEDA/IDA) will oversee the development of the Southeast Commerce Center as a mixed use center.
 

DSC00208.JPG
Jefferson Center for Research and Technology (Popup full image) 
 

The City no longer has a large tract of land under its control that is large enough for a large-scale manufacturing or research and development plant. Newport News will target small and mid-size manufacturers in the future, with new manufacturing facilities expected to be developed in the 20,000 to 200,000 square foot range. An issue at Patrick Henry CommerCenter is the relationship between the Airport's FAA-approved Master Plan and the development plan adopted by the City Council for the CommerCenter Master Plan. The NNIDA and the Airport must work together to resolve these issues.

Development planning for Jefferson Center for Research and Technology will occur over the next decade.  The School Center for Operations and Transportation (SCOT) occupies forty acres and its relocation must be implemented before Jefferson Center can be fully developed. Also the development of the 43 acres owned by the College of William and Mary Educational Foundation is an issue. The commercialization of technologies being developed at Jefferson Lab has not proceeded as rapidly as expected.  Currently, Jefferson Center is reserved for companies with research linkages to the Jefferson Lab.

The success of City Center at Oyster Point and the limited amount of land remaining in Oyster Point has prompted the NNEDA to carefully consider the highest and best use of the remaining land under its control (which, including City-owned land is more than 80% of the remaining vacant land in Oyster Point, outside of City Center).  Careful planning and execution by the NNEDA, in partnership with the private sector, will ensure the continuation of development consistent with the quality and economic value that is being developed at City Center.

The two publicly-owned sites in the Southeast Community are critical to the future economic viability of that community.  The NNEDA will evaluate the highest and best use for the site at Marshall Avenue and 39th Street keeping in mind that the NNIDA is committed to developing the Southeast Commerce Center as mixed use retail.

The Peninsula Airport Commission has developed and is marketing the Air Commerce Park which will assist the Airport Commission in attracting air-related industry. 

The City should keep a flexible attitude toward structuring the development of publicly owned land. Public sector development requires an expenditure of public dollars, but results in more control. Public-sector development of the basic infrastructure with the sale of land to developers can lower costs somewhat and improve marketing. A third option is for an entire site to be turned over to a national development firm which may create site amenities that the public sector does not feel it can afford. Finally, the City can assist a developer of a privately owned site by making road improvements or extending utilities.  These development options are tools at the disposal of the City and the (NNEDA/IDA).