Land Use and Preserving Critical Opportunities

More than 90% of the land in Newport News has already been built upon. Over the next ten years, the development of Asheton will itself remove 400 acres from the City’s vacant land inventory.  Furthermore, much of the land classified as vacant may not be developable due to undelineated wetlands, Chesapeake Bay protection areas and other development constraints.

Table 2-3 Undeveloped or Underdeveloped, Commercial and Mixed Use Sites Source: Department of Economic Development, 2008

Highest And Best Use

Acres Available

Number Of Sites*

Site Location**

No Longer Available For Development***

High-technology and/or Office

333

5

Denbigh Mobile Homes redevelopment, JeffersonCenter for Research and Technology, MaritimeCenter, Oyster Point/City Center, Wolseley Campus

Endview, Patrick Henry CommerCenter, mobile home park redevelopment

Industrial

713

18

Air Commerce Park I & II, Benson-Phillips redevelopment, Camp Morrison Industrial Park redevelopment, CSX properties (3), DeForest property, Deer Run CommerceCenter, Dozier Road properties, Hiden Warehouses, Lee Hall Industrial Park, Oakland Industrial Park and vicinity

Carleton Farm Industrial Park, Edwards Industrial Park, Eveready Battery Site, Snidow Boulevard area, Warwick Mobile Homes Redevelopment (added to Retail)

Major Retail

100

4

39th Street and Marshal Avenue, Carleton property, Noland/Exxon site, Warwick Mobile Homes redevelopment

Eveready Battery Site frontage, Northeast corner of Jefferson Avenue and Denbigh Boulevard, Yoder Site at Jefferson Avenue and Bland Boulevard, remainder of Chatham Drive and development, Chesapeake Mobile Homes redevelopment (added to Mixed-use)

Mixed-use Communities

832

7

Asheton, Camp Morrison, City Farm, Huntington Pointe, Newport Crossing, Patrick Henry Place, Chesapeake Mobile Homes redevelopment (Patrick Henry Place II)

 
* A site in this instance means one ore more developable parcels, either contiguous to each other or located in an established industrial or business park.
** For location of sites, see Maps 2-3, 2-4, 2-5 and 2-6.
**Shown on Framework for the Future, November 2000

Table 2-3 summarizes the City's inventory of commercial, industrial and mixed-use (or potential mixed-use) properties where development could occur.  This table also shows the sites that have been developed, taken off the market or otherwise withdrawn from development from 2000 through 2006.

Of the 1,100 acres in potential commercial and industrial sites, more than 60% are publicly controlled. Additionally, 532 acres in planned mixed-use new urbanist communities are publicly owned.  The City has the power to insist that publicly-controlled property be developed to its highest and best use. Regarding private holdings, the City can preserve critical parcels for their highest and best use through such mechanisms as careful zoning and rezoning, acquiring development rights and/or negotiating development agreements and forming public-private partnerships.