Issues/Barriers
Substandard Housing
Planning District I has some of the oldest and the most historic areas in the city. According to the 2000 Census, the majority of all housing units in the city over 50 years old were located in Planning District I. The aging housing has resulted in a majority of the city's substandard units being located in Planning District I. However, over time the demolition of substandard housing in Planning District I will improve housing quality, as older deteriorated houses are removed and replaced by new housing.
In the 2006 Wessex Group survey, 58 % of 1,000 city residents said the City should do more about housing for low and moderate-income families.In a similar study conducted in 1997, 42% of 1,000 city residents thought the City should do more about housing for low and moderate-income families. The increase in affirmative responses shows that housing for low and moderate-income families is a very important issue to Newport News residents.
According to the Department of Codes Compliance, approximately 4 percent of the housing units in the city were substandard in early 2000. About 70 percent of these substandard units were suitable for rehabilitation. Therefore, programs giving low interest rehabilitation loans to home owners will help improve the condition of housing units and reduce the deterioration of the city's housing as it ages.
Incompatible Infill/Land Uses for Redevelopment
To date, most of the redevelopment activity has been concentrated in the Southeast Community, because it contains the city’s oldest housing stock with many dilapidated structures. When the Southeast Community originally formed, many of the homes were built on 25’ x 100’ lots. As the city began to grow and zoning regulations were changed, the minimum buildable lot allowed by zoning was regulated at 6,600 square feet. However, through a zoning overlay approved for the Southeast Community, the minimum buildable lot is 50’ x 100’.
The requirement for a larger lot for building does serve to prevent overcrowding and create more of a neighborhood feel. However, it does present a challenge for many people who would like to develop in the Southeast Community because typically two lots must be acquired and joined to have one buildable lot. Because of the unique layout of the Southeast Community, it may be advisable for the City to adopt a more flexible set of standards that would recognize the irregular configuration and provide innovative solutions to protect the neighborhood.
There has continued to be development in the Southeast Community, but in some cases the development is inconsistent with the character of the existing neighborhood. Many of the existing homes in the area are located close to the street and feature large front porches. As infill housing is added by private developers, the new units are typically set back from the street and do not feature the large front porches. In some cases, private developers have secured permission to build on a lot smaller than 50’ x 100’ and the resulting housing unit does not serve to complement the fabric of the neighborhood. The Department of Planning is in the process of devising a set of design standards that can be used to ensure that infill housing does not alter the character of the existing neighborhood, but rather serves to enhance and preserve it.
Rising Cost to Acquire/Redevelop Property
As the city’s property values continue to increase, it affects the amount of resources needed to complete redevelopment activity. It is beneficial to the City as a whole to have increased property value, but when faced with diminishing federal resources to fill the gap, new solutions must be considered to allow redevelopment activity to continue.
As recently as the early 2000’s, a buildable vacant lot could be purchased in the Southeast Community for as little as $ 7,500. In today’s market, the appraised value of a buildable vacant lot is estimated to be approximately $30,000. In many cases, the NNRHA must acquire two lots, each 25’ wide, to make one buildable lot. Maintaining the affordability of the homes in both the rehabilitation and HOMEbuilder programs will continue to be a challenge as acquisition costs continue to rise at a faster pace than the salaries of home purchasers.
The federal funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is currently projected to be lower in FY2007 than in FY2006. The loss of federal funding will require the City and the NNRHA to incorporate new strategies to continue to encourage affordability and home ownership.
Group Homes
The conversion of single-family homes into group homes is a problem, especially in the Southeast Community, where housing is less expensive. Some of these homes are regulated and licensed; but others are illegal and/or unlicensed and negatively affect the community. Complaints have been received from citizens about group home tenants disturbing their neighbors. According to the Department of Social Services, as of July 2006, there were 19 licensed adult homes providing a total capacity to care for 977 people in Newport News.
The Federal Fair Housing Act states that people cannot be discriminated against because of race, nationality or handicap. When considering group homes and how many unrelated adults can live in a home independently, without live-in care, federal laws must also be taken into account. State law also limits the City's ability to regulate certain types of group homes.
In order to better control group homes, the City Council changed the definition of family. The number of unrelated individuals who can be considered a family was reduced from four to three. This change limits the number of unrelated people who can live in a single-family dwelling thereby improving neighborhood stability.