Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Norfolk public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
10 issues in development
Checkered Flag Honda expansion on E. Virginia Beach Boulevard
A major auto dealer wants to rezone and permit land at six addresses on Virginia Beach Boulevard to expand its sales and repair operation. It's one of the biggest items on the docket and could shape activity along that corridor.
Communication tower at 301 S. Newtown Road
The Towers LLC wants to build a self-support monopole cell tower on Newtown Road, with a conditional use permit and Development Certificate. The proposal appears in both the consent agenda and the Architectural Review Board review.
Multi-family housing requests across the city
Several projects — the City's own at 930 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Claxton and Glenn at 2600 Granby Street, and Gilbane Development at 711 and 755 Church Street — ask permission for buildings with more than 24 apartments, mostly in mixed-use formats.
Lambert's Point Pedestrian Bridge
The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation presented the proposed pedestrian bridge, after holding four community meetings. Neighbors' early feedback centers on trees and landscaping, parking and land use, and long-term design and maintenance.
Naval Station Norfolk marina site preparation
$2 million in Navy funding was added to the budget for a marina site preparation assessment and cost estimate at Naval Station Norfolk.
Chronic code violations and affordable housing
Residents praised the city's new legislative priority to expand authority over chronically negligent absentee landlords, but worried about tenants currently facing displacement at Young Terrace and Calvert Square. One speaker suggested a task force to monitor naturally occurring affordable housing.
Church Street Area Plan
A plan to bring back Church Street as a walkable commercial heart of the community — roundabouts at Olney Road and Princess Anne Road, adaptable ground-floor design, and support for the Attucks Theater. Community members overwhelmingly asked for groceries, restaurants, youth activities, and safer, quieter streets.
Surplus school properties redevelopment
As new schools come online, the city is deciding what to do with old ones — Norview Elementary returns to the city this fall, Madison School is in negotiation with a developer, and the old Maury building likely heads to historic redevelopment.
Faith-based and nonprofit affordable housing
New state law effective January 1 lets churches and 501(c)(3) nonprofits build housing with reduced local zoning barriers. The commission initiated the text amendment to align Norfolk's ordinance, with a public hearing set for October 22.
Faith-based housing by-right amendment
Starting January 2027, churches and nonprofits can build affordable housing by right on land they've owned five years — no rezoning or special permits. Staff flagged wrinkles: could sold affordable units be flipped to rentals, how does taxation work, and might nonprofits carve off single lots as a loophole?