HAMPTON, Va. — The Hampton City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve an amendment to zoning ordinances that would raise height restrictions for buildings in Coliseum Central District.
The district includes sites like Air Power Park, the Hampton Coliseum and the Sentara CarePlex Hospital.
Zoning Administrator Allison Jackura, who presented the amendment to the council, said that the amendments would allow for more development in the area, establish a more contemporary, vibrant, mixed-use area, and promote economic growth in the district.
“Coliseum Center is the economic engine of our city,” said Hampton Mayor Donnie Tuck about the reasoning behind the changes. “We have lots of developers coming to us, but we have limited space. So, instead of growing out, we have to grow up.”
The amendments make several restrictions looser or completely eliminate them, including height, density limit, lot coverage and dwelling areas:
- Maximum building height is now 150 feet
- Maximum for building density removed
- Maximum lot coverage for buildings removed
- Minimum for dwelling areas removed, no more than 50% may be under 500 square feet
Jackura says these restrictions hinder the development of the area. Developers must meet Coliseum Central Design Guidelines to opt into the new looser restrictions.
Mayor Tuck wouldn’t say exactly what developers are pitching, but he mentioned, “big things are coming.”
Hampton native John Williams is in support of the height limit increase.
“I think it will create more jobs, be better economically for the community,” he said.
However, Williams is unsure about the elimination of minimum parking rules.
“That would be kind of rough,” said Williams. “I feel like we would need more parking.”
Handicapped spaces are still required, and there must be a minimum of 10 bicycle spots for every 150 car spaces.
Tuck understands this change may not be popular at first, but he says there’s a reason behind it.
He explained, “it allows us to get a bigger building on that space, or possibly get multiple uses on that space.” "We want to have more diverse transit. Biking’s an option, using mass transit is an option, being a more walkable city, particularly in that area, is also an option,” he added.
The changes go into effect immediately. You can watch Wednesday's city council meeting for the reading of the full amendment change.