1.0 INTRODUCTION Newport News is a diverse community of people and neighborhoods that has grown from a history of shipbuilding and military influences to become the fifth largest city in Virginia. We became a city in 1958 with the merger of the cities of Newport News and Warwick. Our shipbuilding legacy has grown to become Huntington Ingalls Industries, America’s largest supplier of military ships. We have viable military installations in Joint Base Langley-Eustis and Naval Weapon Station Yorktown. We support major employers in the manufacturing and research and technology sectors including Canon Virginia, Continental, and the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. We are home to Riverside Regional Medical Center, the Greater Peninsula’s1 most comprehensive medical facility, and to Christopher Newport University, ranked second in the 2014 Up-and-Coming Schools (Regional Universities [South])2 list. Newport News has experienced positive population and economic growth over the decades as we maintained our status as the urban center on the Greater Peninsula. But, as we have matured as a major city, we have begun to experience some of the same challenges other major urban areas across the nation are facing: an aging housing stock, aging and outdated transportation infrastructure, and increased traffic congestion. Further, a lot has happened over the past 5 years—locally, regionally and globally—that may affect our city’s well-being long term. The economic recession, sequestration, disinvestment and a declining tax base, widening income disparity, climate change, and a decline in federal spending are just some of the events and trends that require us to rethink where we are as a city, where we want to be by 2040, and how we get there. These and other events and trends are explored in Chapter 2, Existing Conditions. For us to continue to move forward in a deliberate and positive manner and be the “place” that people want to live, learn, work and play, we need a long-range plan that allows us to become a more sustainable and resilient city, and remain relevant in a fast-paced and ever- changing world. The challenge before us is how to leverage our strengths and opportunities to continue to transform Newport News for the 21st century. The answers to where we are going and how we get there are presented in this One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan. 1.1 WHAT IS THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? The comprehensive plan is the primary tool for guiding future investment in and development of the city. On a daily basis, the City of Newport News is faced with tough 1 The Greater Peninsula is comprised of Newport News, Hampton, York County, Poqouson, Williamsburg, and James City County. 2 U.S. News & World Report, 2014 Best Colleges Rankings at US News Rankings for Up-and-Coming Regional Universities. One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan | Introduction 1 Disclaimer: This is a working Draft Document that is subject to change over the course of the project, prior to being presented to the Planning Commission and City Council. choices regarding transportation, housing, economic development, neighborhood improvement, and service delivery investments. The One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan is the guide for making the decisions that will reinvigorate our city and address our needs. The plan establishes a clear vision of the city’s future and integrates the aspirations of a diverse population. It is a bold strategy for leveraging our strengths and opportunities to manage change and guide Newport News into the future as a city that is thriving both economically and socially. The comprehensive plan presents the “big picture” and establishes a guide for decision makers based on our citizens’ core values. It provides strategies to balance our social, economic and environmental systems and create a more resilient city. While the comprehensive plan is meant to provide a strong and constant vision for the future, it is also a living document designed to accommodate change. Progress and change will be captured yearly during the plan implementation phase of the comprehensive planning cycle (shown in Figure 1), and the plan itself will be updated to account for changing trends, challenges and opportunities as required. The One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan will serve as the general guide for development in Newport News for the next 20 years. The plan contains the City’s official policies on land use, urban design, transportation, housing, public facilities and services, environment, and economic development. It recommends changes to policy, defines priorities, and directs implementation actions to support The Dream (see Chapter 4, The Dream) and path forward. (The Dream is our vision for the future.) Its policies apply to Figure 1: Comprehensive Planning Cycle both public and private properties. The One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan aligns with the City’s Strategic Priorities, which guide the use of city resources to achieve desired outcomes that are measurable and promote accountability. It also aligns with the Roadmap to Sustainability, the City’s plan to achieve its “Environmentally Sustainable Local Government Policies” strategic priority. Furthermore, this plan aligns internally with other City plans and policies, vertically with regional and state requirements, and horizontally with the comprehensive plans of neighboring jurisdictions. The One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan is used by the City Council and Planning Commission to evaluate land use changes, and by the City Council and City Manager to make funding and budget decisions. The plan is used by City staff to regulate building and development and to make recommendations on projects and programs, many of which are captured in the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP). The CIP is the City’s five-year plan for high- priority capital projects and equipment purchases. It is also used by citizens, businesses, One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan | Introduction 2 Disclaimer: This is a working Draft Document that is subject to change over the course of the project, prior to being presented to the Planning Commission and City Council. and other stakeholders to understand the City’s long-range plans for different areas of Newport News. 1.2 WHY MUST WE HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? The comprehensive plan is a legal document that must meet specific requirements for content. The Code of Virginia (§15.2-2223) mandates all localities prepare and adopt a comprehensive plan for the physical development of land within its jurisdiction. The plan must include assessments of existing conditions, growth trends, and the future needs of the community. It must provide guidance to promote the health, safety, order, convenience, prosperity, and general welfare of a locality’s residents. The State Code requires the plan to include coastal resources management, affordable housing, transportation, and land use components. It does not, however, dictate the structure and format of the plan. The Code of Virginia does specify the process for comprehensive plan adoption. The Planning Commission must hold a public hearing prior to an official recommendation to the City Council for adoption of the comprehensive plan. After this public hearing, the Planning Commission may recommend approval of the plan and forward it to the City Council for consideration. If the Planning Commission recommends approval, it must adopt and forward a resolution to the City Council. In developing our comprehensive plan process, we added one additional layer of participation and oversight: the Comprehensive Plan Citizen Advisory Committee (CPCAC). The CPCAC, appointed by the Planning Commission, worked with Planning staff and guided the process based on citizen feedback gained through multiple outreach efforts. Figure 2 below is a simplified illustration of the plan review and adoption process for the One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan. Public Review and CPCAC Review of Planning Commission City Council Review CPCAC Review Planning Commission Comment / Public Comments and Final Hearing and Approval Meetings Recommendations Figure 2: Plan Review and Adoption Process Once the comprehensive plan is adopted, the City Council may adopt amendments as needed. The process for comprehensive plan amendments is the same as the approval and adoption process required for the original plan, minus CPCAC participation. The State Code One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan | Introduction 3 Disclaimer: This is a working Draft Document that is subject to change over the course of the project, prior to being presented to the Planning Commission and City Council. requires localities to review their comprehensive plan every 5 years to determine if changes are needed. Implementation, monitoring and amendments for the One City, One Future Comprehensive Plan are discussed further in Chapter 6. 1.3 OUR PAST PLANNING EFFORTS Comprehensive planning is not new to the city. The first comprehensive plan – named the Newport News General Plan – was adopted in 1964. The first citizen driven comprehensive plan was adopted in 1993. The Framework for the Future was an in-depth look at the past, present and future of Newport News. A lot of hard work went into developing the Framework for the Future and its subsequent updates; its innovative solutions led to many significant investments – both public and private. Hundreds of citizens worked tirelessly with City staff over the course of several years to produce the 16 chapter document that covered approximately 700 pages of content. The Framework for the Future served as a model comprehensive plan for decades. In recent years, however, best practices in the planning profession have pushed localities to develop more strategic, cohesive and less voluminous comprehensive plans. The structure and length of the comprehensive plan made extracting information difficult and challenging to understand how the chapters (also known as elements or topic areas) were linked. To many readers, the chapters appeared to be independent of one other, with no clear connection or means to establish priorities for implementation.