[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6513984,"mediaKeyId","5065492-f9eb6c6301f9b16ac56e6223ec9bbfdf","parentId",5065492,"title","Votes at a glance: council approves two community contributions totaling $6,000","audioSeconds",22,"startMs",2979000,"endMs",3001000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5065492-f9eb6c6301f9b16ac56e6223ec9bbfdf&start=2979&end=3001","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5065492-f9eb6c6301f9b16ac56e6223ec9bbfdf/thumbnail_2979000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6513984/Virginia/Votes-at-a-glance-council-approves-two-community-contributions-totaling-6000","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6513984-7f8f6dcef60bf5b8c98dff2e280cb7a8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770534903&Signature=Gl8qBemLWkZ-YaYbiQqv8iIeDHq-QxSa-88o9Yi4vHRlP56x838qPu~cTff-fVAmIdL15x15SHKoisBtkcma47CC~~nRa49wCY1UVYWXOdss1zb5Xov2uDPCOzGNtBjVO8QNtCN1iG~WFWZAnRkuxzI-~CETHOJalIPSvimqdJDiHFZk92bjjW7Xa2m6FSLXhRBqJY2MeAF0agFmr-gf4DjTFJ0LibxqnBbhNe6PPQndrcg0bYUk~wo034Bbc5sJNIT6WJPHIA7qYwlZ5Xa73JnGVnlnB38phdk5yxrbN6S6DpUS7VrxC6~xSDXUeBTsajwqeMP3IsUttq0fqfcvIg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Newport News","date","2025-06-24T00:00:00Z","article","During the council work session, council members voted to approve two community contributions totaling $6,000.

Staff identified two items for immediate action: a $5,000 contribution to the Boys & Girls Club and a $1,000 contribution to Peninsula Alpha’s Father’s Day celebration. A council member moved the items, a second was recorded and the council conducted a roll call vote. The roll call recorded votes of approval from Mayor Jones, Councilman Long, Vice Mayor Bethany, Councilman Hogan, Councilwoman Ditt, Councilman Ealy and Councilman Harris; the motion carried 7-0.

Council staff asked the sponsors to sign paperwork so disbursement could proceed quickly.

No amendments or substantive debate on the requests were recorded on the meeting transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Newport News - City Council Work Session Meeting - Jun 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Newport News City Council approved two small community contributions — $5,000 to the Boys & Girls Club and $1,000 to Peninsula Alpha’s Father’s Day event — by a 7-0 roll call during the work session.","taxTitle","Newport News (Independent City), Virginia","taxId",12491,"location","Virginia","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6513989,"Newport News lays out Strategic Housing Initiative to meet long-term housing target of 21,000 units",902,1590000,2492000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5065492-f9eb6c6301f9b16ac56e6223ec9bbfdf&start=1590&end=2492","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5065492-f9eb6c6301f9b16ac56e6223ec9bbfdf/thumbnail_1590000.jpg","/articles/6513989/Virginia/Newport-News-lays-out-Strategic-Housing-Initiative-to-meet-long-term-housing-target-of-21000-units","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6513989-4568b0216aadd8f548d26f985ebb5019/orig.mp4?Expires=1770534903&Signature=BupAF0T-BPMtWtAlnzJo5CZ8ZkN8NRhfb0VYB9wqcc3qUOEEMrXnuZ2gBQ7VfnSZUIT2i-XtDGQQ~vTT6YPRV-cJmPcrHvgdrUwXhGGbn2nlXLlr3CEs2PRhsxgkznFNksgXxRWW7dA-ALTZ788lebDJKR8VO32vd9v9pfdBD-D95VFdVRRniUbtQkCBnMWgW11wkmVGJoGyuNP31VMfKr5-ETCZQYVPyISZZksZ7PgJ2vgLFwWHFSBvHtDr~d5MQFuBdcpSq3zHZOaMQJ8KAQHMDinc26Bt-qxxuWHOq-A-NnsxGslAtgw6QDUSX6wXwj08z7mK2geMuK8FYx~W5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff told the Newport News City Council they are developing a Strategic Housing Initiative Plan (SHIP) to translate findings from the city’s comprehensive housing study into an actionable, public-facing road map for increasing housing supply and affordability.

Terry Francis, Neighborhood Services office manager, told the council the SHIP was recommended in the comprehensive housing study that launched in December 2024 and that the study found the city needs 21,000 housing units by 2050. “The overall goal of our comprehensive housing study was to provide us with a housing inventory. It was actually the first housing study that the city ever did,” Francis said.

Francis said staff formed a steering committee of more than 14 members, conducted more than 30 stakeholder interviews, and stood up an internal housing committee composed of multiple city departments to develop strategies. The SHIP’s four primary focus areas are: housing policy, regulatory reform; housing production and redevelopment; preservation, maintenance and neighborhood stability; and housing affordability and access.

City staff told council the SHIP will identify measurable goals, short- and long-term tactics, and internal and external partners. Tactics under consideration include zoning and land-use changes, permitting improvements, adaptive reuse (including potential evaluation of underutilized faith-based properties), financial incentives and neighborhood rehabilitation programs such as residential façade improvements. Staff said some tactics are already in progress while others will require additional research, interdepartmental work and council direction.

Council members suggested specific levers to explore at an upcoming July retreat. Councilman Long and others flagged a land-value tax and streamlining permit processes as high-impact tools. Francis and other staff noted the housing trust fund and allocation of resources will likely be part of future budget discussions.

Francis said the final SHIP will be completed later this year and will require council approval and additional vetting, including community engagement and periodic updates as housing production needs and market conditions evolve. “When complete, it will require approval by council,” Francis said.

Staff also committed to prepare additional data requested by council for the retreat, including mapping of vacant or underused parcels and an initial review of faith-based properties for potential adaptive reuse, while noting limitations under state law that affect some conversions.

The SHIP presentation is part of the city’s broader strategic-plan update; staff and the Virginia Institute of Government will use the survey findings and other outreach to inform the July retreat and the final strategic plan update later this year.","City staff presented a Strategic Housing Initiative Plan (SHIP) to guide zoning, permitting, production and affordability efforts to reach a target of 21,000 housing units by 2050; staff proposed four focus areas, stakeholder outreach already completed and a timeline for a final plan this year requiring council approval.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6513995,"Newport News survey: residents report high quality of life; safety and downtown vibrancy trail benchmarks",142,664000,806000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5065492-f9eb6c6301f9b16ac56e6223ec9bbfdf&start=664&end=806","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5065492-f9eb6c6301f9b16ac56e6223ec9bbfdf/thumbnail_664000.jpg","/articles/6513995/Virginia/Newport-News-survey-residents-report-high-quality-of-life-safety-and-downtown-vibrancy-trail-benchmarks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6513995-4e3a9bf0e08e82223b86165a8ee8951c/orig.mp4?Expires=1770534903&Signature=Gj69TgqWft92E~LwNvn9RVQxUKdpoGKiandLaKaCnR-z5aAtNFnRrtZNb3gfe2mw4Bx7Y5f~vJDDB0br7Hylo4HYG~FYy8OWNlwnzUk5323Hp7EAR~t9mkrHGq5SVVOirY0qEs4D7q2jtSDkw8b0lid~94SnC6CG68ivsMypfFN~S~Jbx45cR7naTvPn6Ee3CItEurt~9~66v8Gv3femvjiFJ7qJDLplevdXlFfG1d0GClqjug8QPweqGndu741urK0R-ckE~309Hx0vx1lFGphl3SlZHqba5MQumRPiIm8mdrg0YVyT2nOEAnBR9eGAqNYENa~vsjXmmYmb1BokJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A presentation to the Newport News City Council on the city’s recent community survey found that most respondents rate the city’s overall quality of life positively, but perceptions of safety and downtown vibrancy scored below Polco benchmarks.

Sonia Wittink, executive vice president of data insights for Polco, told the council the National Community Survey (NCS) administered for Newport News used a randomly sampled mailing to 7,000 addresses, mailed paper surveys to 5,000 addresses, and was offered in English and Spanish. “313 responses were received,” Wittink said, noting the statistically sampled responses yield a margin of error of about ±6 percent. She added the city also publicized an open participation link that produced 698 additional responses; the presentation for council was based on the 313 statistically sampled responses.

The survey uses a standard set of items and national benchmarks that allow the city to compare itself to other, similarly sized and resourced communities. “The National Community Survey, or what we call the NCS, is a standardized 5 page comprehensive survey that allows municipalities to assess resident opinion about their community and their local government,” Wittink said.

Polco highlighted several headline findings. About nine in 10 respondents rated Newport News’s overall quality of life as excellent, good or fair. Roughly six in 10 said they plan to remain in the city for the next five years and would recommend the city to others. Parks and recreation were the highest-rated facet of community livability. Safety and the local economy showed the largest gaps between importance and perceived quality: safety ranked as a top priority while some safety measures — notably safety downtown and safety from violent crime — were below Polco benchmarks. Polco also reported lower ratings for downtown vibrancy and for cost of living; ratings for the vibrancy of other commercial areas were higher than for downtown.

Wittink described how jurisdictions typically use NCS results: to monitor trends, inform budgeting and help set strategic priorities. She also addressed questions from council members about response rates and demographic representativeness, saying lower response among younger residents is common and that statistical weighting is applied to improve representativeness.

The report and the fuller dataset, including the open participation responses and cross-tabulations by demographics and geography, were included in the council packet. The consultant said the survey findings will be used as input to the city’s strategic planning work ahead of a July council retreat.

Polco’s presentation and the full survey report are available in the meeting packet for council and staff to use in follow-up planning and outreach.","Polco presented results of a National Community Survey showing overall positive quality-of-life ratings in Newport News but flagged gaps where residents rated safety and the downtown’s vibrancy below benchmarks. The city received 313 statistically sampled responses and an additional 698 open-participation responses.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: council approves two community contributions totaling $6,000

Newport News lays out Strategic Housing Initiative to meet long-term housing target of 21,000 units

Newport News survey: residents report high quality of life; safety and downtown vibrancy trail benchmarks