Hampton City Council Legislative Session – February 27, 2025
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Hampton City Council Legislative Session – February 27, 2025
The Hampton City Council held a legislative session on February 27, 2025 (as recorded for summary purposes; the minutes indicate the actual meeting date was February 26, 2025). The meeting began at 6:30 PM and adjourned at 7:26 PM. Council approved a use permit for a downtown restaurant with extended hours, authorized property transfers for an interstate project, heard public comments on assessments and zoning, and made several appointments.
Consent Calendar
- 25-0024: Approved a resolution to amend the FY2025 budget, appropriating $500,000 from the Capital Budget Contingency Fund to the Boys and Girls Club Capital Campaign (city match for donations).
- 25-0026: Approved acceptance of a $120,000 Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities Program subaward (via Johns Hopkins) for climate change and racial wealth equity work; no local match required.
- 25-0073: Confirmed the declaration and termination of an emergency due to Winter Storm Kingston (February 19–21, 2025).
All consent items passed 7–0.
Public Hearings
- Use Permit – Karma Restaurant & Lounge (Item 4, 24-0489): The applicant sought a Restaurant 3 use permit at 85 & 87 Lincoln Street to expand into an adjacent suite, with requested hours of Sunday–Saturday 5 AM–2 AM (general) and 12 PM–2 AM (live entertainment). Staff recommended approval with 13 conditions, proposing reduced hours (Sunday–Thursday 5 AM–midnight, Friday–Saturday 5 AM–2 AM) to align with other downtown restaurants. The Planning Commission recommended approval with 13 conditions including the full requested hours (Sunday–Saturday 5 AM–2 AM) plus an acceptable security plan. Council voted 6–1 (Councilmember Mugler opposed) to approve with the Planning Commission’s conditions (Option 2). Vice Mayor Brown expressed apprehension about setting a precedent for extended hours but voted in favor. The applicant had installed additional cameras per the security plan.
- I-64 Property Transfer (Item 5, 25-0030): Authorized the transfer of 821 square feet of city property at River Street Park (portion of Woodlands Golf Course) to VDOT and the granting of a 518-square-foot temporary construction easement for the I-64 Hampton Roads Express Lanes Segment 4C project. This modified a previous authorization due to VDOT’s revised parcel needs. Passed 7–0.
- Consolidated Plan (Item 6, 25-0037): Presentation and public hearing on the 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing. No vote was required. Staff noted that a survey is open until Friday, March 1, 2025, at Hampton.gov/hudplans; a draft will be brought to Council in May for June adoption.
Public Comments & Testimony
- David Spring (Buckroe Coffee Co.): Expressed interest in creating a family‑focused venue with live music, events, and an urban garden at his property. He noted difficulties with event permits due to zoning limitations and asked for assistance in pursuing a special use permit. City Manager Mary Bunting offered to set up a meeting with community development staff to brainstorm solutions.
- Brenda Marks: Criticized council members for attending a Newport News State of the City address instead of the Wood Orchard community meeting, stating that council must prioritize Hampton residents. She also raised concerns about rising property assessments: her home increased $25,000 in one year; real estate assessments in Hampton have risen 43% from 2020 to 2024, and with the latest 7.7% increase, total growth is 50.7% over four years. She argued that the cumulative real estate tax rate reduction of nine cents over the previous three years was insufficient, and that building apartments does not generate real property tax revenue to cover city services. City Manager Bunting responded that state law requires assessment at 100% of market value, explained the assessment process, noted that the city has lowered the tax rate by nine cents over three years, and stated that intent to propose a tax rate decrease will be balanced against potential revenue losses from federal workforce uncertainty. She invited residents to call the assessor’s office or use the Citizen Review Appeal Board if they disagree with their assessment.
General Items – Appointments
- 25-0027: Deferred consideration of appointments to the Hampton Commission on the Arts to the March 26, 2025 meeting (passed 7–0).
- 25-0028 & 25-0063: No action taken on appointments to FADA and the Virginia Peninsula Community College Board of Trustees.
- 25-0064: Appointed Councilmember Martha Mugler and Assistant City Manager Kwasi Obeng (with City Manager Mary Bunting as alternate) to the Western Tidewater Regional Jail Authority (passed 7–0).
- 25-0068: Appointed Ronald Rugg as District 4 representative on the Neighborhood Commission for an unexpired term ending February 28, 2029 (passed 7–0).
- 25-0069: Reappointed Ryan Lowrie and Frank Newman to second terms on the Coliseum Advisory Committee, expiring December 31, 2027 (passed 7–0).
- 25-0070: Appointed Kwasi Obeng as the City Manager’s designee on the Hampton Community Policy and Management Team, replacing Hui-Shan Walker (passed 7–0).
Key Outcomes
- Karma Restaurant use permit approved (6–1) with Planning Commission’s conditions, including daily hours 5 AM–2 AM and an acceptable security plan.
- I-64 property transfers authorized (7–0) for the express lanes project.
- Consolidated Plan process advanced; public survey open until March 1, 2025.
- City Manager to meet with David Spring to explore zoning solutions for Buckroe Coffee.
- City Manager addressed assessment concerns, noting the city’s intent to reduce the real estate tax rate if possible, pending budget deliberations.
- Appointments made to the Western Tidewater Regional Jail Authority, Neighborhood Commission, Coliseum Advisory Committee, and Community Policy and Management Team; Commission on the Arts appointments deferred.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening again and uh welcome to our legislative session and uh like to uh ask the clerk to call a roll, please. Councilman Bowman. Present. Vice Mayor Brown here. Councilwoman Campbell, present. Councilwoman Fairby, present, councilwoman Harper, present, Councilwoman Muggler, present, Mayor Gray. Present. Uh this evening we're gonna have the invitation uh by councilmember uh Carolyn Campbell, and then after that, I'm going to ask uh the Boy Scouts who are in the house this evening from Troops 151, 10 and 51 to come up here and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. So with that was please stand for the invitation. Heavenly Father, thank you for the privilege of serving our city. I pray that as we discuss our agenda and craft policies for our city, we will always put the people's interest above our own. Lord, as we move through the budget process, help us to be faithful with the money of our people. Help us to use it in a way that will help them rather than burden them. You said that if we are faithful with a few things that you would put us in charge of many things, and there we would find the joy of the one we serve, Christ our Lord. Remind us that we are in this position not to be served, but to serve the public, just as Christ who is king, came not to be served, but to serve. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. I'm sorry, come on up. Scouts. Oh, right here, please. Oh, the real photographers. I was a scout back in the day, and I'm always proud to join them at uh special occasions, and it's always good to have them here at City Council Chamber. So thank you for y'all coming out and to all the scout leaders, including our own councilwoman Carolyn Campbell, who's a scout leader who reminds us of us of that all the time that she's a scout person, so thank you for what you do with uh you know for our young people in our community. I have a special proclamation that I want to read uh this evening, and as I prepare to read that proclamation, I want to uh ask all of my council members to uh join us uh with uh their red and white hats this evening as we prepare to celebrate Read Across America Week, and uh we have some special people here with us this afternoon, so I'm gonna read the proclamation and then have them say a few words. So uh proclaiming March 1st through 5th, 2025 as Hampton Community Education Enrichment Program, Read Across America Week in the City of Hampton, Virginia. Whereas the citizens of the City of Hampton stand firmly committed to promoting reading as the catalyst for its students' future academic success, their preparation for America's jobs of the future and their ability to compete in the global economy. And whereas the Hampton Community Education Enrichment Program has provided significant leadership in the area of community involvement in the education of our youth, grounded in the principle that educational investment is the key to the community's well-being and long-term quality of life. And whereas the Hampton Community Education Enrichment Program promotes reading with diverse readers in the city of Hampton. And whereas for the past 25 years, the Hampton Community Education Enrichment Program has partnered with the City of Hampton in an effort to ensure that our youth development reading skills that they use for the rest of their lives. And whereas the City of Hampton's Hampton Mayor's Book Club promotes early literacy and strives to increase the likelihood that children grow up in an environment where books are available and literacy is value. And whereas Read Across America, a national celebration of the joy of reading, promotes reading and adult involvement in the education of our community students. And whereas the Hampton Community Education Enrichment Program, Read Across America calls on all citizens of Hampton to assure that every child is in a safe place reading together with the caring adult on March 1st, 2025. Now, therefore, I, James A. Gray Jr., mayor on behalf of the City Council of the City of Hampton, Virginia, do hereby proclaim March 1st through 5th, 2025 as Hampton Community Education Enrichment Program, Read Across America Week, and endorse the Hampton Community Education. I'm sorry, the Hampton Education Enrichment Program, Read Across America, and encourage our community to engage in programs and activities to make America's children the best readers in the world. And witness whereof I have here and to set my hand and cause a seal of the city of Hampton, Virginia, to be affixed this first day of March 2025, signed by James A. Gray, Mayor. And so I would like to ask Miss Gwen Lomax to come up so that I can uh present this proclamation. Miss Lomax. Sorry. Three, two, one. Three, two, one. Thank you. Good evening, everybody. It is a joy to be here back again after 25 years, having a partnership with Hampton City Councilman and the mayors. I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you. You are the wind beneath our wings. As an elementary teacher in Hampton City Schools, we are continuing to do the best of working and inspiring our young people to read. Reading is a very good foundation for us to learn all of the subjects. So after retirement and when I was teaching, we decided to expand it.
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