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.