City of Hampton Joint Work Session on Urban Planning and Placemaking (September 25, 2025)

The Hampton City Council convened a special joint work session on September 25, 2025, at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, running approximately from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. This educational retreat brought together the City Council, School Board, Economic Development Authority, Planning Commission, and Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority. Facilitated by renowned urban planner Mitchell J. Silver, the session aimed to align the various governing bodies on a new "blueprint for growth," placemaking strategies, updated zoning regulations, and improved public engagement.

Discussion Items

• Presentation #1: Planning with Purpose and Blueprint for Growth Mr. Silver discussed national demographic trends (aging population, rise of single-person households), arguing that cities must fall in love with problems before jumping to solutions. He contrasted "plan-making" cities with "deal-making" cities, advocating for a predictable blueprint to attract development. He highlighted Raleigh, North Carolina's successful transition using a clear framework and the "Power of 10" concept for creating destinations.
• Presentation #2: Implementation Strategies Silver outlined a "reality-based planning" approach, emphasizing that implementation must be considered at the start of any planning process. He recommended limiting the number of active recommendations to match staff capacity, using a strict project queue, and prioritizing immediate "quick wins" to build public trust. He stressed that implementation relies on three levers: policy guidance, development code, and funding.
• Question and Answer Period Council and board members asked about gentrification, managing opposition from long-time residents, integrating school facilities into city planning, and leveraging Hampton's history as the oldest continuous English-speaking settlement in America. Silver advised using proactive anti-displacement strategies and ensuring diverse demographic engagement to counter reactive vocal minorities.
• Afternoon Group Exercises The afternoon consisted of two consensus-building exercises among the attendees.
  • Exercise 1: Top Implementation Challenges: Groups ranked Hampton's top five challenges. A strong cross-board consensus emerged:
    1. Lack of staff funding and resources to implement projects.
    2. Reactive concerns competing with proactive planning.
    3. Having too many plans to track and implement.
    4. Master plans being outdated.
    5. Recommendations not vetted through a reality-based test.
  • Exercise 2: Master Plan and Zoning Code Review: Groups selected master plans to update and retire.
    • Plans to Update (Strong Consensus): Buckroe Beach, Coliseum Central, and Downtown Hampton.
    • Plans to Retire (Strong Consensus): Armistead Point Park and New Market Creek Park. Several tables also recommended retiring Fort Monroe (due to state authority) or the Kecoughtan Corridor.
    • Zoning Code Action: An overwhelming majority of tables recommended a complete rewrite of the zoning code.

Key Outcomes

• Alignment on Priorities: The exercises revealed strong cross-board consensus on the city's primary challenges, the need to prioritize, retire outdated plans, and overhaul the zoning code. No formal votes were taken, as this was an educational work session.
• Next Steps: City Manager Mary Bunting announced that staff will begin internal meetings to process the feedback. Consultant Mitchell J. Silver will compile his observations into a focused set of recommendations (limited to five). An active, ongoing dialogue involving all boards will be established to track progress against the priorities identified.
• Adjournment: Each participating board (School Board, EDA, Planning Commission, HRHA) met briefly on the record to adjourn their respective meetings. Vice Mayor Steven Brown adjourned the City Council portion of the session, noting an immediate closed session for council members.