Hampton Planning Commission Meeting Approves Use Permits and Reviews 2040 Plan on February 16, 2023
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Hampton Planning Commission Meeting – February 16, 2023
The Hampton Planning Commission met on February 16, 2023, to consider two use permit applications, hear a report from the youth planner, and receive an update on the Hampton 2040 community plan. Both use permits were approved unanimously, and no public comment was offered on the second permit.
Public Comments & Testimony
- A resident living directly behind the property for Use Permit 22-9 expressed concerns about the proposed vehicle storage operation. She cited past issues with noise, lighting, fuel leakage, and water damage from a previous project on the site, and said she worries these problems could recur. She requested that lighting be shielded and that operations be managed to avoid impacts on her home. Commissioners acknowledged her concerns, and staff noted that proposed conditions include full-cutoff LED fixtures facing downward and inward.
Discussion Items
- Use Permit 22-9 (Vehicle Storage): The applicant proposes to store boats, trailers, and RVs on the site, reducing parking from over 100 spaces to 47 larger spaces. A commissioner observed the business has operated since the 1970s and the change would likely reduce traffic and equipment on site. The commission approved the permit with seven conditions.
- Use Permit 22-23 (Crown Castle Tower): The applicant, Crown Castle USA, Inc., requested a six-foot height increase (to a maximum of 139 feet) for an existing commercial communications tower at 534 East Mercury Boulevard. Staff explained the tower was built in 1992 at 123 feet and had a use permit for 133 feet since 2001; the current height is approximately 129 feet. The proposal would add a 10-foot extension, nine antennas, six remote radio units, and other equipment, with T-Mobile remaining the sole carrier. No public speakers testified. The commission approved the permit with nine conditions.
- Youth Planner Report: The youth planner provided updates on committees and grants. The Grants Committee reported awarding $10,720 to four applicants for five projects. The individual amounts listed were $1,297 for a lavender graduation (Hampton High School GSA, June 6); $2,197 for YMCA Leaders Club Healthy Kids Day (late spring); $2,500 for YMCA Youth and Government Dig Summit (April); $2,450 for Our Youth Our Future Hope Summit (February 18); and $2,300 for Road to Success Summits (over the next three months). These amounts sum to $10,744, a discrepancy from the stated total. The Youth Voice Committee planned a stakeholder meeting with Police Chief Mark Talbot for February 27. Recruitment for new youth commissioners has an April 1 deadline, with interviews in April.
- Hampton 2040 Community Plan Update: Staff presented draft vision and goal statements developed by seven strategic steering groups, including economic growth, living with water, placemaking, educated citizenry, and excellence in government. The process uses appreciative inquiry and has a five to ten year outlook for the strategic plan and a 20-year or longer outlook for the comprehensive plan. Community input from the prior evening's meeting was gathered via sticky notes and an online survey at Hampton.gov/Hampton2040, open until March 3. Staff encouraged commissioners to participate.
Key Outcomes
- Approved Use Permit 22-9 with seven conditions (unanimous).
- Approved Use Permit 22-23 with nine conditions (unanimous).
- Received the youth planner presentation; no formal action taken.
- Received the Hampton 2040 update; survey open through March 3, 2023.
Meeting Transcript
I just, you know, caused me to think about the actual usage of it how that would work, but thank you. Ready for a motion. Or I'm sorry, I forgot to open the public hearing. Only the applicants signed up. Okay. Would you like to say anything or address anything? Okay, thank you for coming today. All right. Are you raising your um just be? Yeah, whatever is going for the screen. Is it on this item? Yes, ma'am. Okay, if you'd like to approach. Yeah, can you come up? Yes. Yeah. Um and for the public hearing, if you please would just state your name and that's it. So your last name so she can make a just to record it in a minute. K-A-D-O-E-N G. And that is right behind this suspension. Okay. And I have issues with this establishment before, so my concern I'm concerned with um, you know, doesn't get a commit to do uh to bring these bolts and trails and CDs in I'm worried about noise. I'm worried about films, I'm worried about um fuel and stuff leading over into our property, which I had that issue before. So I am concerned about these things possibly happened. They say, you know, I've spoken with them on the third of February, I think it was, but I told them my concerns, and I still have those concerns. Now, who's to say this won't happen? They say it won't. Well, who's to say it will not? It tore up my property. I had to get the whole back end of my house, fixed up my shed and the back end of my house from water damage when they rebuilt the place up. They they build the real high as if the site is high for the property on the property's high, and our property sits low. So when you know when it rains heavily and stuff like that, all that stuff comes thrown down into our property. That is my concern, and I've already had it fixed once, and I don't want to have to go through you know nothing like that again. So I don't know what this is going to create. I don't know if it won't be an issue, I don't know if it will be an issue, but I have a concern about you know what they have. Okay, yes. Um from I won't speak, but uh to my understanding, there's not like a consideration for reconfiguration of the property and so forth, but if in terms of site improvements, my understanding is that there's not going to be any new grading or anything of that nature. Are you really looking at restriping the existing pavement and I mean there is some change in the sense that they are going to create um sort of those green areas that Donald highlighted that currently the entire site is basically pavement in that area, and so the only real site improvements uh would be creation of those green areas and the addition of the fence, but uh my understanding is there's not any any real grading or anything like that involved with this project. So, in the area that I'm not hearing anything you'll you all say, I'm sorry. Well what did you just say, sir? Would you like me to repeat that? The summarizing the uh essentially this was being uh requested here and what's proposed and including the conditions, uh doesn't involve any new grading of the property, so no, it's not gonna be elevating or lowering the property at all. This project is not I'm talking about the previous project, and I took my concern about this project was ma'am. If the ma'am excuse me, ma'am, you can you please come back to the microphone if the chair will allow this back and forth. You will need to record your comments at the microphone. Oh you can stay in correct. Yes. I said, you know, I wasn't I wasn't um complaining about them regrading again. My complaint was the fuel fuels that might come from these um vehicles, the noise, um the lighting and all that because right now with the lighting the way it is is it's constantly at night flashing into my house, and I know they're gonna put more lighting when they have more property back there. I'm sure they will.
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