Title
Comprehensive Plan Amendment No. 17-00002 by the City of Hampton to consider amendments to the Hampton Community Plan (2006, as amended) to update the land use policies and associated map for the Magruder Boulevard Corridor; certain parcels within Langley Research and Development Park (LRSNs 6000997, 6000998, 6001009, 13000970, and 6000976), known as 3200 Magruder Boulevard, 121 Floyd Thompson Boulevard, and 3221 and 3217 Commander Shepard Boulevard, respectively; and certain parcels at the intersection of Commander Shepard Boulevard and Wythe Creek Road (LRSNs 6001195, 6001196, and 6001197), known as 11 Wythe Creek Road, 3404 and 3406 Commander Shepard Boulevard, respectively. The proposed changes would acknowledge designated commercial nodes along the Magruder Boulevard Business Corridor and change the land use designation for the specified parcels referenced above from Business/Industrial to Commercial land use.
Purpose
PURPOSE/BACKGROUND:
At the request of the Economic Development Authority (EDA), City staff engaged in conversations with the Langley Research and Development Park Association to consider expanding the list of permitted uses within the Park. Both staff and the Langley R&D property owners agree on the basic premise that the list of permitted uses in the park should be expanded in order to enhance the park’s competitiveness. In forming a recommendation, analysis included looking at other business/industrial parks in the region (e.g. Oyster Point Business Park (Newport News) and Harbour View Business Park (Suffolk)) to compare permitted land uses in those locations to what is currently permitted in Langley Research and Development Park. The findings were these other parks are larger and were planned to accommodate a mix of development types to include business, manufacturing, commercial and retail services, as well as residential. Due the larger size of these developments, the different land uses were often located in different zoning districts. Given the relatively small size of Langley Research and Development Park and the existing development pattern, such “zone” approach (i.e. designating specific “zones” with in the park for different types of uses) would be difficult to implement. This research of other developments; however, provided valuable insight and informed the creation of a broader spectrum of uses which should aid in making Langley R&D more attractive as an investment and job creation location.
Staff’s recommendation contains two companion components, both of which would be necessary to accomplish the desired objectives expressed by Community Development staff, the EDA Board, and Langley R&D property owners. The first component includes an amendment to the Land Use section of the Hampton Community Plan (2006 as amended) which would designate specific parcels of land as appropriate for commercial uses that would support the convenience needs of the occupants of the park. Specifically, such parcels, comprising approximately 15.5 total acres, would be located on the northeast and southeast corners of Magruder Boulevard and Floyd Thompson Drive as well as the southwest corner of Research Drive and Commander Shepard Boulevard. The land use designation for these parcels would change from Business/Industrial to Commercial, which would pave the way for these properties to seek a rezoning from M-1 to a commercial district that would permit a desired support retail use. In addition, staff recommends including three (3) parcels, located at Commander Shepard Boulevard and Wythe Creek Road, in this Plan Amendment, as a “housekeeping” measure. The land use of these properties, comprising approximately 4.1 acres, would change from the current designation of Business/Industrial to Commercial. These parcels are currently zoned commercial. The second component would consists of an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance that would permit additional uses within the M-1 Zoning District. Most of these additional uses would expand the number of permitted uses within the institutional and industrial categories. Staff and the Park Association continue to work toward a consensus on what this expanded list of uses should be and will bring forward a recommended Zoning Ordinance Amendment at a later date.
In addition to the discussions with the property owners, staff also provided regular updates to the EDA Board and the EDA Transaction Committee to receive their feedback as the conversations progressed. Both the Economic Development Authority and the Langley Research and Development Park Association are supportive of these plan amendments. At its regular meeting on June 22, 2017, the Planning Commission recommended approval of this item.
Recommendation:
Rec
Staff Recommendation:
Approve
Planning Commission Recommendation:
Approve
Body