Newport News reveals plans for $400M Navy housing project

Aided by a commitment from the U.S. Navy to invest as much as $400 million, Newport News plans to begin work next year on two downtown apartment towers that will provide housing for sailors and 10,000 square feet of retail space.

Florence Kingston, the city’s director of development, briefed Newport News City Council on Tuesday on plans for the project, which calls for the construction of 750 apartments for sailors. The development involves replacing various buildings, including the Huntington Hall site, owned by Newport News Shipbuilding, and the city-owned Julius Conn Gym.

The 930,000-square-foot-plus project, to be built in two phases, will be located between Huntington Avenue and Warwick Boulevard, and on 32nd and 29th streets. The project’s first phase involves a 555-unit apartment complex featuring two 17-story towers. The phase also includes the construction of 6,090 square feet of retail space and a four-story garage with 1,050 spaces.

The second phase will include the remaining 195 apartments plus 4,000 additional square feet of retail and a 30,000-square-foot building for Navy programming.

“I think this is just the first of many steps for a very bright economic opportunity for our traditional downtown,” said Newport News City Manager Alan Archer.

The Navy is partnering with Hunt Military Communities to develop the project. The city is “prepped to move this project quickly,” Kingston said, with construction expected to begin in spring or summer 2026. Details on when the project would be completed were not provided, and the city and the Navy did not immediately return requests for comment.

“This is a major milestone for the ongoing partnership and collaboration with the Navy [for] sailor quality of service, and will be a boon for our existing revitalization work downtown that continues to gain momentum,” Kingston said.

Following a series of suicides among Hampton Roads-based sailors and an investigation that concluded the Navy failed its personnel, the Navy in 2023 launched an effort to improve sailors’ quality of life, including expanding access to off-base housing.

Archer said that while the Navy has advanced efforts nationwide to enhance sailors’ quality of life, “special attention” has been given to Newport News. He stated that the Navy is investing between $350 million and $400 million in the project.

Kingston noted, however, that the Navy funding will only cover the housing component of the project. She said additional investments will be forthcoming for other aspects of the project, such as parking.

Newport News has received a $40 million treasury loan from the state to help finance the project. However, Mayor Phillip Jones stated during the meeting that he intends to request that the General Assembly either forgive the loan or convert it to a capital expenditure.

“This has been, I think, perhaps, the best thing that we’ve done in a long time,” Jones said of the project. “This going to completely change the skyline of downtown Newport News. To use an economic development term, this is going to be an anchor that draws and pulls everyone into downtown.”

The council on Tuesday also unanimously voted to appropriate $5.5 million to support downtown initiatives, including the Navy housing project.