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Fruit Growers Association to close after 80 years

SUMMARY:

  • dissolving after nearly 80 years
  • Membership fell from hundreds to about 20 amid industry decline
  • Oversupply, low prices, rising costs and weak demand hurt growers
  • This fall will be final harvest for association’s migrant labor camp

After nearly 80 years of playing an integral role in and ‘s , the Frederick County Fruit Growers Association — best known for housing the seasonal workforce that harvested apples for the region’s fruit growers — is preparing to close down.

In March, the agricultural ‘s remaining members voted to dissolve the association, which was founded in 1945 to support the area’s orchardists. This fall harvest will be the last for the association’s Fairmont Avenue migrant labor camp, marking the end of an era.

“Back in the day, there would have been at least a couple hundred members,” recalls longtime fruit grower Diane Kearns, a former president of the association. At the start of this year, however, she reported that membership had dwindled to about 20.

Members cited fiduciary duty, shrinking orchard acreage, declining membership and challenges facing the apple industry as factors that led to the vote to dissolve the organization.

Kearns cited “a perfect storm of bad things” making the apple industry unsustainable for many growers, including changing consumer habits and processors stating that there is softer demand for products that use apples, such as applesauce and pie filling. Other hurdles included an oversupply of apples being grown, competition from a more global economy, increased expenses fighting regional fungal diseases and rising labor costs. Kearns said last year, “you couldn’t even sell all of your apples.”

“So, the bottom line is, too much fruit, terrible, terrible prices,” she said.

Association member Scott Johnson, a trustee involved in the dissolution, said one of the only ways to make a living in the industry today is a direct-to-consumer model. He said small and midrange orchards are vanishing throughout the country, with only the large orchards surviving “simply because the economies of scale work out for them.”

As the county’s apple acreage fell, so did bed needs at the co-op camp. Despite having a capacity for 2,000 harvesters, the camp is hosting little more than 100 this year, most of whom are from Jamaica or Mexico.

“We had a tremendous amount of assets and infrastructure that we just couldn’t support any longer,” Johnson said.

The workers are expected to depart by the end of December. Johnson said the association remains in dissolution until all of its assets, including about 11.4 acres in the city of Winchester and 27.2 acres in Frederick County, are sold. A petition outlining the plan was filed in the Winchester Circuit Court this summer.

Without the association’s migrant camp, Johnson notes it will be a challenge for most fruit growers to be able to house workers, although he believes those determined to stay in the business will find solutions, potentially taking advantage of grant programs.

“I will say that farming is something that most people do, not because it is always lucrative, but because it’s something you’re passionate about,” Johnson said. “And anybody who is really passionate about the industry that they’re in is going to find a way to make it work.”

What’s lost, Johnson adds, is more than the camp. Without the co-op, growers lose a built-in forum for swapping ideas and coming together in one room.

“In my opinion, the biggest detriment that this will cause to the industry is just that camaraderie and community piece will be missing,” Johnson said.

Kearns described the cooperative’s dissolution as “really unfortunate,” as it had played a significant part of her life. While she wasn’t surprised by it ending, due to the state of the industry, she said she was “sorry to see it happen.” Nevertheless, she hopes area fruit growers can continue to find ways to survive.

“ also has, in the past, found ways to hang on or reinvent itself,” she said. “So, I’m sort of hopeful that we can do that.”

Lack of jobs data due to government shutdown muddies the outlook for hiring and the economy

Summary

  • delays release of September
  • First missed report since 2013 shutdown
  • Economists turn to , Goldman Sachs and private data
  • Hiring slows but layoffs remain historically low

WASHINGTON (AP) — From Wall Street trading floors to the to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern as everyone awaits the ‘s crucial monthly jobs report.

But with the government shut down, no information was released Friday about hiring in September.

It’s the first time since a government shutdown in 2013 that the jobs report has been delayed. During the 2018-2019 partial government closure, the Labor Department was one of several agencies that remained open because Congress had agreed to fund them. September’s jobs figures will be released eventually, once the shutdown ends.

The interruption in the data has occurred at a particularly uncertain time, when policymakers at the Federal Reserve and Wall Street investors would need more data on the economy, rather than less. Hiring has ground nearly to a halt, threatening to drag down the broader economy. Yet at the same time, consumers — particularly higher-income earners — are still spending and some businesses are ramping up investments in developing models. Whether that is enough to revive hiring remains to be seen.

For now, economists are turning to alternative measures of the job market provided by nonprofits and private-sector companies. Those measures mostly show a job market with little hiring, but not many layoffs, either. Those who have jobs appear to be mostly secure, while those looking for work are having a tougher time.

Payroll processor ADP, for example, said Wednesday that its estimate showed the economy had lost a surprising 32,000 private-sector jobs last month. Companies in the construction, manufacturing, and financial services industries all cut jobs, ADP found. Restaurants and hotels, and such as accounting and engineering, also shed workers.

Businesses in , private education, and information technology were the only sectors to add workers, ADP said.

“We’ve seen a significant decline in hiring momentum throughout the year,” said Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist. “This is consistent with a low hire — even a no-hire — and low fire economy.”

The shutdown has also meant the government isn’t releasing the weekly count of how many Americans have filed for benefits, a proxy for layoffs, which is published each Thursday.

But Goldman Sachs used data provided by most states to produce their own estimates of unemployment claims. In a report late Thursday, they calculated that weekly claims ticked up to 224,000, up from 218,000 the previous week. Those are historically low figures, which suggest companies are still holding onto most of their workers.

Nvidia and Fujitsu partner on AI infrastructure in Japan

Summary

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. technology company Nvidia and Fujitsu, a Japanese telecommunications and computer maker, agreed Friday to work together on to deliver smart robots and a variety of other innovations using Nvidia’s computer chips.

“The AI industrial revolution has already begun. Building the infrastructure to power it is essential in Japan and around the world,” Nvidia Chief Executive said, hugging his Fujitsu counterpart on stage.

“Japan can lead the world in AI and robotics,” Huang told reporters at a Tokyo hotel.

The companies will work together on building what they called “an AI infrastructure,” or the system on which the various futuristic AI uses will be based, including health care, manufacturing, the environment, next-generation computing and customer services. The hope is to establish that AI infrastructure for Japan by 2030.

It initially will be tailored for the Japanese market, leveraging Fujitsu’s decades-long experience here, but may later expand globally, and will utilize Nvidia’s GPUs, or graphics processing units, which are essential for AI, according to both sides.

The two executives did not outline specific projects or give a monetary figure for planned investments. But exploring a collaboration in AI for robots with Yaskawa Electric Corp., a Japanese machinery and robot maker, was noted as a possible example. AI will be constantly evolving and learning, they said.

Fujitsu and Nvidia have been working together on AI, speeding up manufacturing with digital twins and robotics to tackle aging Japan’s labor shortages.

Tokita said the companies were taking a “humancentric” approach aimed at keeping Japan competitive.

“Through our collaboration with Nvidia, we aim to create new, unprecedented technologies and contribute to solving even more serious social issues,” said Tokita.

Hopes fade for quick end to shutdown as Trump readies layoffs and cuts

Summary

  • Shutdown enters third day with no progress in Congress
  • Democrats demand ACA tax credit extensions in negotiations
  • Trump threatens federal layoffs and infrastructure cuts
  • 750,000 face furloughs, $400M in lost wages

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hopes for a quick end to the  were fading Friday as Republicans and Democrats dug in for a prolonged fight and President Donald Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government.

Senators were headed back to the Capitol for another vote on government funding on the third day of the shutdown, but there has been no sign of any real progress toward ending their standoff. Democrats are demanding that Congress extend benefits, while Republicans are trying to wear them down with day after day of voting on a House-passed bill that would reopen the government temporarily, mostly at current spending levels.

“I don’t know how many times you’re going to give them a chance to vote no,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said at a news conference Friday. He added that he would give Democratic senators the weekend to think it over.

Although Republicans control the and both chambers of Congress, the Senate’s filibuster rules make it necessary for the government funding legislation to gain support from at least 60 of the 100 senators. That’s given Democrats a rare opportunity to use their 47 Senate seats to hold out in exchange for policy concessions. The party has chosen to rally on the issue of health care, believing it could be key to their path back to power in Washington.

Their primary demand is that Congress extend tax credits that were boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic for health care plans offered under the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Standing on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, House Democratic leader said, “Understand this, over the last few days and over the next few days, what you’re going to see is more than 20 million Americans experience dramatically increased health care premiums, co-pays and deductibles because of the Republican unwillingness to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits.”

The shutdown gamble

Democrats are running the high-risk strategy of effectively voting for a government shutdown to make their stand. Trump has vowed to make it as painful as possible for them.

The Republican president has called the government funding lapse an “unprecedented opportunity” to make vast cuts to federal agencies and potentially lay off federal workers, rather than the typical practice of furloughing them. White House budget director Russ Vought has already announced that he is withholding billions of dollars for infrastructure projects in states with Democratic senators.

On Friday morning, Vought said he would withhold another $2.1 billion for Chicago infrastructure projects to extend its train system to the city’s South Side.

Jeffries has displayed no signs of budging under those threats.

“The cruelty that they might unleash on everyday Americans using the pretense of a shutdown is only going to backfire against them,” he said during an interview with The Associated Press and other outlets at the Capitol.

Still, the shutdown, no matter how long it lasts, could have far-reaching effects on the economy. Roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and they could lose out on $400 million in daily wages. That loss in wages until after the government reopens could drive down wider demand for goods and services.

“All around the country right now, real pain is being endured by real people because the Democrats have decided to play politics,” said House Speaker on Friday.

Who will take the blame?

The American public usually spreads the blame around to both major political parties when it comes to a government shutdown. While Trump took a significant portion of the blame during the last partial government shutdown in 2018 as he demanded funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall, this standoff could end differently because now it is Democrats making the policy demands.

Still, lawmakers were relentlessly trying to make their case to the American public with a constant beat of news conferences, social media videos and livestreams. Congressional leaders have been especially active.

Both sides expressed confidence that the other would ultimately be found at fault. And in the House, party leaders seemed to be moving farther apart rather than closer to making a deal to end the shutdown.

Jeffries on Thursday called for a permanent extension to the . Meanwhile, Johnson and Thune told reporters that they would not negotiate on the tax credits until the government is reopened.

Talks in the Senate

A few senators have engaged in bipartisan talks about launching negotiations on extending the ACA tax credits for one year while the Senate votes to reopen the government for several weeks. But those discussions are in their early stages and appear to have little involvement from leadership.

As senators prepared for their last scheduled vote for the week on Friday, they appeared resigned to allow the shutdown to continue at least into next week. Thune said that if the vote failed, he would “give them the weekend to think about it” before holding more votes.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, in a floor speech, called for Republicans to work with her and fellow Democrats to find “common ground” on the ACA subsidies, saying their expiration would impact plenty of people in states with GOP senators — especially in rural areas where farmers, ranchers and small business owners purchase their own health insurance.

“Unfortunately, right now our Republican colleagues are not working with us to find a bipartisan agreement to prevent the government shutdown and address the health care crisis,” she said. “We know that even when they float ideas — which we surely do appreciate — in the end the president appears to make the call.”

Colonna’s Shipyard invests $79M to build 4th drydock

Norfolk-based , the oldest continuously operating family-owned shipyard in the United States, announced it has invested $79 million to build its fourth drydock.

According to a Friday news release from the shipyard, the new drydock in is expected to have an approximate lifting capacity of 25,000 tons and will allow Colonna’s to improve capabilities in providing ship repair and maintenance services to maritime clients.

“‘Made in America’ means ‘Made in Virginia,’ and with this major investment by Colonna’s Shipyard, that is especially true for America’s naval and commercial maritime industry,” said in a statement. “The of this new drydock is not just an investment in infrastructure; it’s an investment in the long-term strength of our national and commercial fleet support.”

The new drydock, under construction and slated for delivery in the first half of 2028, will be 147 feet wide and 725 feet long.

“This new drydock acquisition is a testament to our continued dedication to quality service, on-time delivery and our steadfast focus on the future,” Colonna’s Shipyard Chairman and CEO Randall Crutchfield said in a statement. “The of our drydock capacity will further strengthen our ability to serve both our commercial and government clients, ensuring that we can meet their ever-evolving needs with unmatched expertise and reliability.

“This investment is also a continued commitment to our employees and the economic vitality of Norfolk’s industrial working waterfront, which has been an integral part of our success for over a century,” he added.

The shipyard says the new drydock continues its efforts to expand and modernize its facilities to meet the growing demand for ship repair and conversion services. In the past decade, Colonna’s Shipyard has invested more than $150 million to grow shipbuilding and sustainment capacity within its U.S. facilities.

Founded in 1875, Colonna’s provides ship repair, marine and industrial machining, and steel fabrication. Celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, Colonna’s employs more than 700 people and operates three dry docks and a 1,000-metric-ton travel lift. It also supplies on-site welding services and has expanded its reach to San Diego and Kentucky.

Raytheon wins $5B Army contract

The has awarded , a subsidiary of aerospace and contractor , a roughly $5 billion contract to supply its Coyote Missile System.

According to RTX’s website, the Coyote is a rail-launched missile variant equipped with a boost rocket motor and a turbine engine, designed for high-speed counter-unmanned systems and launched effects missions. The product aims to defeat small to large unmanned aircraft systems at longer ranges and higher altitudes.

The (currently being rebranded by President Trump as the ) announced this week that under the contract, Raytheon will deliver Coyote missile launchers, kinetic and nonkinetic interceptors, and Ku-band radio frequency system radars.

The bids were solicited online, and only one bid was received. The Army Contracting Command in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, will determine work locations with each order. The DOD expects the contract to be completed by Sept. 28, 2033.

RTX has more than 185,000 employees globally and reported more than $80.73 billion in 2024 sales. The contractor is the second-highest-ranked Virginia-based company on the 2025 Fortune 500. RTX’s Raytheon business unit is also based in Arlington.

Dotted Line Agency acquires Richmond peer

Henrico County’s , a creative services firm, has acquired the King Agency, a agency.

Lauren Sweeney, Dotted Line’s founder and CEO, confirmed Thursday that the closed Oct. 1. She declined to disclose terms of the deal.

Founded in 1997 by Dave King, the King Agency’s clients have included Arby’s and Chesapeake-based First Team Auto Group. The firm’s services included brand building, and social media.

Sweeney, who launched Dotted Line in 2014, began getting to know King earlier this year after an employee suggested the pair should talk.

“We had lunch this spring and realized some of the similarities with our agencies,” Sweeney said. “And as I was learning about Dave’s plans for the future and his desire to retire, we continued to have conversations. … We came to the realization that this could be a beneficial move for both companies and teams.”

The King Agency brand was retired with the acquisition. Dotted Line will absorb King’s clients, along with its five employees, including Meggan Adams, who was vice president and director of client services at the King Agency. She and another employee are based in Atlanta, according to Sweeney.

“It’s our aspiration as well as part of our growth plans to be building out a presence in Atlanta,” Sweeney said.

Dave King is planning to retire but will serve as a consultant to the combined agency. With the acquisition, Dotted Line now has a team roster of 30.

The firm provides advertising, public relations, branding and other services. Its clients have included Bon Secours Mercy Health and Shades of Light, a Midlothian-based online lighting and home decor retailer.

With the new team members, Sweeney believes Dotted Line will be able to increase its offerings. “It really is a move to help us provide expanded capabilities to our clients,” she said.

White House offers funding deal to U.Va., 8 other universities

Summary

  • offers compact to nine major , including U.Va.
  • Schools asked to adopt Trump’s priorities on admissions, gender, and
  • Deal includes caps on international enrollment and tuition freezes

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is asking nine major universities, including the , to commit to President Donald Trump’s political priorities in exchange for more favorable access to federal money.

A document sent to the universities encourages them to adopt the White House’s vision for America’s campuses, with commitments to accept the government’s priorities on admissions, women’s sports, free speech, student discipline and college affordability, among other topics.

Signing on would give universities “multiple positive benefits,” including “substantial and meaningful federal grants” and “increased overhead payments where feasible,” according to a letter sent to universities alongside the compact. The letter calls it a proactive effort as the administration continues to investigate alleged civil rights violations at U.S. campuses.

Called the “Compact for Academic Excellence in ,” it asks universities to accept the government’s definition of gender and apply it to campus bathrooms, locker rooms and women’s sports teams. It asks colleges to stop considering race, gender and a wide range of student demographics in the admissions process and to require undergraduate applicants to take the SAT or ACT.

The 10-page proposed agreement was sent Wednesday to some of the most selective public and private universities: Vanderbilt, the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth College, the University of Southern California, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia. It was not clear how these schools were selected or why.

The nine universities could become “initial signatories” and are being invited to provide feedback before the language is finalized, according to the letter. It asks for a decision by Nov. 21.

White House takes a new, incentive-based approach

The memo represents a shift in strategy as the administration offers a reward — not just punishment — as an incentive for adopting Trump’s political wish list. Many of the demands mirror those made by his administration as it slashed billions of dollars in federal money for Harvard, Columbia and others accused of liberal bias. A federal judge overturned cuts at Harvard in September, saying the government had overstepped its authority.

Several universities said they were reviewing the compact and had no comment. A statement from the University of Virginia said there was nothing to suggest why it was chosen. The university’s interim president assembled a group of administrators on Thursday to review the letter.

Leaders of the Texas system were “honored” that the Austin campus was chosen to be a part of the compact and its “potential funding advantages,” according to a statement from Kevin Eltife, chair of the Board of Regents. “Today we welcome the new opportunity presented to us and we look forward to working with the on it,” Eltife said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said if any universities in his state sign the compact, they will lose access to state funding, including Cal Grants, a $2.8 billion student financial aid program. In an all-capital statement, Newsom, a Democrat, said California “will not bankroll schools that sell out their students, professors, researchers, and surrender .”

Colleges would have restrictions on international enrollment and tuition hikes

Under the compact, international enrollment would have to be capped at 15% of a college’s undergraduate student body, and no more than 5% could come from a single country. All the universities invited to the compact appear to be within the 15% threshold, though Dartmouth and USC are close, at 14%, according to federal data. Many universities do not report breakdowns by individual countries.

Most other U.S. universities also fall within the 15% cap, but about 120 exceed it, including Columbia University, Emory University and Boston University, federal data show.

Some of the most sweeping commitments are aimed at promoting conservative viewpoints. Universities would have to ensure their campuses are a “vibrant marketplace of ideas” where no single ideology is dominant, the compact said. They would have to evaluate views among students and faculty to ensure every department reflects a diverse mix of views.

To accomplish that, it says universities must take steps, including “transforming or abolishing institutional units that purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.”

It requires policies meant to counter the kind of protests that roiled U.S. campuses last year amid the Israel-Hamas war. It asks for a commitment to prevent any disruption to classes or campus libraries and to ensure demonstrators don’t heckle other students.

Campuses that sign the compact would have to freeze tuition for U.S. students for five years, and those with endowments exceeding $2 million per undergraduate could not charge tuition at all for students pursuing “hard science” programs.

Opponents see a threat to free speech

Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, urged universities to reject the deal, saying it violates campus independence and undermines free speech.

“It’s not worth the compromises that they would have to make,” he said. “This is a Faustian bargain.”

The compact also drew criticism from free speech groups, faculty associations and from Larry Summers, a former Treasury secretary and Harvard president. Summers said he believes elite universities have lost their way, but he said the compact is like trying to “fix a watch with a hammer — ill conceived and counterproductive.”

“The backlash against its crudity will likely set back necessary reform efforts,” Summers said.

The terms of the deal would be enforced by the Justice Department, with violators losing access to the compact’s benefits for no less than a year. Following violations bump the penalty to two years.

“Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below,” the compact said, “if the institution elects to forego federal benefits.”

Electra expands Manassas headquarters

Manassas-based startup .aero on Tuesday announced it is expanding its headquarters in Virginia as well as a location in Bleienbach, Switzerland.

At Regional Airport, Electra is leasing a new 15,000-square-foot hangar and 6,000-square-foot office space, expanding the company’s total footprint in Manassas to 57,000 square feet. The company says the will house development and engineering teams. Financial terms of the leases were not disclosed.

“Electra is on a mission to transform aviation, and expanding our facilities ensures we will continue attracting the world-class engineering talent to design, develop and commercialize our groundbreaking EL9,” said Electra CEO Marc Allen in a statement. “We’re giving our teams the resources they need to get our ultra-short into the hands of our customers and deliver on the promise of direct aviation, making regional air travel more convenient, affordable, and sustainable.”

Spokesperson Barbara Zadina said that this year, Electra has doubled its team from 40 employees to more than 80, and that the new facilities “provide much-needed space.” The company, she said, is still hiring across all functions as it continues to scale.

With more than 30 open positions listed on Electra’s website, Zadina said, the company is likely to grow to 120 employees by early 2026.

In Europe, Electra expanded its research and development center in Bleienbach, now leasing 2,000 square feet. The company says the facility is crucial for attracting talent and advancing its global engineering efforts.

The company’s EL9 model is a hybrid ultra-short aircraft that can take off and land in 150 feet. The company says the model opens thousands of new access points ranging from small, underserved airports to nontraditional sites such as parking lots or fields.

“The two hangars at Manassas Regional Airport provide the space we need to develop our nine-passenger EL9 aircraft on our planned timeline,” Zadina said in an email.

Electra plans to begin flight testing the EL9 in 2027, to fly for FAA certification credit in 2028 and 2029, and to get the airplane certified and into service in late 2029 or 2030. So far, the company has secured more than 2,200 provisional orders from over 60 customers worldwide, valued at more than $13 billion.

Founded in 2020, Electra announced in April that it had secured $115 million in Series B funding to enter the pre-production and certification phase of the EL9 model. Electra’s strategic investors include Ventures and .

Newport News targets 12 sites for development

SUMMARY:

    • on Thursday held a summit, where it unveiled 12 properties for development
    • The event was held to connect developers with projects, attract investment and broaden Newport News’ economy
    • Ideas floated included a data center near , relocating and downtown revitalization

Newport News city leaders on Thursday unveiled a list of 12 sites they want to see developed or redeveloped, floating concepts such as a data center near Fort Eustis, a relocated City Hall and new downtown housing and retail.

Officials discussed the properties during the Newport News Growth & (EDGE) summit at City Center, with city staff pitching the sites to an audience that included regional developers. Within the following year, the city plans to seek development proposals for many of the targeted parcels.

“The main goal is to develop our economy, to broaden it, and to encourage developers to come and invest into this great city,” said . “So bottom line, up front, at the end of this weekend, I want individuals to have matched developers with projects and generate either an MOU or a letter of interest. This is how we are able to lower taxes and diversify our economy.”

Jones said the largest of the proposed development sites is Air Commerce Park, 330 acres of undeveloped land on the property of the Newport News Williamsburg Airport. The Peninsula Airport Commission, the governing body that oversees the airport, owns the commerce park.

Newport News Assistant Director of Development Derek Perry stated that the property is zoned for light industrial use. The city and airport have previously discussed hopes to use the land for purposes other than commercial air services, such as manufacturing or advanced air mobility.

In the city’s northern and less dense region is the Carleton Advanced Manufacturing site — a 145-acre build-to-suit site at 165 and 185 Yorktown Road owned by the city economic development authority. The city hopes the land, which features CSX rail access, could be used for industrial purposes. The site can accommodate an 800,000-square-foot production facility as well as a 60,000-square-foot office or training building, Perry said.

Nearby and also owned by the city EDA is a 19-plus-acre property on Dozier Road that lies near Fort Eustis and Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. Perry said the city is trying to mitigate encroachment around Fort Eustis and that the property, zoned for heavy industrial use, could be utilized for a data center or a power generator.

“It’s near the base and away from residents,” said Jones, adding that a data center could generate substantial local tax revenue. “It’s almost like the perfect combination to put a medium-sized data center there, which will help bring down our taxes.”

Over the years, the city has had various preliminary discussions about relocating its city hall building from downtown, in the southern part of the city, to a more centralized location. With that in mind, the city is also inviting developers to pitch potential ideas on how to repurpose the existing 10-story, 133,333-square-foot city hall, which was built in 1972. Jones said that regardless of what happens to the municipal headquarters, he will keep the mayor’s office downtown.

The other properties discussed for development or include:

  • A 23-acre site on Oriana Road in the Denbigh community, primed for mixed-use residential and commercial development, according to the city;
  • A 7.74-acre site at 13771 and 13785 Warwick Blvd. that will be anchored by a new Grissom Library;
  • A 38-acre expansion area for City Center at Oyster Point, a rapidly growing business district in the city that offers a mix of dining, housing and commercial spaces;
  • Seven acres at the Warwick Village Shopping Center on Warwick Boulevard;
  • A 9,800-square-foot former Greek Church in downtown, built in 1949;
  • The West Avenue Library at 2907 West Ave., in downtown Newport News;
  • A 5.3-acre site at 2601 and 2701 Washington Ave., blocks from Newport News , where the city hopes to get proposals that address housing demand, while also introducing retail, hotel, dining and entertainment options;
  • A 27.6-acre waterfront property at 1300 Marshall Ave., in the city’s Southeast community.

The summit aimed to give developers and experts the opportunity to provide ideas and weigh in on how these 12 properties can best complement what’s already in the city, help make the city as vibrant as possible and assist the city in establishing realistic project goals, Newport News Director of Development Florence Kingston said.

City Manager Alan Archer informed developers that the city is not only open for business but also ready to partner with them to bring projects to fruition.

“These sites are catalysts for growth [and] opportunities to attract investment and platforms for innovation,” Archer said. “When these sites are developed, the impact will ripple outward, creating jobs, strengthening neighborhoods and empowering families to build wealth right here in Newport News.”