City Council to Hold Public Hearing on Redevelopment of Former Wood’s Orchards Site
Proposal for 316-Unit Apartment Complex Would Rezone 10 Acres Along Mercury Boulevard for High-Density Housing
The Hampton City Council is scheduled to hold its regular work session and legislative meeting on Wednesday, July 9, with a public hearing planned on proposed redevelopment plans for the former Wood’s Orchards property.
The work session will begin at 1 p.m., followed by the legislative session at 6:30 p.m. Both meetings will take place in City Hall chambers on the eighth floor at 22 Lincoln Street. Members of the public are invited to attend.
During the legislative session, the Council will hold a public hearing on a proposed amendment to the Hampton Community Plan. The amendment would change the land use designation for several parcels on East Mercury Boulevard and Woodland Road—from Low Density Residential to High Density Residential—to allow for a new multifamily housing development. The proposal, known as Orchard Oaks on the Boulevard, includes four apartment buildings with a total of 316 units, along with a central clubhouse, outdoor pool, and other resident amenities.
The affected parcels include 183 and 183A East Mercury Boulevard and 261, 265, 303, and 305 Woodland Road. In addition to the land use change, the project would require rezoning from General Commercial (C-3) and One-Family Residential (R-11) to Multiple Dwelling Residential (MD-4), as well as a use permit to authorize the multifamily development.
City staff have recommended approval of all three applications, citing alignment with Hampton’s land use and resilience goals. Staff noted that the project would redevelop a vacant property, introduce new housing options in a growing area, and include design elements to integrate with the surrounding neighborhood. The plan includes landscape buffers, energy-efficient construction, and the reuse of the existing Wood’s Orchard barn as a community feature.
The proposed development features one three-story building and three four-story buildings, with the lower structure placed along Woodland Road to transition to nearby single-family homes. The site also includes 420 parking spaces, bicycle storage, sidewalks, and other shared amenities. A traffic impact analysis concluded that the new development would generate fewer vehicle trips than allowed under current zoning. Improvements such as turn lanes on East Mercury Boulevard are recommended to support traffic flow.
The Planning Commission has recommended approval of the plan. The community plan amendment will be voted on separately from the rezoning and use permit.
Public feedback at a March 2025 community meeting was mixed. Some residents expressed concerns about increased density, traffic, drainage, and potential effects on property values and taxes.
Earlier in the day on July 9, the City Council will convene a closed session at 9 a.m. to discuss performance evaluations for the city manager, city attorney, and clerk of council. The afternoon work session will include a briefing from the Hampton Police Division on crime statistics and available resources, among other scheduled updates.
Both the work and legislative sessions will be broadcast on the city’s cable channels (Cox 47 and Verizon 22) and streamed live at hampton.gov/livetv. Residents can access full agendas and participation information on the city's website.
A Hampton Daily contributor produced this post with AI and these sources:
City Council to discuss development of Wood's Orchards site
Hampton Planning Commission Meeting June 26-25