The Hampton government plans to invest $1.5 million into the community surrounding the site of the former Virginia School for the Deaf, Blind and Multi-Disabled, and residents are weighing in on what they’d like to see.
When Hampton City Council voted in 2022 to allow NorthPoint Development, a Kansas City, Missouri-based developer, to transform the school’s 63-acre site into industrial warehouses, many neighboring residents and school alumni were livid.
Opponents of the project feared the warehouses located between Shell and Aberdeen roads would bring traffic, noise and pollution. They also felt the industrial use did not appropriately honor the legacy of the school, which had been around for nearly 100 years before closing in 2008 . Several said they preferred the land to be used for residential purposes or educational facilities, and many accused the council of ignoring the voices of a predominantly Black community.
The city now hopes to offset some of the impact on the residents and find meaningful ways to invest in a community that has long felt neglected.