Collaborative Advantage

Collaboration is Newport News’ multiplier – an advantage. We excel at connecting partners, capital, and talent to create more investable places, strengthen workforce pipelines, and deliver measurable economic gains for businesses and residents in the City.

Newport News continues to turn shared vision into meaningful outcomes through collaboration across education, industry, and City and community partners – most notably in the Southeast Community, where coordinated investment is expanding access to careers, entrepreneurship, and an enhanced quality of life.

A major milestone came on August 12th with the groundbreaking of the Newport News Trades Center, led by Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC) and EDA in partnership with the City of Newport News, Hampton Roads Workforce Council, Maritime Industrial Base, and W.M. Jordan Company. The 16,000-square-foot facility on 21st Street will expand in-demand trades training, including electrical, plumbing, welding, and HVAC. This creates direct pipelines into in-demand maritime and residential construction careers. Supported by the Hampton Roads Workforce Council’s Regional Maritime Training System and Maritime Industrial Base funding, the center is expected to open in Spring 2026 and will help ensure local talent can connect to high-wage opportunities close to home.

That same workforce-first approach recognizes that a strong economy depends on strong family supports. In January 2025, Newport News, VPCC and Peake Childhood Center partnered in the opening of the Newport News Early Childhood Development Center, serving up to 200 children from six weeks to five years old through affordable, sliding-scale childcare. The joint model strengthens the talent pipeline twice – supporting parents and guardians in the workforce today and training the next generation of childcare professionals onsite. High-quality early learning is also a quantified economic engine: it helps attract homebuyers, strengthens neighborhoods, and reduces the costly disruptions businesses face when childcare is unavailable.

Collaboration is also accelerating neighborhood transformation through the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI). In June 2025, the Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Authority celebrated the opening of Legacy Landing, a key redevelopment milestone at the former Ridley Place public housing site. As the original 259 units were cleared, the roughly 25-acre site is being rebuilt with 155 new townhome and apartment units, complemented by a health and wellness trail connecting to King-Lincoln Park. This amenity is anticipated to be completed in early 2026. These investments are creating a more connected community while expanding housing options and long-term stability.

As a key partner in CNI implementation, the EDA has collaborated on visible progress rooted in preservation and entrepreneurship. The rehabilitation of 2510 Jefferson Avenue – a nearly 100-year-old landmark in the historic Black business district – retained its historic façade while creating modern spaces for business activity. Supported by funding from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development and HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant, the building opened in Spring 2025 with a mix of local tenants, including East End Café, Empower All LLC, By K Michele Salon, and Virginia Villains Clothing Company. Celebrated with a ribbon cutting in June 2025, the project builds on momentum generated by the adjacent Offices @ Two Five & J and reinforces a shared commitment to inclusive economic growth.

Looking ahead, the EDA continues to collaborate to advance catalytic projects like the Seafood Market in the Southeast Community. A key boost came through a $50,000 Infrastructure Grant awarded to the EDA from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ AFID program, supporting essential equipment purchases for the market’s commercial kitchen and seafood retail space. This award strengthens an already layered funding strategy that includes support from the Port Host Communities Revitalization Fund and United States Economic Development Administration. With design now complete, construction bids are expected to be secured early 2026, bringing the project one step closer to creating a new destination and neighborhood amenity in the Seafood Industrial Park.

EDA staff have also coordinated with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to secure technical support benefitting brownfield remediation
and reuse planning – work that reduces barriers to reinvestment. For 1535 Jefferson Avenue, DEQ engaged Stromberg Garrigan & Associates to facilitate environmental testing, community outreach, and reuse concept development. A public visioning workshop helped incorporate resident input, supporting future redevelopment of this key property and reinforcing a community-centered approach to planning and redevelopment – alongside a similar engagement effort for the West Avenue Library.

To sustain long-term small business support, the EDA also took action to ensure continuity at The Offices @ Two Five & J, a cornerstone asset for entrepreneurship in the Southeast Community. As the original management contract concluded, the EDA issued a new RFP and through a competitive process coordinated with the City’s Purchasing Office recommended a new five-year contract with TruPoint Solutions LLC, successor entity to the current operator. TruPoint will provide daily facility operations alongside targeted business coaching, mentorship programming, monthly educational workshops, and a resource library – again strengthening the ecosystem that helps entrepreneurs start, stabilize and scale.

Together, these efforts demonstrate that when Newport News collaborates with purpose, we create more than development – we create opportunity. Through strategic partnerships and place-based investment, the EDA is helping to build a stronger, more inclusive community and a more resilient future for the entire City.