Friday, November 1, 2024

Williamsburg Architectural Review Board to Consider Regional Indoor Sports Facility Design

Rendering of the Regional Indoor Sports Facility. (Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority)

WILLIAMSBURG —  The Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority is nearing completion of a final design concept and cost estimate for a regional indoor sports facility on property in the City of Williamsburg, the authority announced Wednesday. 

The planned location is adjacent to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center at 100 Visitor Center Drive and is zoned in a Corridor Protection District — a major entrance corridor of the city — which requires approval from the city’s Architectural Review Board (ARB).

According to the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority (HTRFA) the exterior design is slated to go before the ARB for a conceptual review to ensure it complies with the city’s Design Review Guidelines on Tuesday, Oct. 24. That meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Room 127 of the Stryker Center, 412 N. Boundary St. 

A final decision regarding approval will not be made at that meeting, HTRFA said. The exterior design would need final approval from the ARB, with any required changes incorporated, at a future meeting before a cost estimate could be determined. 

The indoor sports facility will be at least 160,000 square feet, HTRFA said, and include 12 basketball courts that can be converted to 24 volleyball courts and 36 pickleball courts. The goal for the new facility is to “grow and improve Greater Williamsburg’s sports offerings while attracting teams and tournaments to boost sports tourism in the area.” 

HTRFA, a governing body made up of members of the three Historic Triangle localities, approved an interim agreement with construction firm MEB to design and build the regional indoor sports facility on property in the city in September 2022. Architectural firms Clark Nexsen, Guernsey Tingle, and Timmons Group are part of the design-build team for the project. 

HTRFA said over the course of the fall and winter, the plan review process for the project will include a site plan review by city staff and the Williamsburg Planning Commission’s Site Plan Review Committee, as well as a rezoning request, which will require public hearings before the planning commission and the Williamsburg City Council.

In addition, the regional indoor sports facility will require final approval from the Williamsburg City Council, the James City County Board of Supervisors, and the York County Board of Supervisors, it said.

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