WILLIAMSBURG — The William & Mary Real Estate Foundation presented a proposed site plan regarding Brown Hall which was approved by the City of Williamsburg Planning Commission at its Oct. 16 Meeting.
This request seeks site approval to enlarge the existing Brown Hall building with an 8,560-square-foot East wing and a 7,275-square-foot West wing, change it use from dormitories to educational facilities and offices and rename the building Robert M. Gates Hall.
The university announced in March its plan to renovate the existing vacant dormitory and transform it into a hub to include three university-wide centers: the Global Research Institute, Institute for Integrative Conservation and Whole of Government Center of Excellence. The building will be named in honor of Robert M. Gates, former Secretary of Defense and Director of the CIA, and current Chancellor at William & Mary.
The funds for the project came from an anonymous $30 million gift to the university.
According to William & Mary, Brown Hall was built in 1930 by the Women’s Missionary Society of the Virginia Methodist Conference and named in honor of a Methodist family who helped to fund its construction. It originally served as an off-campus residence for Methodist women students at William & Mary.
The W&M Foundation currently owns and operates the property, most recently used as a residence hall, and is partnering with the W&M Real Estate Foundation, which will serve as the construction manager for the project.
Staff recommended that the Planning Commission approve the site plan contingent upon the applicant providing a digital copy of as-built plans prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for the site.
During the open forum concerns were raised by citizens about one of the trees on the site. The tree in question was said to be an Elm tree and in good health. The Planning Commission moved to have the item removed from the Consent Agenda to allow discussion about the project.
“I think in a town where we value history as much as we do and the aesthetic beauty and green space, I think this is a wonderful conversation to have,” said Greg Granger, second vice chair of the Planning Commission.
The William & Mary Real Estate Foundation explained the tree currently causes damage to the historic wall of the building, and additionally, the health of the tree was said to be subjective, as there had been claims that the ongoing archeology work had damaged the tree to the point of no return.
“I can see both sides of the situation. But knowing that there can be a lot of hidden damage that you cannot see, and then having a tree come down and cause some significant to your home, is something that in this case, (would result in) too many potential changes to Gates Hall. I think (that) warrants consideration of the overall health of the tree and the fact they are trying to preserve that historical wall,” said Planning Commission member Marcia Liebel.
A motion to approve the site plan was made, and the motion carried unanimously with chair James Boswell abstaining due to his employment status with William & Mary.
