City Council unanimously approved the 2013 Comprehensive Plan on Thursday, laying the foundation for what it hopes will result in a more vibrant Williamsburg.
The Comprehensive Plan serves as a blueprint for the city’s future development, outlining where homes will be built, sidewalks constructed and parks added. By Virginia code, it is reviewed every five years, and the process to draft a 2013 plan began in March 2011 with a review of the previous plan. The new plan places particular focus on revitalizing three areas of the city: downtown, midtown and the Northeast Triangle.
The Comprehensive Plan changes in each area focus on land designations and the density allowed, which dominated discussion at the Thursday meeting. Proponents, including Vice Mayor Paul Freiling, praised the plan’s allowance of higher density as inviting creativity in development, while one resident, Terence Wehle, feared it will result only in more student housing.
In the Downtown Planning Area, the Blayton Building lot and land on the west side of South Henry Street, between Ireland and South Boundary streets, will be designated for mixed-use development.
In downtown mixed-use developments, up to 14 dwelling units will be allowed per net acre without a special-use permit, but there is no stated maximum density. On residential lots, up to eight dwelling units will be allowed per net acre by-right, but again, the density could increase with a special-use permit and there is no maximum.
In the Midtown Planning District, which encompasses the Williamsburg Shopping Center area and Richmond Road corridor, land would be designated for “urban residential” use, with no maximum density. In urban commercial residential developments, up to 14 dwelling units will be allowed per net acre, with increased density allowed with a special use permit.
Wehle wanted to see the city maintain a maximum density in the downtown and midtown areas.
“I’m afraid we’ll see student housing as the natural infill,” he said.
He feels the community, as a whole, is not in favor of higher density, but was not able to voice its opinion at the meeting. He added that residents strongly opposed increased density when the 2006 Comprehensive Plan was approved.
Over the course of the plan’s development, a total of 125 citizens weighed in on the plan, at both city and regional forums. No citizens spoke when the Planning Commission adopted the plan for approval late last year, however, and only Wehle spoke when the city hosted a final public hearing at its Monday work session. Thursday’s meeting had a higher turnout, however, with 15 speakers sharing their opinions on the plan. The majority encouraged its approval, with several calling it “thoughtful.”
Mark Rinaldi said he was particularly impressed with the “fresh thinking” of the plan, and its increased residential density. He noted some of the city’s older properties would not have been approved under the current regulations, and said excessive density restrictions will “contribute to decay within and sprawl beyond.”
That resonated with Freiling, who said his native Fredericksburg changed irreparably when development was focused beyond the downtown area.
“Change is scary, because change represents the unknown or in some ways, our best estimate,” he said. “Change we must, either by design or default, and I would prefer to do it by design.”
Clay Clemens, a government professor at The College of William & Mary, said he has often talked to young colleagues and former students who “don’t see the town as a place for them.” He said the city needs more housing options, more retail and more young people.
Clemen’s former student, Chris Smith, illustrated his point. He recently returned to the area after six years in New York City. He’s now hoping to open a business in the city, but lives in James City County.
“We felt that there now was a life for us here, but there isn’t an opportunity for people like us to live in the city right now,” he said. “We want to live in the city.”
To learn more about the Comprehensive Plan, click here.
