The Williamsburg Planning Commission will recommend approval of eight ordinance changes for the downtown area, most geared toward restoring vibrancy some residents believe has been lost.
The Stryker Building’s meeting chambers were full Wednesday when the Planning Commission met to consider the eight ordinance revisions (see the full list at the bottom), which are all necessary to implement the vision for the city spelled out in the Comprehensive Plan. A similarly large crowd was in the audience when Council approved the Comp Plan.
The Planning Commission will spend the spring reviewing the zoning actions necessary to implement the Comp Plan.
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.
Fourteen speakers addressed various points of the plan, chiefly the increase in residential density that some fear might change the essential character of the city. Others believe it will bring back the Williamsburg they remember from the 1960s and 1970s, when residents could easily walk to have prescriptions filled at a neighborhood drugstore or buy groceries at the A&P.
Clay Clemens, a government professor at The College of William & Mary, contrasted the ease of the Williamsburg of that era with the shopping now available in Merchant’s Square, which he joked is more like a “middle-brow Rodeo Drive.”
“I support the changes,” he said. “They have a real potential to alter the character in a positive way.”
Commission Chair Sean Driscoll noted more people lived downtown in 1970, and the changes will not result in an urban downtown. “We’re just trying to give the ability for people to present ideas to the people of Williamsburg, and we would like to take off some of the hindrances,” he said.
Residents of the Crispus Attucks neighborhood on Harriet Tubman Drive, which sits across the street from the Stryker Building, were concerned a field near the Blayton Building could be a victim of a new business-friendly designation.
The Blayton Building would be rezoned from Downtown Residential District and B-1 Downtown Business District to LB-1 Limited Business Downtown District and RS-2 Single-Family Dwelling District. Several spoke against the business designation, saying they wouldn’t want new businesses in their backyards.
But nothing in the current zoning for the area would prevent that from happening, according to Planning Director Reed Nester. Nester and the commissioners repeatedly noted the city’s various boards and commissions would review any proposals that would potentially impact the field or the neighborhood character, and at those times, the residents would have opportunities to share their concerns.
Commissioners seemed somewhat surprised by the turnout; when the commission voted to recommend the plan for approval, the audience was nearly empty. After listening to the concerns and praise offered by citizens, Driscoll said the commission had reviewed the city’s ordinances for nearly 20 months in public work sessions, including nighttime public hearings. “It’s been lonely in these meetings,” he said, adding, “Rest assured, we all are very invested in maintaining the feeling and character of the city, as well.”
The proposed changes include:
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Revise the residential density for the B-1 Downtown Business District and the LB-1 Limited Business Downtown District by establishing a base density of 14 dwelling units per net acre and allowing increased density with a special use permit approved by City Council.
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Revise the residential density for the RDT Downtown Residential District by establishing a base density of 8 dwelling units per net acre and allowing increased density with a special use permit approved by City Council.
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Create a new definition for “Senior housing” and add provisions to the LB-1 Downtown Residential District allowing senior housing with a reduced parking requirement with a special use permit approved by City Council.
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Expand the Downtown Parking District south along the west side of South Henry Street from Ireland Street to South Boundary Street, and to include the Blayton Building at 613 Scotland Street. The Downtown Parking District does not require off-street parking for commercial and office uses.
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Rezone 14 acres on South Henry Street between Ireland Street and South Boundary Street from LB-3 Limited Business Residential District to LB-1 Limited Business Downtown District. The LB-1 District allows retail and restaurant uses in addition to residential and office uses. The base residential density is 14 dwelling units per net acre, and increased density is allowed with a special use permit approved by City Council.
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Rezone the duplex dwelling at 319 South Boundary Street from LB-3 Limited Business Residential District to RM-2 Multifamily Dwelling District.
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Rezone the Blayton Building at 613 Scotland Street from RDT Downtown Residential District and B-1 Downtown Business District to LB-1 Limited Business Downtown District and RS-2 Single-Family Dwelling District.
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Rezone 218 and 220 North Boundary Street (just north of the Imperial Building) from LB-1 Limited Business Downtown District to B-1 Downtown Business District.
