A proposal to build up to 204 homes on an undeveloped tract next to the Williamsburg Crossing shopping center in James City County is one step closer to approval.
The county’s planning commission voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend approval of a request from the developer — Virginia Beach-based Franciscus Homes — to rezone the land to accommodate construction of the homes, which would be split between 10 buildings with 11 units each, 40 duplexes and 14 additional units to be built above proposed commercial buildings in the development.
The proposed development, which would be called The Promenade at John Tyler, received praise from several of the commissioners for its affordability. As proposed, all 204 residential units would be offered for sale at prices between $170,000 and $350,000, which are rates considered affordable for workforce housing by the county.
“It looks like the [developer] has come forward with a creative and conceivably viable solution to develop the property,” said Commissioner Heath Richardson (Stonehouse). He said James City County has a “huge need” for housing for people in the service industry and those who work in local government in fields like law enforcement and teaching.
“I know how desperately we need affordable housing in this area,” said Commissioner Robin Bledsoe (Jamestown). “We need places where our workforce can actually afford to live.”
Several citizens from Winston Terrace, a neighborhood adjacent to the land where the Promenade at John Tyler would be built, spoke in opposition to the proposal. Several said the density of the project was too high for the area, while others were concerned about the fate of a trail that cuts through the undeveloped land and links their neighborhood to the shopping center.
“[The developer is] going to whistle away to the bank with $25 million in their pocket, and we’ll be stuck with this awful nightmare,” Winston Terrace resident James Whitehead told the commissioners.
Residents from La Fontaine, another Franciscus Homes development located on the other side of Williamsburg Crossing, shared concerns with the commissioners about King’s Way, the access road they share with the shopping center and would also share with the Promenade at John Tyler.
King’s Way intersects with John Tyler Highway (Route 5) and is the main entryway to La Fontaine and Williamsburg Crossing. Residents of the Promenade at John Tyler would have to drive the length of that road to Riverside Healthcare Center before turning onto another road and driving behind the shopping center to access their neighborhood, creating extra traffic.
Speakers also used the hearing as a venue to sound off on other problems with King’s Way. Public roads in James City County are owned and maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, which does not own King’s Way. Therefore, they say, the road has not received the service and attention it needs.
If the rezoning is approved, Franciscus Homes has promised to bring King’s Way up to VDOT specifications. At that point it would be contributed to the state’s secondary road network, where it would receive the regular maintenance it is not getting now.
While firm plans for the residential section of the development have been submitted, little has been revealed about the commercial section of the development, which would abut Route 199. Attorney Vernon M. Geddy III, who spoke on behalf of the developer at Wednesday’s meeting, said market conditions will determine when the commercial phase of the development is built.
The rezoning proposal will now go before the James City County Board of Supervisors for approval. The board will be tasked with determining whether to approve the request to rezone the land from general business to mixed use, a designation allowing both commercial and residential uses.
Related Coverage:
