The City of Williamsburg has cheaper housing options than neighboring localities, but officials believe the city could do more to promote affordable housing.
During the Williamsburg City Council’s meeting Thursday, Planning Director Reed Nester, Deputy Director of Planning Carolyn Murphy and Director of Human Services Peter Walentisch reviewed the state of the city’s affordable housing resources, and how it should proceed moving forward.
The conversation was spurred by hotel owner Doug Pons’s proposal to partially transform his Quarterpath Inn on York Street into apartments. Pons, who also serves on the City Council, has said his plan would create additional low-cost housing options in the city, while maximizing the use of the hotel’s room space.
Council members’ request for city staff to examine the proposal led to a more general assessment of the state of affordable housing in the city.
According to numbers compiled by city staff, Williamsburg offers more affordable housing options — housing that costs less than 30 percent of total household income — than James City or York counties.
Fifty-five percent of the city’s housing is assessed at $250,000 or less, which qualifies as affordable according to the median household income of $50,000 to $70,000. That exceeds James City County’s 38.8 percent and York County’s 39.5 percent. Murphy said those numbers do not include apartments in the city, however.
Several factors differentiate the city from its neighboring localities. Williamsburg is the smallest locality in the Historic Triangle, in terms of both geographic area and population. The city’s, 14,893 residents occupy 9 square miles – less than one-tenth the size and one-quarter the population of either county.
Additionally, the city is the only Historic Triangle locality where a majority of housing is occupied by renters. Fifty-six percent of Williamsburg housing is rented according to census figures, compared to 24 percent in James City County and 25 percent in York County. The average in Hampton Roads is 37 percent, and 33 percent statewide.
Members of city staff said there were several actions that could help increase access to affordable housing in the city.
Deputy City Manager Jodi Miller said the city was looking into increasing the availability of affordable public and senior housing. The city has included exploring a redevelopment of the city-owned Blayton Building into expanded senior housing in the 2015-2016 Goals, Initiatives and Outcomes.
City Manager Jack Tuttle said amending the city’s zoning ordinance, particularly the B-2 zone that covers many hotels in the city, would allow for more flexibility in housing options.
Tuttle stressed the conversation was just beginning, and any changes could have an impact beyond the city limits.
“The objective is, what can we do on the city side,” Tuttle said. “It also helps us set the table in some ways for opportunities outside the city as well.”
