City Council unanimously approved 53 new apartments to convert the Quarterpath Inn entirely into affordable housing Thursday afternoon.
Councilman Doug Pons recused himself from the vote to avoid a conflict of interest, because he is the principal owner of the property located at 620 York Street.
“I’m excited about the opportunity, it allows me to reinvest in the property and it sorely needs an infusion of new money,” Pons said after the meeting. “It provides, as council wisely pointed out, a new form of housing that’s needed in the community.”
Council’s decision allows for the complete conversion of the motel into affordable housing — eliminating all remaining motel rooms.
The renovations at the Williamsburg property will convert 60 motel rooms into 53 studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom apartments.
Pons had already converted about half of the motel to make way for the same style of housing, with rents varying between $695 to $1,125, including all utilities except electricity. His goal was to address what he sees as a lack of affordable housing for low income residents in the greater Williamsburg area.
According the most recently available data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 20.1 percent of residents in Williamsburg are living in poverty, a substantially greater percentage than the U.S. poverty rate of 13.5 percent.
Williamsburg’s poverty rate is nearly double Virginia’s rate of at 11.5 percent of the population. The number of resident college students slightly inflates Williamsburg’s poverty rate, but the rate remains higher than other localities in the state.
According to the project’s application to the Williamsburg Planning Commission, “each apartment home offers ideal cooking facilities with an updated modern kitchen with full-size refrigerators, ranges, microwave ovens and a surprising amount of cabinet and countertop space.”
Based on the first renovation at the Quarterpath Inn, Pons estimates each apartment will cost about $20,000 to renovate. At 53 units, the renovation is expected to cost “well over a million dollars,” he said.
The renovations will include rewiring all rooms and turning the main office into a lounge and exercise room.
Pons said all that’s left to do before the conversion begins is to arrange financing and find contractors to do the work.
WYDaily archives were used in this story.
