JAMES CITY COUNTY – The James City County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday delayed a decision on the proposed Bluffs at Kiskiack mixed-use development, a project that would bring hundreds of homes and commercial space around the former President’s Park attraction in northern James City County.
The proposed development would develop about 220 acres near Croaker Road and Interstate 64 into a mixed-use community featuring up to 704 residential units, including affordable housing and a retirement community. The project would also provide a permanent home for the giant presidential busts that have been stored on the property for years.
Public opposition at the meeting centered on traffic, infrastructure, water supply concerns and the potential loss of the rural character that residents say defines the upper county.
Sarah Ray, a resident and board officer of the Elmwood Civic Association, urged supervisors to reject the project.
“We understand growth is coming, and we would welcome thoughtful development that would allow more community members to experience what we love so much about this upper part of the county, and we ask respectfully that you all protect the way of life we love,” Ray said.
Linda Rice, a longtime Forge Road resident, warned of what she described as the cumulative impacts of several major developments proposed or underway in the area.
“We are looking at an explosion of growth in this upper county that I don’t know that any of the current residents up here ever anticipated because many of the people living up here now came up here for, we’ll say, the rural lands,” Rice said.
Board members also raised concerns about transportation, sewer capacity and whether shops like a coffee shop and butcher shop would materialize.
Board Member Jim Icenhour said wastewater infrastructure weighed heavily on his decision.
“I’m very, very reluctant to add any more until we get a very good idea of how that’s going to be accomplished and how it’s going to be paid for and how long it’s going to take,” Icenhour said.
Board Member Barbara Null said residents appeared to have been caught off guard by the scope of the proposal and should have more opportunities to engage with the developer.
“My main concern is that the residents around this did not seem to have enough of a heads-up and have not met with this developer,” Null said.
Other supervisors questioned the financial sustainability of the affordable housing component and the lack of firm commitments for the proposed hotel and retail development.
Facing growing skepticism from the board, Vernon Geddy, representing Mark Jakobowski president of Pathmark Consulting and Design, requested additional time to meet with residents and address concerns raised during the hearing.
The board voted 3-2 to defer a decision until Oct. 13.
