The James City County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday evening to defer a decision on a new townhome development in New Town after a majority of the Board expressed concerns about the higher density laid out in the plan.
Oxford Properties applied for rezoning needed to construct 269 rental townhomes in Section 12 of New Town, which is the area between WindsorMeade Marketplace and the WindsorMeade retirement community. The current proposal increases the original plan for the number of units in the area by 60 units, which were shifted from overall density elsewhere in New Town.
Most residents in the retirement community do not support the plan, and many have said they are concerned about safety, construction traffic, auto traffic and the number of units (read a previous story on the issue here). Acting on a recommendation from the Planning Commission, the applicant, Oxford Properties, held a meeting recently with some residents and made changes to the plan to accommodate some of these concerns. The changes included a slight reduction in the number of units, but not enough to satisfy residents or a majority of Board members.
The changes Oxford Properties agreed to make include increasing the buffer and landscaping to reduce the visual impact of the complex; removing and moving various buildings for a net reduction of five units and a movement of buildings away from WindsorMeade retirement community; a fence between the two developments and funding to extend the fence around part of the retirement community; a limit of construction traffic and a few other limits to construction activity.
Many retirement community residents came to speak to the Board Tuesday and said though they like the changes that have been offered, they still feel the density is too high.
The density was originally set at 209 for that area of section 12, but the applicant has requested a shift in density from another part of New Town to make the 269 mark. County staff and various New Town officials said this sort of density transfer is typical in New Town and it does not increase the overall density of the greater community.
Supervisor Jim Icenhour noted that, though density shifts have been approved in New Town, this would only be the second time density has been transferred between commercial square footage and residential units (there are minimum and maximum levels of each type of density allowed in New Town overall).
Some people spoke in support of the proposal Tuesday and told the Board that New Town business owners rely on the residential component to support their businesses.
Iron Bound Gym owner Scott Grafton told the Board that when he moved his business from Williamsburg to New Town, he did so because of the expectation of nearby residences to supply him with customers and staff.
Supervisor John McGlennon said this is the part of New Town he finds least appealing, and that it isn’t set up in the manner in which New Town was designed – with a mixture of residential and commercial that are closer together. This section “will require people to get in their cars to do anything,” he said.
He also said he could not see what benefit the county would get for increasing the density in the area, and said he would not support it with the current number of units.
Icenhour agreed, suggesting an ideal number of units may be around 245. He also did not support the number of units proposed.
Supervisor Wilford Kale said in his estimation, Route 199 divided New Town and made for a completely different New Town on the western side. The two sides of the community are not easily walkable, he said, and he did not support moving density from one side to the other.
Also, Kale said he considers the Oxford development an infill development, and that it is not compatible with the existing projects nearby.
He said he would not support the proposal unless there was a “substantial reduction off of 269 [units].”
Supervisor Jim Kennedy, who now has a business in New Town, said in the past he was more skeptical of the plan for the New Town community overall.
He seemed to support some aspects of the proposed project, noting that New Town was intended to have a mix of different people as would happen with the rental townhomes placed next to a retirement community. These units would draw working class and younger people, and they are the people who work for him, Kennedy said.
He also said people have trouble finding rental apartments in the county, implying that this project could help address the problem.
Kennedy said that possibly the requested density is too high, and he asked his fellow Board members who were unhappy with the proposed number to identify their target number.
When Chair Mary Jones gave the applicant a chance to respond to some concerns, he asked that the case be deferred until October, which would give Oxford time to consider the idea and possibly revise plans, revise proffers and go before the Design Review Board again.
The application was deferred until October 9.
