Colonial Williamsburg is again asking for City Council to delay a vote on two matters needed to approve its controversial Goodwin Square project.
On Tuesday, Colonial Williamsburg Vice President of Real Estate Jeff Duncan wrote a letter to the city requesting a delay, stating it needed additional time “to complete negotiations” about “Goodwin Square and downtown parking in Merchants Square.”
“Thank you for our good conversations during the past month as we continued our negotiations around Goodwin Square and downtown parking in Merchants Square,” Duncan wrote in the letter to City Manager Andrew Trivette.
City Council was originally slated to vote on the matter at the Sept. 12 City Council meeting, but it was moved to Oct. 10 after a similar request from Colonial Williamsburg.
Council will vote on tabling the matter at its meeting.
Both the city’s news release Wednesday and the letter from Duncan were unclear as to what the “negotiations” consist of regarding Goodwin Square.
Duncan did not immediately return a request to provide additional information via phone, although a WYDaily reporter left a message.
“During the last month the City of Williamsburg has worked to address concerns voiced by the community regarding the project with the applicant, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and the effort has been productive,” Trivette said in the city news release. “However, consensus building takes time. Tabling these decisions will provide the greatest opportunity for the best outcome.”
If Goodwin Square is delayed until the Nov. 14 meeting, City Council will also likely need to delay its vote on grant funding for various tourism projects under the Tourism Development Fund.
“However, the grant awards are directly related to decisions made regarding the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s zoning applications,” the news release said. “As a result the Council will not take further action on the committee recommendations unless and until the zoning applications are voted upon.”
Colonial Williamsburg’s Goodwin Square project proposes removing 40 of 48 parking spots in the P3 lot in Merchants Square in favor of a green space and pedestrian plaza.
The project has gained both support and opposition by residents and business owners since it was first proposed last fall.
