NEWS: City Council Targets 5 Downtown Streets for High Density, Mixed-Use Zoning
Changes would allow stacked townhomes, elevator flats and apartments with ground floor retail on Scotland, Prince George, N. Boundary, N. Henry and Francis Streets
The Williamsburg City Council received updates from several senior staff at its meeting on Thursday, January 9, 2025 at the Stryker Center. In one presentation, the Council heard recommendations to allow high density, mixed-use developments on 5 city streets, including Scotland, Prince George, N. Boundary, N. Henry and Francis Streets. Proposed zoning changes would allow “townhomes, stacked townhomes, elevator flats and apartments” as well as “mixed-use buildings where ground floor is commercial and upper floors are either residential or office,” said Yuri Matsumoto, the City’s Economic Development Director. After the presentation, none of the Council Members voiced any concerns or asked any questions about the size and scope of the proposed zoning changes.
During the presentation, Matsumoto proposed changes to the existing Downtown Business District B-1 to allow high-density, mixed-use development with street frontage. The current zoning allows only 14 dwelling units per acre unless a special use permit is approved by the City Council. Current zoning also requires private streets and driveways for allowable multifamily dwellings.
The changes would allow for a net 36 additional buildings, for a total of 64, to be built with street frontage, according to Matsumoto. This would more than double the number of existing buildings on those streets. Some of the existing buildings would certainly be demolished and replaced if the changes are officially approved. Major development could also occur at the site of Colonial Williamsburg’s large parking lot near Merchant Square which fronts Francis St., though the City claims this is not something it is actively pursuing as the land belongs to CW.
The economic director’s comments stem from the Council’s previous request for staff to review and make current recommendations about a City report concerning “downtown vibrancy.” Though public input was gathered when the study was originally produced back in 2018, the current review only included input from City staff appointed by the City Manager, including the “Assistant City Manager, Economic Development & Tourism Director, Communications Director, Parks & Recreation Director, Planning & Codes Compliance Director, and Public Works & Utilities Director,” according to documents provided by the City.
The presentation highlighted several potential projects as part of the rezoning and redevelopment. For example, planners would like to replace some existing houses on Scotland St. with a new “Restaurant Row.” They call for a “premier entertainment district around the existing Triangle Building” as well as redevelopment of the Blayton Building, a city-owned home for the elderly. Other changes would include redesigning N. Boundary St. in order to accommodate a park between the new library and the existing Community Building.
After the presentation, recently reelected Council member Barbara Ramsey expressed enthusiasm for the proposed zoning changes. She suggested that they should be applied even further than the five streets initially discussed. “How are there ways to extend downtown?” she asked her colleagues. She then described a scenario where downtown would stretch past Colonial Williamsburg’s new archaeological center to Newport Ave. The goal would be to “create a much broader footprint, if you will, for downtown,” she said.
Mayor Doug Pons reminisced about living downtown as a child and said he’d like to see families who once lived there be able to return. He commented how adding housing is part of making the area more vibrant. “We can’t be afraid of more housing and density downtown,” he added.
Neither the Mayor nor the Economic Development Director provided any details how the City intends to ensure that development would be affordable to most families. As an example, rents at a recently completed apartment complex near downtown which required zoning approval from the City set aside less than 15% of the total number of units as affordable housing. A housing affordability calculator on Apartments.com recently indicated that the typical family in the region could only afford a one bedroom apartment at the complex.
George Arbogust is Founder and Editor of the Williamsburg Independent. You can contribute too! Send tips and story ideas to contact@williamsburgindependent.com.