Mr Williamsburg, Revolutionary ideas on real estate!Hampton Roads Virginia

Excerpts From an article in the VA Gazette By Cortney Langley
It seems that Colonial Heritage, a 55+ active adult community in James City County is trying to rezone 220 acres of the development in order to build workforce/ affordable housing.

In 2004 when the housing market was hot, the age-restricted community rezoned the land for 50 upscale homes on 3-acre lots. That never happened.

Last year Colonial Heritage applied to include the parcel in the Primary Service Area for water and sewerage. That still hangs in the balance. Kaufman & Canoles attorney Greg Davis, who represents Colonial Heritage, said that members of the Comp Plan Steering Committee seemed amenable to trading off well and septic systems in favor of water and sewers, but they were concerned what could be built there by-right. “So we left that meeting and decided to file a zoning application,” Davis said.
This time, the application calls for at least 50 workforce townhouses on 64 acres. Senior planner Jason Purse said another 85 acres would be set aside in a conservation easement, and the remaining 70 acres would roll into the existing Colonial Heritage.
The total housing units cap of 2,000  would not change. Workforce housing is suddenly fashionable because of a glut of high-end homes. “We think [workforce housing] makes it much more attractive to the county,” Davis said, noting that the clustering would allow for open vistas and green-space, while the site on Jolly Pond Road is near the new ninth elementary and fourth middle schools. Planning staff is going through its first review of the workforce housing, Purse said. It is not expected to reach the Planning Commission or Board of Supervisors for months.

If approved, the Colonial Heritage workforce housing could create a headache for Williamsburg/ James City County  Schools. The ninth elementary is intended to ease overcrowding at other schools. Workforce housing typically produces more children than upscale and retirement developments, and this project wasn’t factored into the latest enrollment projections. The fourth middle school is expected to open as James Blair Middle closes for conversion into central office, shifting its students west. Capital funding for Blair may not be included when James City County releases its proposed budget next week. Williamsburg city manager Jack Tuttle hinted that was likely when the city budget was released. If so, the school division may be forced to press James Blair Middle School back into service

Filed under: active adult communities, Colonial Heritage, Colonial Heritage ( 55+), james city county virginia, Re Zoning, Williamsburg Neighborhoods, williamsburg va |