James City County planning staff have recommended that the Planning Commission deny a request to allow a large church to move into Building B at the Williamsburg Pottery property. In their report, staff cited major concerns with parking capacity, traffic congestion, and access to the site.
The application seeks to amend zoning conditions to permit the church to hold two Sunday services with up to 1,000 seats in its main auditorium. Staff warned that overlapping arrivals and departures could overwhelm available parking and cause backups onto Richmond Road. The site currently offers 236 spaces, but only 208 would be available to the church under the proposed plan—far fewer than needed for the expected attendance.
Planners also noted that key conditions, such as a proposed 50-space parking easement and a finalized subdivision of the property, have not yet been approved. Without those in place, reliable access to the site remains uncertain.
The report further questioned whether the county could realistically enforce attendance limits proposed by the applicant for special events, saying those restrictions would be difficult to monitor.
While the project could bring new activity to a long-vacant commercial space, county staff ultimately concluded that unresolved impacts make it impossible to recommend approval. The Planning Commission will take up the proposal on November 5, with the Board of Supervisors expected to review it later this year.
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