NEWS: Williamsburg City Council Approves Apartments for Vacant Bank Building
Special use permit allows 11 units atop ground floor retail on Richmond Road
During their meeting yesterday at the Stryker Center, the Williamsburg City Council voted unanimously to approve an application to allow apartments in a vacant bank building on Richmond Road. The project will create 11 units including both efficiency and 1-bedrooms. The Council placed several conditions upon their approval, including limiting living space to the upper floors, limiting the number of residents to 2 per unit and limiting the number of entrances/exits from a side street.
Prior to Council’s vote to allow the building’s conversion to living space, the project received thumbs up from the City’s planners, the Architectural Review Board and the Planning Commission. The property is owned by Demetrios Florakis, a former member of the Williamsburg Planning Commission, who spoke at the meeting about the project. “I bring this proposal forward as an adaptive reuse of a 54 year old building. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel here, but trying to improve an antiquated building,” he said. “It’s extended life is basically done. We’re going to gut the whole building, bring it up to code and give it a nice facelift,” he added. Florakis voluntarily proffered to allow no more than 2 tenants in each unit.
Neighborhood opposition to project
Williamsburg resident Ruth Kaiser spoke to the Council in opposition to the project. (Kaiser recently began a petition against approving zoning changes allowing taller buildings and more apartments in the commercial district near Colonial Williamsburg and the College of William and Mary.) Kaiser pointed out that her objection was not to the building’s proposed appearance or even its conversion to apartments, but rather the push to allow more units than current zoning allows. Kaiser commented that the City seems to be sending mixed messages to residents. “The City has vowed to preserve and protect neighborhoods. It doesn’t say what from, but I assume one of those possible threats is exactly this kind of issue, where you have light, noise, traffic and trash pollution all threatening part of a little neighborhood.”
Among other uses, the zoning in place for the building allows duplexes and single family homes and by right, the developer could build up to 8 such units on the property, but multifamily properties such as apartments still need Council approval. Neighbors on Matoaka Court, which intersects Richmond Road next to the building, argued that their street has already become a frequent cut-through for traffic moving between Monticello Avenue and Richmond Road, which a traffic study conducted for the City confirmed. However, the report concludes that the proposed conversion of the building into apartments will not increase traffic versus currently allowed uses like a bank and offices. The study does not include information about the speed of the drivers cutting through the neighborhood, though local residents previously said speeding and drivers running stop signs is an issue.
Discussion of local housing needs
During the Council’s discussion of the project, Vice Mayor Pat Dent commented on the area’s housing needs, which is top of mind for many people. “What we’ve heard a shortage of, is we’ve heard people talk about 2 and 3-bedroom apartments’ availability in the City. And what we keep seeing is efficiencies and 1-bedrooms.” He also noted the extent of development that the City has already approved over the past few years. “When you keep hearing there’s a housing shortage, I think Council has done a pretty good job in recent years addressing housing shortages. So that’s one thing that concerned me with the project, that we’re back to not really affordable housing, not addressing the need … of 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom, but elect for efficiencies and 1-bedrooms.” Recent development projects mentioned by Dent include:
Baymont Hotel conversion (under construction) - 76 new apartment units
Governors on North Henry - 162 apartment units
Greenwood Village - 95 townhouses and 56 condos
Tutter’s Neck - 86 townhomes
Midtown Row - 240 apartment units
The apartments in the converted bank building are expected to rent for market rates. A recent analysis in the Williamsburg Independent indicates that many newer apartments, especially near the College, are not affordable to most people who live in the region, no matter the size of the unit. The analysis also indicated that developments specifically marketing to students are some of the most expensive in the City.
“They always say location, location, location. And I think that this, and what the market will bear, fits well with efficiencies and one bedrooms,” Council Member Barbara Ramsey said. Speaking about the supply and demand issue with housing in Williamsburg, she said the hoped the project would relieve pressure on surrounding neighborhoods. Though as Dent previously pointed out, that outcome is not particularly clear given all the recent construction. The analysis done in the Williamsburg Independent showed that at the time, units were available at every apartment complex reviewed.
Implications for future development
Speaking on the issue of development in general, Council Member Ramsey questioned how the unique character of Williamsburg, which many residents cherish, could ultimately be preserved in the face of pressure to develop the City. “We think we’re special and that some of the discussions that are taking place across the rest of the Commonwealth are not going to come here, but they very well could.” Ramsey mentioned efforts at the State level to limit local control over zoning issues as one of the reasons to locally approve development projects like the bank conversion. The extent of development that could be approved in the future based on this type of rationale is unclear.
George Arbogust is Founder and Editor of the Williamsburg Independent. You can contribute too! Email tips and story ideas: contact@williamsburgindependent.com