Subscriber’s Digest (1-17-25) … 'just the way it [WAS]'

5 downtown streets targeted for high-density rezoning; Apartments recommended for bank building; Affordability of rents at redeveloped apartments, and more!

News and Commentary this week included proposed rezoning changes for downtown, rent affordability, mixed-used building conversion and a new waste recycling facility. (Images: George Arbogust, Williamsburg Independent)

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Local music legend Bruce Hornsby is perhaps best known for his hit, “The Way It Is,” in which he deftly critiques a mosaic of troubling human conditions with observations and descriptions that seem just as relevant today as when he wrote the classic years ago. I believe the song teaches that pushing for change is often necessary and that concern and care for others are high virtues, worth making changes (and sacrifices) to achieve.

For anyone keeping track, I’m not from Williamsburg originally. Some longtime locals probably think that means I haven’t lived here long enough to have an opinion that matters. But whether you’ve lived here your whole life or you’re just visiting for the first time, it’s obvious that the City of Williamsburg stands at a fork in the road. One path challenges us to address long-standing problems concerning fairness and access, while striving to preserve the City’s unique, historic character. The other path sets the stage for c…