“Protecting Unique Character” vs. “Innovating a Modern City”

Williamsburg begins Comprehensive Plan update with search for consultant

Oct 09, 2025

Amid ongoing debate about growth, the City of Williamsburg is beginning the process of updating its current Comprehensive Plan, which guides a wide range of issues including housing, education, infrastructure and development. (George Arbogust, Williamsburg Independent)

This week, Williamsburg released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for consultants to help update the City’s current Comprehensive Plan, which guides issues such as land use, housing, transportation, and economic development.

State law requires that comprehensive plans be reviewed every 5 years. According to the City, the update will reflect “significant changes” to the most recent plan from 2021 as pre-pandemic data and forecasts about housing, employment, and economic trends have since been “disrupted”. As a result, the RFP outlines several major themes that will guide updates, including:

Housing and Community Character: Review of options for additional downtown housing, density and building height adjustments, and strategies for affordable housing that maintain Williamsburg’s architectural identity.
Economic Development: A new diversification strategy, including exploration of a Research Village tied to the Hampton Roads megaregion and the Virginia Business Ready Sites Program.
Transportation and Connectivity: Development of a Complete Streets Policy, a pedestrian and bicycle plan, and an assessment of “15-minute neighborhood” potential.

Proposals to manage the process, including research, community engagement, and technical analysis are due January 13, 2026. The total consultant’s fee is $600,000, with $300,000 allocated in Fiscal Year 2026 and another $300,000 planned for Fiscal Year 2027.

The City likely will face difficulties while trying to align seemingly competing goals of “Innovating a Modern City” and the desire to “protect and enhance its unique character.”

Earlier this year, a 2018 study called the “Downtown Vibrancy Study” attracted renewed attention to the possibility of taller buildings and higher residential density near Merchants Square and the Colonial Historic Area. In response, a citizens’ group called “STOP: Small Town Over Profit” secured over 400 signatures for an online petition opposed to the proposed zoning changes.

A supporter of the petition dismissed the necessity of modernizing a city built on preservation: “This is not in any way in the best interests of either Williamsburg or its citizens. Visitors do not come here for a ‘city’; they come to see and experience the charm of the place. If we wanted to live in a cookie-cutter suburb of some megalopolis, we would all live in DC and its environs.”

Perhaps in anticipation of renewed debate, the City’s RFP outlines the need for the consultant to implement a public engagement strategy to ensure broad community participation. “This update will be built on the input and ideas of the people who live, work, and study here,” the RFP asserts.

Related stories …