COMMMENTARY: 2024 in Review - Williamsburg City Council Gambles on Sports Complex
New land development powers extended to sports-complex builder, HTRFA, could transform face of city
Each year, Williamsburg City Council passes dozens of ordinances and resolutions. Some pass with little fanfare while others stir up controversy. Some make little impact while others have the potential to change the face of the City for years to come.
This year was no different, as the City Council voted to guarantee up to $70M in public funding to build an expensive sports entertainment venue. Later, they extended the rights of the multi-jurisdictional organization tapped to build and manage the sports complex – Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority (HTRFA) – to develop even more land in the City.
I expect this expansion of their power to result in multiple new development initiatives, with mostly limited review or oversight by local authorities.Below is my commentary on two important and impactful resolutions and ordinances passed by City Council in 2024 related to this issue.
RESOLUTION 24-11 - Approving HTRFA financing
This act officially funded construction of the Greater Williamsburg Sports and Entertainment Center by the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority, guaranteeing a public debt of up to $70 million dollars to build the new sports complex.
List the folks and organizations who will benefit from this facility in your mind and one will find special interests like Colonial Williamsburg, as well as the region’s hotel/restaurant lobby and even local officials looking to consolidate power. Somewhere down the list you might put the taxpayers of Williamsburg, who will contribute to building the sports center by paying a 1% sales tax on everything they buy in the city as well as food and drinks they consume at the city’s restaurants.
Keep in mind, those funds are diverted from other tourism-related initiatives in order to build the sports center. And if those tax revenues fall short, the city’s tax payers, by way of the resolution, have also agreed to make up the difference. How they would manage to do that without ripple effects through the rest of the city’s budget is unknown.
Obviously, the City’s gamble on this project is well underway, yet much remains to be seen whether the HTRFA is actually capable of delivering on rosy economic development projections (which even anticipate the center operating in the red). Either way, one thing is certain — the Authority’s leadership, backed by local politicians holding the purse strings, plans to build more. Which leads to…
ORDINANCE # 24-02 - Giving HTRFA development rights
For obvious reasons, the needs of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation present a unique challenge for zoning regulations in the city. In order to accommodate this need, a special-use zoning district named “Museum Support” exists to allow the Foundation broad rights to develop this land based on the unique circumstances involved in running a living museum. As part of the zoning, public buildings owned by the City of Williamsburg have also been allowed.
Earlier this year, the Williamsburg City Council voted to extend these development rights to the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority. This move allows the HTRFA to develop land across the City, well beyond the site of the new sports complex.
The new powers handed to the HTRFA allows them to build for a myriad of uses that many may not associate with “Museum Services.” These include housing, hotels/timeshares, offices, laboratories, churches, schools and parking lots.
The particular phrase allowing “public buildings owned and/or operated by the City of Williamsburg or the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority” leaves the door open for additional development as well, since any building owned by HTRFA could likely be considered a public building. I anticipate a conflict eventually that pits the HTRFA - wielding its new power – and the people of Williamsburg who don’t want the development that the Authority plans next. Unfortunately, the people may be left frustrated when they realize the City Council already voted away their right to object to unwanted development.
(Update: 1-6-25 Headline was updated to clearly identify the piece as commentary)
George Arbogust is Founder and Editor of the Williamsburg Independent. You can contribute too! Send stories and ideas to contact@williamsburgindependent.com.