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WJCC asked to grant permanent stormwater easements at Stone House and Matoaka elementary sites
Summary
James City County stormwater staff requested perpetual easements on school property at Stone House and Matoaka elementary schools to satisfy Chesapeake Bay preservation requirements; administration said the easements impose use restrictions but would not be purchased by the county and would allow certain access and maintenance.
James City County stormwater staff asked the Williamsburg-James City County School Board to review requests for permanent easements at two elementary school properties — Stone House Elementary and Matoaka Elementary — to satisfy Chesapeake Bay preservation and stormwater requirements.
Marcellus Snipes explained that the county’s stormwater division is requesting easements in perpetuity that would place restrictions on portions of school property and grant the county access for stormwater management purposes. For Stone House Elementary, the easement would affect a tract at 3651 Rochambeau Drive (parcel 1310100020) and would convey 22.415 acres of permanent easement to the county; Snipes said the conveyance is at no cost to the school board.
When asked whether an easement would prevent a proposed pedestrian walkway from the Whitehall neighborhood to Stone House, Snipes said it would not categorically prohibit a walkway, but county permission would be required because the easement restricts vertical structures without the county watershed planner’s written consent. Michael Wilson of James City County Stormwater answered board questions about the purpose: the county said the easement was proposed as part of the school’s stormwater management when the property was originally developed and that ponds on the site are part of the management plan.
For Matoaka Elementary, Snipes said the easement is requested on the west side of the property near a ravine (parcel 363010001A) and likewise would be granted at no cost to the division. The superintendent recommended the board review both requests and be prepared to vote on the easements at the Aug. 19, 2025 meeting.
Decision status: board members reviewed the county requests; no vote occurred at this session. Administration said county approvals would be required for uses such as a publicly accessible walkway across the easement area.
