Staff urges council to fold parts of 2018 Downtown Vibrancy Study into comprehensive-plan update

Williamsburg — City staff asked the Williamsburg City Council on Jan. 9 to accept a final review of the 2018 Downtown Vibrancy Study and to direct which recommendations should move into the city’s upcoming comprehensive-plan rewrite.

The staff presenter, introduced at the meeting as Miss Adams (and later referenced by the mayor as "Miss Matsumoto"), said a staff committee reviewed the study and categorized recommendations into three buckets: items to include in the comprehensive plan, items to implement in the near term, and items staff recommends not pursuing. "Staff was charged with conducting a final review of the 2018 Downtown Vibrancy Study and identifying any remaining implementation steps," the presenter said.

Key recommendations staff asked council to consider for the comprehensive-plan update include updating B‑1 zoning to allow additional housing types such as townhomes and stacked townhomes, permitting mixed-use buildings fronting Scotland, Prince George, Francis, Boundary and Henry Streets, and considering a density increase for specified downtown fronts. Staff also recommended modernizing ARB (architectural-review-board) design guidelines to allow architectural elements that "contrast but also complement" the colonial-era character.

The presenter highlighted completed and ongoing projects, including wayfinding work funded by a TDF grant awarded in 2019 (master plan presented in 2022) and a 2023 TDF grant to fund fabrication and installation of pedestrian and parking elements; staff anticipates installation in 2025. On tourism and street life, staff noted outdoor dining and added street furniture have increased pedestrian activity downtown.

Staff flagged several near-term implementation items: a text amendment to B‑1 that would restrict parking as a principal use (limiting it to rear yards), move storage and off‑street parking to accessory uses, and require service stations to seek special-use permits. Staff also proposed including concepts for a premier entertainment district around the Triangle Building and exploring redevelopment of the "blatant" building site for mixed use, including the possibility of recruiting an urban grocer (a suggested 30,000-square-foot store) as part of a larger redevelopment.

At the same time, staff recommended that some ideas not be pursued immediately, such as gateway features that risk visual clutter and certain micro-retail pavilion installations, while leaving open the option to revisit those ideas during the comprehensive-plan process.

Council members commended the work and noted that many of the recommendations are appropriately addressed through the comprehensive-plan rewrite. Members asked staff to consider additional streets (several councilors mentioned Armistead/Armstead Avenue) and emphasized intentionality about what to pursue now versus what to move into the comprehensive plan. Staff said this final implementation plan is intended to be retired after the council provides input and the comprehensive-plan process advances.

Votes at a glance: the meeting approved prior meeting minutes and later adjourned by roll call (see meeting actions). Staff will return for further direction and to present any formal text amendments or project-specific proposals if council requests them.