Some Neighbors Object, York Approves Hornsby House B&B

By Matt Poms Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Residents of historic Yorktown engaged in what felt like a civil war Tuesday night during a hearing to add a business to the village.

The York County Board of Supervisors sided with a prominent Yorktown family in approving plans for a new bed and breakfast in the historic Hornsby House on Main Street. It will be the village’s sixth such establishment. Fiercely opposed was a vocal segment of Yorktown residents, who argued that allowing the business would change the character of the town and pave the way for increased commercialization.

Supervisors voted unanimously to confirm the plan of brothers David and Phil Bowditch to turn their longtime family property into a bed and breakfast that would accommodate guests in five separate rooms. Supervisor Walt Zaremba abstained due to previous business dealings with the Bowditches.

“In my mind, preserving history is by using the place,” Supervisor Thomas Shepperd said before the vote. “You don’t preserve it by shrinkwrapping it. You try to preserve as much as you can, but you allow the internal parts to live. We’re not building a Walmart; we’re talking about a bed and breakfast.”

The plan had previously earned the endorsement of the county’s Planning Commission by a 4-2 vote. The Virginia Department of Transportation had approved a proposal to allow guests’ cars to bypass the vehicle barriers erected at each end of Main Street during tourist season, and the proposal had the backing of Colonial National Historical Park Superintendent Dan Smith, who lives across the street from the property.

The Bowditches also found support in the Yorktown Master Plan, which states that “Bed-and-Breakfasts would also be desirable on Main Street and should be economically viable.”

But many residents had different views. Twenty-six individuals spoke at the public hearing, 15 of whom were against the plan. Concerns ranged from the alleged corruption of the town’s historic nature, to the additional parking and traffic flow created by the bed and breakfast. Some cited the Bowditches’ intended use of a live-in manager - instead of residing on-site themselves - as problematic.

“We as stewards must protect this village from further commercial encroachment on its history,” neighbor Linda Bennett said. “A bed and breakfast that is owner-occupied remains a residence; it is part of its neighborhood. This proposal would not remain a residence, but a commercial establishment. Approving this application would set a precedent to further degrade the historical nature of York County.”

Next-door neighbor Katie O’Hara expressed similar misgivings.

“There is no similarity to the other three B&B’s in the western, business half of Yorktown,” O’Hara said. “This is a business operating a commercial inn with a paid, non-family member as the manager. Negative impact on my quality of life and the value of my property would be most likely.”

Others supported the plan, citing evidence that it would drive additional business to Yorktown, as well as highlighting historical precedent for businesses in such a spot.

Ultimately, the Board downplayed the threat to the town’s historic nature while approving the plan with only one amendment, mandating that a sign advertising the business be placed on adjoining Smith Street, instead of Main Street.

“None of us want change, but this is a living, breathing village,” Supervisor Sheila Noll said. “There is going to be change.”