By Desiree Parker
Monday, August 23, 2010
The privately owned Pottery Factory along Richmond Road is gearing up to announce a $20 million “renewal project,” which they’re calling “a Revolutionary Evolution.”
Though the attorney representing the Pottery owners said he couldn’t comment on the development until a press conference next week, James City supervisors in 2007 approved a plan for a new 161,000-square-foot retail shopping center on just under 19 acres of the Pottery Factory land.
There is currently more than 173,000 square feet of retail development on the land. At the time of approval, planning commissioners and staff had a few reservations about the plan because the buildings in the plan were arranged in a line, in “strip mall” fashion fronting Richmond Road, due to the planned grocery store parking accommodations and lot shape. (Click here to see the 2007 plan.) Staff also noted that the entire area is zoned for mixed use, and they “would hope that the Williamsburg Pottery, should it ever fully redevelop, take into consideration other uses as well as commercial.”
At the time, the applicant said the project wasn’t feasible if it had to fully comply with the county’s comprehensive plan objectives. Besides having some strip-commercial characteristics (something noted as undesirable in the comprehensive plan), the 2007 application also had a reduced Community Character Corridors buffers. The applicant had offered proffers that included enhanced landscaping along the buffer, Route 60 median landscaping, five “pocket parks” at the entrances to draw attention away from the large parking areas, and a row of shade trees in the parking lot.
Both the planning commission and the board of supervisors unanimously approved the special use application and the rezoning master plan.
At the end of the month the owner will hold a press conference to share their new plan, “A Revolutionary Evolution.”
Patti DeBlass, owner of Schmidt’s Flowers and Accessories a few storefronts down from the Pottery Factory, says she doesn’t know what the new plan is, but she’s excited to find out.
“It would be nice to see something get done there,” she says. “We were excited about the plan last time [in 2007].”
DeBlass says the improvements made so far on the property over the past few years have been positive ones. “It will be nice when it’s a destination [again],” she says. “We’ll have a better chance of more people stopping by.”
DeBlass says she and her husband feel a connection with the Pottery Factory, because both businesses started in the 1930s and have been around ever since.
“We have a long history with them, and feel camaraderie.”
The current Pottery Factory retail area covers 200 acres of land with 32 buildings. The entire site is about 1,200 acres, which spans both James City County and York County. Local media reported in 2008 that the Pottery Factory was for sale, but President and CEO of Williamsburg Pottery, Kim Maloney, responded at the time that the business wasn’t for sale, only that the company was considering its options regarding the land holdings.
At its peak, the Pottery Factory boasted millions of visitors per year, and in 1993 Amtrak began a dedicated stop at the location, which they later discontinued.
James Maloney started the business in 1938. After his death, his second wife, Kim, took over the business.
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An elected official where I grew up is behind 50,000 dollars on his property taxes dating back to 2001 -- says it's nobody's business as long as he gets around to paying them sometime.
Empty storefronts aren't generating rent to pay for property taxes. As long as the taxes are being paid, I guess the owners can let them sit empty. If the taxes aren't being paid, what is the county doing about it?
The plan approved 5 years ago is essentially yet another strip shopping mall.
We've got too many of those already, even if they're completely filled, especially on that stretch of Richmond Road.
But I understand that it's private property and an owner should determine what goes on the land.
To me, it's like an obese friend deciding to have a banana split for dinner. It might be his right, but is a trip to Dairy Queen really a good idea?
Developing an alternative use to yet another strip shopping center -- with the landowner's participation and approval -- would be a great idea.
On the other hand, if you gotta build another strip shopping center, well there are worse locations than that one.
We Don't need anymore outlet stores not everyone can shop these stores during hard times.......... .
Yes, back at ya! Exactly...that' s what zoning rules are for and if something is zoned for commercial development, like the Pottery, then commercial development is what will be developed. And if there is a piece of green-space that was purchased by someone knowing that that piece of property is zoned commercial, then that owner should be able to build a commercial development...r egardless of other commercial developments in the area. That's just the way it is. Again, if you don't like it, buy it and do nothing with it. But until then, it's not your land to do with it what you'd like done.
So why not just line up the gas stations, car lots or ugly big box stores.
You all who are crying "private property" will be screaming about UGLY!!! and move on to another area yet unspoiled after you have ruined ours.
What's wrong with forcing developers to use the land wisely - that's what zoning laws are for.