Forty Properties, Hundreds of Acres For Auction

Saturday, November 06, 2010

The Ware family, longtime local residents and entrepreneurs, will be auctioning off more than 40 residential and commercial properties on a few hundred acres in and around James City County in what the auction company is calling a once-in-a-decade real estate sale event.

Martha Ware, 89, is selling the Ware family trust properties through Express Auctioneers Linda and Larry Makowski on November 13. Some of the properties include the family’s 25-plus acre Anderson’s Corner holdings, which cover two corners of the intersection of Route 60 and State Route 30; the 25-acre Colonial Towne Plaza property, which is home to the Williamsburg Brass Shop; and the family’s 109-acre farm off Mt. Pleasant Road.

According to Martha’s son W. Walker Ware, some of the properties up for auction can be sold in smaller parcels, and some will be sold at absolute auction, meaning there will be no minimum bid.

The family trust will keep what doesn’t sell, according to Walker. He is considering leaving the county soon, though he’s not sure where he’ll move to yet, he says. Martha Ware told WYDaily in a previous interview that she plans to stay in the area.

According to Linda Makowski, one site that could be auctioned in one large piece or in separate parcels will be the 109-acre farm. It can be split into nine parcels. All the lots being sold (including the farm acreage) are buildable, she says.

Though the county purchased the Taylor Farm at Anderson’s Corner not long ago as greenspace, Assistant County Administrator Doug Powell says the county isn’t pursuing the Ware family’s Anderson’s Corner property this time around, or any of the other properties for sale.

All the properties are currently available for purchase through online auction, which will end one hour prior to the live auction set to begin at 11 a.m. on November 13 at Ware Creek Real Estate in Lanexa. View the AuctionZip.com website for details on the sale and contact information for Makowski. Bidder's packages with detailed information on each property are available.

The properties for sale include:

Hicks Island, waterfront peninsula, 14 acres that lead to Chickahominy River

Hicks Island, waterfront, 4 acres, deep water

Turners Landing, 3 waterfront, 3-4 acre lots, deep water

Diascund Point Trail, 2 creekfront, 2+ acre lots

Queens Lake, waterfront, West Queens Dr. home, 2.5 acres, leads to York River

Diascund Reach, 100 acre farm, Mt. Pleasant Rd

7600 Ruthville, 28 acre farm

Colonial Towne Shopping Center, Route 60, 25 acres (commercial)

Anderson's Corner, two corners, 25+ acres, (commercial)

Antique Barn, Route 60 west, one acre, (commercial)

15300 Pocahontas Trail, office, one acre, (commercial)

13493 Pocahontas Trail, home, 7 acres

3550 N. Courthouse, home

902 Jackson Dr., House, one acre

Good Hope Landing subdivision, 3-5 acre lots

Good Hope Road, 26 acres

Homestead Road, 15 acres