Haulman Highlights New Projects In "State Of The City" Address

By Amber Lester Kennedy Friday, November 19, 2010

Clyde Haulman delivered his first “state of the city” address as mayor of Williamsburg on Thursday night, highlighting recent accomplishments and projects on the horizon for the city.

Although the city is known for its meticulously preserved history, Haulman focused on the future development in Williamsburg. Some developments will be physical, such as planned sidewalk extensions, and others will be organizational, such as a new focus group that will develop a vision for the city’s northeast triangle of Capitol Landing Road, Merrimac Trail and Second Street.

Haulman’s speech capped a four-month process to develop the city’s biennial Goals, Initiatives and Outcomes (GIOs), which he called a “living document.” The GIOs outline the 50 desired outcomes paired with “observed results” that will help assess the city’s performance.

His speech noted the city’s ability to weather the financial storm of the Recession, taking advantage of low interest rates to refinance $10.5 million in outstanding debt in the bond market last month. The state of the city, he said, is “good.”

Many of the goals for the city are tied to finding a unified vision for the city’s identity, and applying that vision to future development. The city has identified three areas to focus its attention: the intersection where Monticello Avenue, Lafayette Street and Richmond Road meet; the “northeast triangle” encompassed by Capitol Landing Road, Merrimac Trail and Second Street; and the “southeast quadrant” owned by Riverside Healthcare Association, which will become “Quarterpath at Williamsburg.” In each section, the city hopes to ensure new development and redevelopment is done “with appreciation of our past and with the best practices of current urban design,” Haulman said.

Haulman also spoke of the city’s new effort to improve town-gown relations with the College of William and Mary by forming a Neighborhood Relations Committee that includes owner occupants, renters and landlords. Construction is also underway on Tribe Square, a mixed-use building that will house 56 students and provide more student-oriented retail along Richmond Road. He said the college’s President Taylor Reveley deserves much of the credit for the improved working relationship, saying, “In my memory, town-gown relations have never been better.”

Haulman received the most applause when he passionately advocated for the city to save the Country Road that connects the Historic Area to the Mounts Bay County Complex in Kingsmill. Ownership of the east end of the road reverted to Busch Properties, but the west end belongs to Colonial Williamsburg, which has pledged to deed the road as a hiking/biking trail if the municipal governments sign on to maintain the road. “This is an opportunity to create a recreational legacy for future generations we should not miss — a three-mile-long ‘linear park’ through priceless natural beauty,” he said. “Let’s get it done.”

He also gave a peek at the projects facing city leadership in the near future: occupation of the newly renovated Municipal Building; exploring an idea to replace the Stryker Building with a space shared between the city and the library; and working with the surrounding Historic Triangle localities to develop the 2012 Comprehensive Plans.

He closed by urging the audience to work together to make Williamsburg live up to its mission to become an “ever better place to live, to work and to enjoy life.”

“It is incumbent upon each of us individually and all of us collectively to be a part of and to strengthen the foundations of our community,” he said.