Council Approves Arts District Designation

By Amber Lester Kennedy Friday, February 11, 2011

A corner of Williamsburg will be designated as an arts district, following approval by the City Council at its Thursday meeting.

Council approved the proposal 4-1, with councilman Doug Pons dissenting. He objected to the location for the proposed district, and was concerned about the possible effects of more business coming into a residential area. Council approved the plan after tabling the issue at its Jan. 13 meeting, when several citizens complained they didn’t have enough information about the proposal.

The new arts district will be located in the area where Richmond Road meets Lafayette Street. Any individual working in what the city calls a “creative” business could benefit by locating his or her business in that corner of the city.

A zoning ordinance adopted in 2008 granted creative residents of that area the ability to sell their work from their homes. The arts district goes a step further, offering tax and fee reductions for arts-related businesses. Would-be businesspeople starting or expanding an arts business would also receive a five-year Business, Professional and Occupational License (BPOL), sales tax reductions and fee waivers for qualified businesses.

Economic Development Director Michele DeWitt has said the district is intended to revitalize the designated area in the city, support the city’s economic drivers and help fill commercial vacancies. The plan met criticism when a public information meeting was held on Jan. 31. At that time, several citizens questioned why the district designation was needed and whether it would be successful.

At Thursday’s meeting, Council members asked many of the same questions, discussing the matter for an additional hour. They established through their question-and-answer session with DeWitt that the district would not change anything about the current zoning, would not require anything from homeowners, landlords or existing businesses, and wouldn’t force student renters out of the area. The city would, however, require those taking advantage of the opportunity to sign a five-year agreement showing their intention to stay, rather than get “a freebie BPOL,” DeWitt said.

The area was chosen because of its location, sandwiched between the downtown area where Colonial Williamsburg and the College of William and Mary are located, and the Richmond Road area, where most of the city’s retail is located. Those areas are well defined, but the area in the middle could use more attention, said Mayor Clyde Haulman. Currently, 33 percent of the homes in the area are owner-occupied, and 18 percent of commercial business space is vacant.

Pons didn’t agree on the location, however. He envisioned an arts district where artists could live above studios and galleries, benefiting from heavy foot traffic. With that in mind, he wondered why the arts district wasn’t going to be located in the downtown area, along Prince George Street. His fellow council members challenged his thinking, saying the reason it wouldn’t be located there is because they’re trying to bring attention to another part of the city.

“This is an opportunity to overlay an ordinance over existing zoning and give property owners and tenants a choice,” said Paul Freiling, vice mayor. “The benefit is an additional choice, an additional opportunity.”