Focus Group Seeks Name Suggestions for Northeast Williamsburg

By Amber Lester Kennedy Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Williamsburg residents are invited to come up with a name that perfectly captures the Northeast corner of the city.

The Northeast Triangle Focus Group had its second meeting Monday to hammer out the details of their first informational public meeting, to be held at 7 p.m. March 15 at the Williamsburg Community Building. City Council directed the focus group to come up with a vision for the area bounded by Merrimac Trail, Capitol Landing Road and Second Street.

The seven members of the group will spend the next year examining the land usage, transportation needs, design expectations and more of the residents and business owners in the Northeast part of the city. At the end of the year, they will deliver their findings in a report to the public, take comments and then deliver a final version to the Planning Commission and City Council. The report’s findings will be incorporated into the city’s next Comprehensive Plan.

On Monday, the group discussed its first mission: Naming the area. Establishing a recognizable, marketable name is important, said Economic Development Director Michele Mixner DeWitt. Members cited Norfolk’s Ghent neighborhood as an example, along with the developments New Town and High Street. The group acknowledged the trick to naming the neighborhood is that the area isn’t unified by anything — yet.

Early in the meeting, an audience member asked what “Northeast Triangle” meant. “Northeast Triangle has some advantages and some disadvantages,” said focus group co-chair Sarah Stafford, a member of the Planning Commission. “One is that it’s not an obvious name.”

She said that once the group chooses a name, it will stick. “Ideally, it will be a name that makes sense,” she said.

An audience member suggested the group turn to history for inspiration. The area is bounded by the Capitol Landing area, where Queen Mary’s Port was located when Williamsburg was founded. A name referencing those historical markers could be a good fit, she said.

The group agreed to solicit name suggestions from the public, starting at the informational meeting and continuing until a submissions deadline of March 28.

This week, the city’s Planning Department will mail postcards announcing the public meeting to 600 residents and business owners in the area. During Monday’s meeting, the group agreed to format the first informational meeting as an explanation of their purpose, primer on the area’s history and question-and-answer period with attendees. Subsequent focused meetings will likely be held with residents and businesspeople.

The Northeast Triangle Focus Group is co-chaired by Stafford and Mickey Chohany, owner of Second Street American Bistro. The other members are developer Jim Bennett, business owner Bobby Bland, Colonial Willliamsburg Foundation’s Director of Property Planning Tory Gussman, homeowner Sharon Caldwell and realtor Ed Richardson, a member of the city’s Economic Development Authority.

To follow the group’s progress, subscribe to the city’s E-Notify for the group. Read about the first meeting here.