NE Triangle Group Discusses Infrastructure Improvements

By Amber Lester Kennedy Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Northeast Triangle Focus Group believes an investment in infrastructure improvements could lure developers to the northeast corner of Williamsburg.

During a two-and-a-half-hour meeting Monday, the members of the group debated how changes to infrastructure could potentially go further than zoning changes to convince developers to invest in the area. The northeast corner of the city is bounded by Capitol Landing Road, Second Street, Penniman Road and Merrimac Trail.

City Council appointed the seven-member group in December 2010, giving it a year to study the area and come up with a cohesive vision. That vision could include a marketable name, although the members said Monday they hadn’t come up with a better one than “northeast triangle.”

The group discussed the existing zoning ordinances in the area and whether the architectural review districts are appropriate. With input from member Jim Bennett, developer of a proposed mixed-use development off Penniman Road, the group determined existing zoning doesn’t seem to be a turn-off to developers as much as the process to apply for Special Use Permits.

Co-Chair Mickey Chohany, owner of Second Street American Bistro, said it seemed infrastructure was the bigger problem. He envisioned a “gas lamp district” or something similar, where the city could make the area a destination by installing attractive street lamps, landscaping and signage.

Planning Director Reed Nester reviewed some of the infrastructure projects the city would like to undertake that will help improve the area. The first priority is underground wiring for Page Street, Second Street and Capitol Landing Road. Page Street is already listed in the Capitol Improvements Plan for fiscal years 2012-14, at a cost of $620,000. Second Street would cost between $900,000 and $1.5 million, and 4,000 feet of Capitol Landing Road would cost between $1.6 million to $2.8 million.

Chohany pushed the group to recommend the city try to tackle all the projects at once, possibly obtaining funding through bond sales. “If we pay as we go, none of this will get done in the next 30 years,” he said. He went on to add, “Just by virtue of reworking the infrastructure, the businesses will start to invest in themselves.”

Other infrastructure improvements, if recommended by the group, could include better directional signage; intersection improvements, including the addition of a roundabout at the intersection of Capitol Landing Road, Page Street and Bypass Road; the addition of sidewalks and improved crosswalks; and the addition of bike lanes. The group discussed traffic issues at a previous meeting here.

Co-Chair Sarah Stafford proposed the group recommend the city hire a consultant who could help guide the implementation of some of the group’s ideas and goals. The consultant would hopefully also be able to provide cost estimates, she said.

During an open forum at the end of the meeting, Capitol Pancake House owner Dean Canavos repeated Chohany’s suggestion the city tackle the infrastructure improvements all at one time. “We gotta see the municipality take initiative,” he said. He urged the group to “be visionaries.”

At its next meeting, the group will discuss drafting a vision statement. Weigh in on the area’s development at the Northeast Triangle Group’s website.