Eco Discovery Park President Steve Rose continues to try to negotiate a deal with James City County to purchase the land where the park is located.
Eco Discovery Park’s lease for land owned by James City County was set to expire at the end of last year, however a three-month extension will keep the park open through at least March as the two sides continue to negotiate a sale price.
The park, a nonprofit organization offering kayak and bike rentals and a marina, is set on a 37-acre parcel of land adjacent to Jamestown Settlement and the Colonial Parkway. Park President Steve Rose has operated the park since it opened in 2012.
Rose and the county have been negotiating a purchase price for the land. The nonprofit needs to own the land in order to apply for grant funding and establish partnerships with other companies, two things Rose says are necessary for the park to remain open. The three-month extension was granted by the county to continue negotiations.
Rose said Tuesday he is working with the Williamsburg Land Conservancy to try to find a way to move forward with a purchase of the land, known as the Jamestown Yacht Basin.
The park and the conservancy are investigating the possibility of buying the land and placing a conservation easement on it — a tool used to preserve the character of land by prohibiting most development — which could then be used to potentially generate tax credits to help pay the purchase price of the land.
The county put the land up for sale last year. The park’s $250,000 offer was the only proposal received by the county, and it was declined because of the gap between that figure and the $3,540,400 the land is believed to be worth by county real estate assessors.
The county bought the land in 2006. Along with the county-owned Jamestown Beach Campground and Chickahominy Riverfront Park, the basin was purchased to provide open space for county citizens and tourists and to maximize public access to the waterfront, according to a 2009 master plan for the sites.
The land currently houses a marina and four buildings, one of which the park uses to rent out the kayaks and bicycles. There is also a paved area for parking. Rose said in October that only about seven of the 37 acres of land associated with the property are usable for development.
Jamestown Discovery Boat Tours, a separate company from the nonprofit park, sails from the yacht basin and provides tours of Jamestown Island and its surrounding waters. Another company, Chesapeake Experience, offers kayak tours of nearby waterways from May through October.
Rose has a larger vision for the park, which includes a trail system winding through the wooded part of the property. He wants to establish exhibits along the trail detailing recycling, sustainable composting and issues affecting the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
So far, Rose has relied primarily on word-of-mouth advertising to promote the park. He said rental numbers have increased each year, mostly during the summer months. In 2014, more than 1,500 people rented bicycles and kayaks during the year.
Rose said the park has been successful with couples visiting the Historic Triangle and with local grandparents looking to spend time with grandchildren.
“Some are visiting relatives who live here and may have their own bikes, but they don’t have bikes for the grandkids or their kids,” Rose said. “They’ll rent a few bikes and can all go out on trails together.”
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