Lightfoot Marketplace is in the planning stages to replace the Williamsburg Outlet Mall. (Courtesy James City County)
Pending a decision from the James City County Planning Commission today, the Williamsburg Outlet Mall could move closer to demolition.
The commissioners will consider whether to recommend to the Board of Supervisors approval of a special use permit that would allow Lightfoot Marketplace — a planned development for retail and office use — to be constructed as currently proposed in the location where the outlet mall currently stands.
Lightfoot Marketplace would include a Harris Teeter and Walgreens, other retail stores and restaurants in a group of six buildings at 6401 Richmond Road — the intersection of Richmond and Centerville roads. Before Lightfoot Marketplace could be built, the project needs a special use permit from the county because the building area exceeds 10,000 square feet.
The project has gone three times before the Development Review Committee, which comprises four of the seven Planning Commission members, since June. In its last iteration, the project went before the DRC in November; that plan included six buildings, rather than the originally planned five, and a park. The plans face the full Planning Commission at its meeting 7 p.m. today.
The commissioners will hold a public hearing on the plans before issuing a recommendation to the county’s Board of Supervisors, which will have the final say in whether to issue the necessary special use permit.
If approved, the existing 230,000-square-foot outlet mall and its parking lot would be demolished, clearing the way for completely new buildings and pavement. The new six-building design would drop the overall square footage to a maximum of 136,134. The planned Harris Teeter would consume about 60,000 square feet and the remaining buildings would range from 10,000 to 20,000 square feet.
Under the new plan, trees and other plants would be planted around the exterior of the site, and the buildings would be built inside the plant line. Parking would be located in the center of the project, shielded from view to the road by the planned buildings. A small park would be constructed inside the development, with a sheltered bus stop.
The Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. today to take up consideration of the project. The meeting will be aired live online and on JCC TV channel 48. Meetings are rebroadcast on the Community Channel 46 at 8 a.m., 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. every Friday. The full meeting agenda is available online.
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