Since James City County’s Development Review Committee first heard plans for Lightfoot Marketplace in June, the designs have been updated to include a six-building development and a small park.
On Nov. 13, the DRC met for the third time to review the plans for Lightfoot Marketplace, a development planned to replace the Williamsburg Outlet Mall, which is slated to close at the end of the year.
Paul Gerhardt, a Kaufman and Canoles attorney, and Tom Tingle, president of Guernsey Tingle Architects, are working on the project for Williamsburg Retail Investors LLC. Gerhardt and Tingle have represented the project at three DRC meetings: June 26, Aug. 28 and Nov. 13. Additionally, Bonstra | Haresign Architects, AES Consulting Engineers, Ted Figura Consulting, Bryant B. Goodloe PC and Armada Hoffler Properties are providing services for the project.
When Lightfoot Marketplace first came up for review in June, it was planned to be a five-building development that would require the outlet mall building to be torn down. In the plans were a building for a grocery store, a pharmacy, and three buildings for retail or restaurant uses. The original plan included five buildings that would total 120,000 square feet and incorporated landscaping and a stormwater retention pond to reduce the amount of pavement by 20 percent. The existing outlet mall is about 230,000 square feet.
At the June meeting, the DRC members requested a sustainable design — one that could possibly achieve Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design certification. They also requested the architectural style to remain consistent for all buildings involved in the project rather than adapting from three different styles for the five buildings.
In August, Tingle returned to the DRC with designs better synchronized among the five buildings and also improved the connectivity within the development by laying out the buildings around an internal parking lot. In that same meeting, Gerhardt said they had been working with Williamsburg Area Transit Authority to figure out how the development and the transportation service could work together.
On Wednesday, Tingle and Gerhardt returned to the DRC with a list of changes made to the Lightfoot Marketplace plan since August. The biggest changes immediately noticeable when comparing the August aerial view to the November one are the difference in the number and shape of buildings and a small interior park, called Marketplace Green.
The latest plan keeps the same layout for a grocery store — listed in the plans as a Harris Teeter — with an optional 5,000-square-foot future expansion, a square building in place of the almost-L-shaped building, a second square building and three rectangular buildings. Though the plans add a sixth building, the overall square footage remains the same as two of the original buildings are now planned to be smaller to make room for an additional one.
As it stands now, the planned square footage is not to exceed 136,134 square feet. The approximate square footage estimates as of Wednesday are: up to 59,000 square feet for the Harris Teeter, one 10,000-square-foot building, two 15,000-square-foot buildings and two 20,000-square-foot buildings. On Wednesday, Tingle said Walgreens would be a tenant in one of the buildings.
One building in the original plan, planned to be located behind the existing McDonald’s, was intended to be a restaurant space but is now intended to be primarily retail. In its place, a building along Richmond Road, next to the proposed pharmacy, is likely to become a restaurant.
Two buildings along Centerville Road could include restaurants, and are intended to be multi-tenant buildings with retail and office uses possible, as well. The proximity to Thomas Nelson Community College and the Warhill Sports Complex were listed as draws for those buildings being used for restaurant space.
In the center of the proposed development is a planned Marketplace Green, which would be a 0.4-acre open space with walkways, a decorative paved area for cars to cross, and a shelter or gazebo for the WATA bus stop.
Tingle said the greenspace added “a little more heart to the site.”
Roadways within the development were reconfigured, as were sidewalks, to provide more connectivity and ease of transport within the shopping center.
Sidewalks are planned to connect around the outside of the shopping center with a planned multi-purpose path along Centerville Road.
Tingle addressed the DRC’s previous comments about LEED certification on Wednesday, saying the group decided to use the LEED scorecard system to document sustainable design within the project, but will not seek LEED certification. LEED comes with a heftier price tag and some tenants may not be able to pay the additional cost to rent a LEED certified space. Instead, the development will strive to achieve at least 90 percent of what is required to become LEED certified.
DRC member and Planning Commissioner Rich Krapf had concerns about the green design aspects, saying he did not think enough had been done on the Lightfoot Marketplace plan in that regard. He said the location is strategic, located on two community character corridors and this development is the “cookie-cutter” development seen all over the county when it could be something new and unique.
“It seems short-sighted in a lot of respects. … I just don’t think it’s there yet as far as a project,” Krapf said.
On the other side, DRC member and Planning Commissioner Mike Maddocks was impressed with the project plans.
“What a wonderful improvement to that site. I’m excited. I think it’s progressive, I think it’s hip, I think it’s tasteful and I look forward to going out there when it’s done,” Maddocks said.
The DRC was not scheduled to take action on the plans, but tasked with reviewing the plans and providing feedback. A special use permit for the project has been submitted to the county and will eventually go before the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors for review, but first the plans will likely return to the DRC.
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