This blog has been created as a format for public comment on the proposed construction of a Walgreen's Pharmacy and a second structure (possibly a bank) on the current site of the Lamplighter Shoppe and Cherry Realty on Jamestown Road opposite Colony Square Shopping Center. There will also be a stoplight installed at the entrance to Walgreens and Colony Square. (Please see the site plan below on this blog for more information.)
We hope to collect community feedback on this blog to share with the Jame City County Planning Commission and the James City County Board of Supervisors.
With this proposed plan, there are several major concerns that we would like community feedback.
1) Traffic Impact -Traffic on Jamestown Road is "at or near capacity" described by a county-hired consultant in a recent report.
2)Environmental Impact-Altering the landscape will increase the likelihood of flooding at James Square and St. Martin's Episcopal Church.
3)Lighting and Noise-The construction of a bank with a drive-thru automatic teller machine, will increase the light adjacent to homeowners throughout the night and with 24 hour car traffic. Because of security of these drive-thrus, very little buffering can be done with trees and bushes.
4)Community Character Corridor- Jamestown Road was established as a community character corridor which "defines the character of an area and warrants a high level of protection." How do we maintain this historic route?
Please add your comments and feedback on this proposed construction on Jamestown Road
Tab Broyles
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I cannot imagine how horrible another stop light would be. When the Ferry traffic that bogs down the flow every half hour encounters a stop light at the top of that hill, we will never be able to exit our driveway. In addition, there will be rear-end crashes constantly. There is already gridlock at the 199/Jamestown Road light every evening for about two hours. Adding another stop light is an insane proposition!!
ReplyDeleteWe are already suffering from run-off and more construction will seriously compromise what natural barriers we have left. The last thing we need on this side of town is another drug store. We have CVS up the hill, a drug store in Colony Square Shopping Center and another at Five Forks.
I could go on and on but feel the proposition is an awful one!!! Nan - Unit 25
I am strongly opposed to this proposal. Can you imagine a stop light to further bog down ferry traffic? We already have gridlock at the 199/Jamestown Road light several times a day! I can well imagine how many rear end collisions we’ll have as people fly down the hill and up only to encounter cars stopped at a light at the top of the hill!!!! Once a light is installed we will never, ever, be able to get out of our driveway! And why, pray tell, do we need another drug store in this area? There’s a wide area of empty space, already cleared, just past Lake Powell and the oriental rug place on the left on Jamestown Road…why don’t they consider that instead. There aren’t any stop lights near there which makes more sense – if they are that determined to put another drug store someplace… sigh…..
ReplyDeleteI can’t help wondering just how they would handle all the traffic from the second exit from the shopping center if they have a light at the other exit…. It will be a giant cluster. They will handle that mess about as well as they stop those idiots coming our way who are determined to try to cross 4 lanes of stopped traffic to get to the 7-11 store ---even though a huge sign tells them not to do so----so they do it anyway and block all left-turning cars coming from 199 to Jamestown Road! Once in a rare while we might see a police car there in Shirley Pewter’s drive to force them to move on – but not often.
I will attend the Public hearing and hope all of our neighbors in James Square will do so as well! Can we put flyers in doors to let them know how serious this threat is? I’ll be glad to help create them/distribute them whatever…..
Walgreen’s is convenience driven. Walgreens director of finance said it himself -- in and out of their stores in 6 minutes. Jamestown Road does not need another convenience store. Jamestown Road is not the place for convenience stores. Over the years, Walgreen’s has opened dozens of freestanding stores on Wal-Mat out parcels. Rumor has it; Wal-Mart wants to open a store over by the Presidents Park. If so, good place for a Walgreen's or just across the street near the Best Buy. Jamestown Road has enough traffic already.
ReplyDeleteIt is pure folly to construct one or two businesses side by side that generate constant traffic coming and going along a two lane road that carries traffic to and from the Jamestown Fort , National Park and Surry ferry . What were you thinking ? In addition to the traffic congestion has anyone considered the rainwater runoff from the large concrete parking areas and driveways . The community directly behind the the proposed consrtuction has a serious issue in that regard as it is . My wife and I and my neighbors vote "NO" to this proposed construction .
ReplyDeleteDurmon Arrington
23 James Square
Williamsburg, Va 23185
(I have added this entry to the blog because of difficulty entering this comment. I have the original dated email with the request from Durmon to post his comment for verification if requested. TAB-5/6/09)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI want to add my strong vote of NO to this stupid idea. The only beneficiaries will be the developers. There is no need for either a drug store or a convenience store in this location with CVS, Eckerd, and 7-11 nearby. The traffic on Jamestown Road is very dangerous as is. I for one was nearly side-swiped (my side mirror was sheered off by a speeding car!) a number of years ago. More recently, while crossing Rt 199 with my bike at Jamestown Rd I was nearly hit by a car. I beg the Board of Supervisors to stand up against this kind of needless and harmful development.
ReplyDeleteRobert D. Pike
118 Shore Drive
Williamsburg, VA 23185
There are two drug stores and a convenience store within a tenth of a mile of the proposed Walgreens. Furthermore, if a bank is also to be planned, there are at least two banks within the same distance. Adding a Walgreens and/or another bank would be absurd. The introduction of a traffic light at that point on Jamestown Road would be pure folly in view of the very heavy traffic from residential development and the Jamestown Ferry. Walgreens does not need to assert its dominance over CVS and Rite-Aid in our neighborhood. It is unwelcome here.
ReplyDeleteThe James City County Planning organization is obviously focused only on tax revenues. Why else add a third drug store within a half mile of two (2) other established drug stores. It will certainly be to the detriment of Rite Aid and CVS. Someone needs to go look at what a Walgreens site looks like in more commercially developed locations and then picture what that might look like across from a church and adjacent to a townhouse community.
ReplyDeleteAnd there is certainly very little consideration for the living environment or property values of the sixty-nine (69) residences in James Square.
As for the bank, if in fact it is a bank; as I remember it two (2) previous banks tried to succeed across from Colony Square and failed. So we build another bank building to fail and be left empty for some other undesired commercial operation. And only Bank of America remains.
The traffic light with the possible back up of vehicles in the dip at James Square's entrance will probably make an ideal location for rear end accidents.
Bert Axtell
2 James Square
(I have added this entry to the blog because of difficulty of the JCC resident in entering this comment. I have the original dated email with the request from Bert to post his comment for verification if requested. TAB-5/7/09)
We are totally against having a Walgreens built by James Square. It doesn't make any sense to add another drug store and tear up some more trees. There are already two drugs stores within eyesight. We say, NO WALGREENS!
ReplyDeleteJim and Diane Hurd
22 James Square
Build the new Walgreens in the available space at 5251 John Tyler Hwy.
ReplyDeleteWith all the vacant space in the shopping center around the corner at 5251 John Tyler Hwy., why would anyone consider building more concrete? Remember we should be recycling and reusing our precious resources and the current vacant space would be more than willing to accommodate a new tenant. Think both about the negative environmental impact of the new buildings, and the positive impact of reusing the current available space.
Dale Bull MS MT(ASCP)
59 James Square
Williamsburg resident since 1961.
I live in a subdivision off Jamestown Road farther south from the proposed site of this new construction. It is becoming more and more common to have to wait an incredibly long period of time just to exit my subdivision onto Jamestown Road (which is the ONLY way I am able to leave my subdivision). Just what we need is even more traffic to cause more congestion. Between traffic from the ferry, tour buses and commercial truck traffic, (not to mention the new housing development being built off of Spring Road) the traffic on this two-lane highway is nearing gridlock.
ReplyDeleteWe already have a serious problem with "ponding" near the Episcopal Church whenever we have rain, and more concrete will cause even more runoff to exacerbate that problem, as well.
More construction and more stores on Jamestown Road are definitely not what we need in this area. The same is true of a stoplight at the entrance to this planned construction. As others have already said, we have two drugstores and a convenience store within a very short distance from this location. A Walgreens is entirely unnecessary, as is another bank.
I urge the County Supervisors to reject this proposal both now and in the future.
I have been a resident of the residential community of James Square in the 1300 block of Jamestown Road for the past 8 years and have noticed in those years that we are indeed at capacity for traffic flowing on this beautiful historic route to and from the Jamestown Fort, National Park and ferry to Surry . I can not believe the JCC Planning Commission would ever be a party to one drugstore and bank trying to run other existing drugstores and banks out of business at the expense of the nearby residential neighborhoods especially in this area . I have every reason to believe that the Planning Commission will do the right thing and decline this application if they are concerned and listening to the nearby residential communities at all.
ReplyDeleteSandra Arrington ,
James Square
(I have added this entry to the blog because of the difficulty that Sandra had in entering this comment. I have the original dated email for verification if there is a question about this post. TAB-5/12/09)
I was in Kilmarnock over the weekend and there is a big new Walgreens and a CVS right next to each other on 200 north. Granted , this is a busier corridor than Jamestown Road, but the Walgreens looked awful. Ugly red brick and bright red plastic sign. Worse, in front on the road was a tall sign with an electronic green scrolling sign that read "Ajax Dish Soap 79 cents". My point is, if the developer wins, who controls what this thing is going to look like?
ReplyDeleteAn alternative to the proposed Wahlgreens must be found or the property should remain as is. The old trees should not come down, especially along this community character corridor. The potential for flooding is great and any activity on this property should guarantee against future flooding and compensation to the existing homeowners in James Square for any flood damage. Sarah Kadec
ReplyDeleteIn the past 2 years of residence in JCC, it seems the concept of "community character" has been all but abandoned by the supervisors. Development is going on all over despite vacant businesses, and now some developments are "on hold" because of the economy, resulting in properties that are eyesores. Williamsburg is a very special place and everything should be done to preserve that feeling. Stop cutting trees, stop development until existing vacancies are filled. Put Walgreens down at the Marquis - they can use all the tenants they can get.
ReplyDelete"To consider YET ANOTHER DRUG STORE at the intersection of Rt. 199 and Jamestown Road is an insult to the intelligence of the surrounding community, the Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors. With CVS already anchored at this very busy intersection, and a second drug store already located a few hundred feet down Jamestown Road at Colony Square Shopping Center, why would another be seriously considered? On the otherhand, Williamsburg Crossing Shopping Center, just a stone's throw behind the proposed Jamestown Road site, has vacant stores and building sites begging to be tenanted by a drug store since Berkeley Pharmacy closed after the death of the pharmacist/owner. This would be a MORE IDEAL SITE FOR WALGREEN'S, since it is opposite a thriving condominium development and directly on the road leading to/from Riverside Medical Center where patients see their docs, have outpatient surgery and are given prescriptions to fill! A private school is opening on one end of this shopping center, so parents dropping and picking up their children could also pick up their needed pharmaceuticals. On an environmental issue: a Walgreen's at this location would keep this shopping center from sliding into the decline that affects so many of Williamsburg's older retail centers. LAST BUT NOT LEAST - THE BUS SERVICE STOPS HERE!!! Seems like a no-brainer to me." Joan Lamberson
ReplyDelete(I have added this entry to the blog because of the difficulty that Joan had in entering this comment. I have the original dated email for verification if there is a question about this post. TAB-5/19/09)
At the hearing last night, something was said about the elevation of the low spot on the road compared to the elevation of the lowest house in James Square. After the noreaster, we wondered how high the water was over Jamestown Road. We determined the low point by rolling a ball down the sidewalk, then found the level of the floodwater by observing wash lines in the vegetation beside the walk. Using simple surveying techniques, we found that the difference was about three feet. Interesting!
ReplyDeleteThe problem with JCC apparently is that it does not have TOOLS in place to be able to regulate growth. This is a serious technical problem, if you consider it the job of local government to carry responsibility "to preserve and protect our assets for future generations."
ReplyDeleteBut this fine man who ended the hearing with a half-hour presumptuous lecture let us know that if we think that way we should move to Russia "cause this is a free country."
This is NOT a free country, that's just an empty phrase. In order to live together we need collaboration, planning, negotiation, organization, whether through government or as businesses. That is the essence of democracy, and it is needed to balance unrestricted capitalism where money and power rule.
Obviously the community does not see a need for Walgreens on Jamestown Road, and it would be contrary to JCC's goals to serve the community and to preserve historic Jamestown Road in particular, if this plan is not rejected. JCC needs to take its responsibilities serious.
James City Board of Supervisors:
ReplyDelete101 Mounts Bay Road
Williamsburg, Va. 23185
Esteemed Members of the James City Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission:
I recently attended a community forum where the topic of discussion centered on the building of a Walgreens drugstore and bank on Jamestown Road, within five minute walking distance of two other banks and drugstores. Needless to say the overriding response at the meeting to the developer’s plans was negative. Why build another oversize drugstore and bank when there already exist two of each?
The area buttressing Jamestown Road is steeped in oral tradition and history. It is where our forefathers founded the first English Colonies and established the seats of government at Jamestown and Williamsburg. It is where the Revolutionary War and Civil War engagements of Green Spring and Williamsburg were fought but a few miles distant. In the annals of American History, there is no other like it. Why continue to destroy land, that once developed, will never be replaced in its pristine state. Are there not enough vacant stores in this era of economic strife to accommodate Walgreens' desire to serve the public? Did not the building of New Town provide dozens of additional venues for our ever increasing merchants? When does building in the interest of commercialism take precedence over cultural heritage? How many drugstores and banks does this area need within a 500-yard radius? Are not the two already there, and others in the adjacent vicinity enough?
Ladies and Gentlemen, nowhere in this great nation of ours will you find an area so steeped in history, where the blood of our forefathers was shed to preserve the democratic ideals of liberty and freedom. In the interest of preserving America's cultural heritage, the residents of James City and Williamsburg ask you for once to put further development aside and preserve for future generations that land which our nation's founding fathers walked upon, and that which is sacred to all Americans. Millions of our countrymen and women have and will continue to traverse Jamestown road to visit the colonial villages of Jamestown and Williamsburg. Many others will come from lands afar. Let them not gaze upon modern development, but enjoy the cultural heritage of which they have read so much about and traveled so great a distance to see and remember.
The citizens of whom you serve, ask that you not grant the developer's request to build.
We further ask that you rezone this land and all land adjacent to Jamestown Road to residential for perpetuity, so that generations of Americans who follow may enjoy its richness and cultural beauty.
Respectfully,
John M. Lemandri
lemandri@msn.com
Not only is the proposed construction of a Walgreens Drugstore in the 1300 Block of Jamestown Road a bad idea, but the detrimental impact it would have on the environment and property values of the nearby residential neighborhoods would be immeasurable to say nothing of of the increased traffic in a corridor already at peak capacity . A Walgreens drugstore at the proposed location would benefit no one but Walgreens . D.L.Arrington
ReplyDelete(I have added this entry to the blog because of the difficulty that Durmon had in entering this comment. I have the original dated email for verification if there is a question about this post. TAB-6/05/09)
Durmon Arrington
ReplyDelete23 James Square
Williamsburg, Va. 23185
May 30, 2009
JCC Planning Commission
101 Mounts Bay Road
Williamsburg, Va. 23187
Dear Commission Members ;
When I relocated to James City County 8 years ago from Virginia Beach I thought I was buying a home in quiet residential setting along Jamestown Road. I had no idea that little thought had been given by the JCC Planning Commission to changes in zoning ordinances that needed to be implemented years ago still were unaddressed. If I may be bold enough to suggest that instead of "putting out fires" you folks actually take a really good look at the zoning map and start rezoning parcels of land that are not zoned in the interest of the public . That is your job. I am sure you would not have allowed a Walgreens to even be considered to be built in the 1300 block of Jamestown Road and you know all the reasons why , if you had changed the zoning years ago . You now have a chance to correct bad zoning decisions from years past so please do not allow a Walgreens Drug Store to be built in my back yard . Thank You . Durmon Arrington , 23 James Square , Williamsburg, Va. 23185
(I have added this entry to the blog because of the difficulty that Durmon had in entering this comment. I have the original dated email for verification if there is a question about this post. TAB-6/05/09)
All of Jamestown Road from the College to the ferry (except between CVS and St. Martin's) is one of the few pleasantly scenic main roads left in the area on which to live or drive. Don't let commercial interests destroy it. County officials care nothing about "community character." Since traffic is already a major concern,adding more would be a tragic mistake. If these buildings are allowed to be built, the next thing you know someone will have the bright idea that the additional traffic generated by them is such that the road cannot handle the greater volume so the road needs to be widened!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry there are plans to add more traffic problems to our area. This added light system will make things so much worse than they already are on Jamestown Rd. And we do not need another drug store in that area! There are Rite Aide and a CVS stores within a quarter mile of that site!
ReplyDelete