Town Crier Articles

 

New Town can be a confusing place if you have an issue or are trying to contact the responsible party for a street, sidewalk, BMP (best maintenance practices for storm water) or other public area. As a mixed use community, it is not always obvious why our homeowners association can’t fix something. 

 

For example, recently a homeowner asked why certain intersections around Settlers Market have no street signs. Good question, and we have reached out to James City County for an explanation. You see the Settlers Market area is controlled by CPT Settlers Market LLC including the two BMPs adjacent to Village Walk.  James City County requires street signage, and whether these intersections were included in the plans for the area is a JCC accountability issue.

 

David Carter, former LAC Chairman, has spent considerable time to outline who is responsible for the various areas around Village Walk. He notes that Village Walk’s BMPs are designed to capture, filter, and distribute rain runoff from Settlers Market shopping center and are essentially part of a larger storm water management system. So while they look like they are part of New Town, they are not.

 

The wooded areas along Casey Boulevard are another mixed accountability situation. Settlers Market owns a long stretch of the property along the hill with New Town Associates owning the lower area. The street and sidewalks are the responsibility of VDOT. So why do commercial and heavy industrial vehicles park along this stretch of Casey Boulevard? These are public roads subject to VDOT and James City County police jurisdiction. Cracked sidewalks on Casey Boulevard and elsewhere are similarly VDOT’s responsibility to maintain.

 

How can you find out who is the responsible party? Check the James City County property website for information on ownership of particular locations. As an example of what you can find through JCC, pictured below is information (courtesy of David Carter) on land on the West side of Casey Boulevard owned by CPT Settlers Market LLC. 

 

(Note: The Town Crier featured a story in May 2021 on the streets and sidewalks in New Town. See “I’ve Got a Sinking Feeling.”)