Town Crier Articles

Major housing developments planned adjacent to New Town - Westwood Park and Cardinal Ridge - as well as another near Toano continue to evolve, with the James City County Board of Supervisors decisions at their June meeting once again being deferred to await additional details from developers. Westwood Park’s public hearing will convene again mid-July.

 

Of major concern is the possibility of, yet again, extending Olive Drive in Charlotte Park to be used as a second entrance to Westwood Park. We had been assured previously by the developer this was a no go and in 2021 VDOT advised James City County that increased traffic through our narrow residential streets was going to be problematic! But there is strong sentiment among the Board of Supervisors that single access developments should not be allowed in the county.

 

Currently Westwood Park, which will abut Charlotte Park, is planned with a single entry from Discovery Boulevard. Another possibility was to create another entrance from Discovery Boulevard traveling eastward to connect with Tewning Road, but the terrain made this an expensive option and it is not clear whether the developer fully explored this alternative. Considering single-entry communities are not unusual and access from Discovery Park Boulevard is more than adequate, cutting a new road even just for emergencies where Olive Drive currently ends and begins, crossing our walking trail is totally inappropriate and should sound an alarm bell!

 

If an extension were to happen, traffic would most likely enter off Casey Boulevard onto Center Street, which is not that wide and then traffic would turn left at the pool, and then a quick right turn onto Elizabeth Davis Boulevard before turning right onto Olive Drive. Traffic could also come down Rollison Drive from Casey Boulevard with no stop signs, to the “extended” Olive Drive, or from Rollison Drive to Elizabeth Davis Boulevard’s narrow street, and then a right on Olive.

 

The potential impact to our neighborhoods with increased traffic, noise, pollution, heavy construction vehicles likely for years, and service vehicles, plus perhaps 1-2 homeowner cars and SUVs for the 139 new homes will present safety concerns at our community pool as well as the neighborhood in general. There are also impacts to wildlife such as the turtles and ducks, and yes deer, that often-cross Olive Drive. Not good!

 

Nothing is set in stone at this point and to be fair the developer’s application does not include a cut-through, but it’s imperative to remain vigilant and informed and to contact JCC representatives  (See https://www.jamescitycountyva.gov/212/Board-of-Supervisors or email jccboard@jamescitycountyva.gov) as well as our Homeowners Association Board members to let your voices be heard. Again, the County would have the right to take any land for a potential extension of Olive Drive, and the street is platted with a right of way “in order to provide ingress and egress to and from…adjacent parcels.”  The most recent Westwood Park application highlights that a second entryway was part of their original development plans “(this removed a planned access from Charlotte Park).”  What’s that saying, "it's not over, til it's over."

 

The Westwood Park development will affect us all but especially if a second Olive Drive entrance is required by the County - whether you use the pool, enjoy the trails here or participate in the social events in the common areas that offer respite and neighborly exchanges.

 

And then there’s the larger Cardinal Ridge development by D.R. Horton, a Texas based national builder who typically builds “spec” homes already outfitted for quick move-ins without customization, planning to build over 1000 homes and some commercial buildings on the Eastern State Hospital grounds opposite the JCC Recreation Center and the new county government center and public library currently under construction. More cars, more noise, and this will go on for years and years.