Town Crier Articles

On July 14th, the James City County Board of Supervisors (BOS) is scheduled to discuss the proposed Westwood Park development adjoining New Town. (Note that this Z-23-0004 rezoning hearing has been deferred on five previous occasions: BOS hearing advertised and opened on 10/14/25 and continued; 2/10/26 hearing deferred until April; 4/10/26 hearing deferred until May; 5/12/26 hearing deferred until June, 6/9/26 hearing deferred until July.)

 

ABVA submitted additional changes to its rezoning application in June 2026. Some key changes are reflected below, outlining the evolution of this rezoning proposal since its initial conception in 2021 as the “last section of New Town”.

 

New Town Pool Volleyball is back!  We play once a week, starting tonight, Wednesday, July 1, between 6:00 and 7:30. Everyone, who is at the pool, from older kids to seniors, is invited to play. No experience or swimming skills are necessary. We use a very light ball, an inflatable beach ball, and the main goal is to have FUN!  

 

Feel free to play regularly or occasionally.  

   

Any questions, contact, Liz Fones-Wolf at efwolf@wvu.edu.

 

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.

Leslie Lautenslager, an expert in international protocol, served as General Colin Powell’s executive assistant for twenty-five years and in that role experienced history in the making. In an enthusiastic presentation at the June 18th New Town talk, she helped bring this important figure to life describing, as she called it “the human side of General Powell.”  She shared behind-the-scenes and behind-the-headlines stories from the 25 years she spent working closely with Colin Powell.

 

General Powell was an important presence in the White House through multiple administrations. After serving as Ronald Reagan’s National Security advisor, he became the first African American and youngest Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff in George HW Bush administration, in which he played critical role in planning Operation Desert Storm against Iraq. During President George W. Bush’s presidency, he served as Secretary of State, the first African American to hold this important office.  In the wake of the 9/11 attack, Powell was tasked with building international coalitions and for creating support for America’s intervention in Iraq. 

 

Leslie began working with Powell in 1996 and ultimately was in charge of protocol, organizing his schedule and logistics, essentially his executive assistant or aide-de-camp. She described Powell’s leadership approach.  He expected his subordinates to honestly express their opinions about his decisions. He, in turn, trained Leslie and other staff members with formal “love notes,” which analyzed their performance and laid out his expectations. 

 

While he was trained in the military, in many ways Powell was the ultimate politician.  He was an impressive speaker, who could “command the room with his presence.”  We learned that Powell prepared meticulously for his speeches and diplomatic events. None of Powell’s thousands of speeches were written out, and he had such a command of his subjects that he rarely referred to written notes.  

 

At social and diplomatic functions, he knew how to work the room, moving through a crowd, interacting with as many people as possible and building rapport with each person. Leslie’s job in these instances was, if necessary, to run interference, and he and Lautenslager had secret ways of communicating during events.  In her talk, she also recounted how at times she saved Powell from embarrassing situations, such as the time when he opened the door to his hotel room and found a naked man asleep on the bed.   

 

Lautenslager also shared anecdotes about Powell that revealed his human side. She noted that while the world saw Powell as a distinguished diplomat, statesman and tough military leader, he was also funny, gracious and kind. Among friends and family, he was known for enjoying his comfort food, as a “car guy, and as a “terrible backseat driver.”  He also loved Broadway and the pop group ABBA and at one performance of the pop group was seated with Donny Osmond on one side of the aisle and Israel’s  Benjamin Netanyahu unexpectedly across the aisle.

  

At times Powell was a comedian and practical jokester.  Leslie shared the story of how as Secretary of State he invited the Secretary of Defense, the head of the National Security Council and several other high government officials to an elaborate formal lunch.  But when the food was served, on the plates were brown paper bags with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips, a cookie and yahoo chocolate milk.   

 

While most of Leslie’s remanences were light-hearted stories, she did note that although Colin Powell grew up in an integrated and cohesive South Bronx community, he was not insulated from racism. He graduated from City College of New York and earned his commission in the army through ROTC. His first assignment was at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and he was told not to stop on his drive to the base because there were only two hotels that accepted “colored people.” Once there, he was also told never to leave the base because the army could not guarantee his safety in Fayetteville. While Powell overcame most racial barriers, Lautenslager also recalled that in 2008, while Powell was in Hong Kong, he learned that Barack Obama had won the presidency in a landslide. At that moment he cried and said “Look how far we have come.”  

 

   

As a followup to Everett Lunsford's  April primer article on “New Town”, let’s focus on our homeowners association. There are four specific entities in the New Town Residential Association (NTRA).

 

The Board of Directors - this is the Association’s governing body. Who are we? Five volunteer members elected to staggered terms.

• Established by the Association’s Articles of Incorporation to serve Members of the NTRA
• Officers that legally represent the corporation, per the NTRA Bylaws
  • President (Must be a member of the Board)
  • Vice President
  • Secretary
  • Treasurer

• Fiduciary responsibility to the Association and its Members
• Formally makes decisions for the Association at monthly Board meetings

 

All homeowners should become familiar with the NTRA website which provides a wealth of information including a simple means of reporting problems of any kind through our ticketing system.

 

From the MENU, under the RESIDENTS tab, select “REPORT AN ISSUE.”  From the drop down menu choose  “STREETLIGHT PROBLEM.” 

 

Fill in requested information to help speed the repair:

• A pole number is attached near the base of every streetlight (see photo showing number 2 CB 1) that conveys information to the electrician who will be dispatched to change the bulb or for repair. 
• Noting the address of the nearest home or intersection is helpful, but the electrician really needs the exact pole number to match with the neighborhood wiring.
• Be specific with details if you are reporting something other than an electrical issue; for example, physical damage to the light pole, broken glass in the globe or a disconnected armature. The situation may require someone other than an electrician.

Also if you observe streetlights on during the day, note and report these also. We don’t need to burn these lights when the sun’s out after all we’re paying for the electricity!

 

Sometimes there may be a wait on the repair for efficiency reasons because items are batched together for correction. 

 

While this article addresses streetlights, please note to report a power outage call Dominion Power at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) or use the Dominion Energy app on your cell phone to report an issue. 

 

Keeping the streetlights working adds safety and security to our community, so thank you for keeping the lights on.

 

Do you know what to do if water suddenly starts spurting from a pipe in your bathroom? Yes, you can call a plumber, but your house may be flooded by the time he or she arrives. What should you do if you smell gas in the house or there is a fire? Also, what kind of home maintenance is necessary to prevent costly repairs and to meet NTRA guidelines? What can you do by yourself, even if you are not handy.   What basic tools are necessary?   

 

At the May 21st New Town Talk, these are some of the questions that JCC CERT member, NTRA Board member and jack-of-all trades, Jack Espinal, provided answers to an appreciative audience. In fact, one audience member had to leave early and requested that Jack give his talk again. 

 

The New Town Residential Association in association with the William and Mary athletics department held its Second Annual Baseball/Picnic Event! Under beautiful sunny skies, over 45 New Town residents attended the W&M baseball game against Elon University on Sunday, May 3rd for food, friendship, and fun. With a wonderful field level picnic area along the 3rd base line, community members enjoyed traditional baseball picnic food and had great views of the game. 

 

Did someone mention food?  Hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, apple pie, brownies, and more were provided by the Activities Committee. Several winners came away with some fun door prizes including a W&M Team poster signed by all of the players, and a basketball signed by the women’s basketball team and coaches.

  

Many thanks to the amazing volunteers from the NTRA Activities Committee as well as the other volunteers who helped organize and present another fantastic NTRA event. Thanks to the William & Mary Athletics office for all of their work and cooperation for another New Town/WM event. Thanks also to our volunteer photographers for these pictures!  

Look for more NTRA Activities Committee events coming up this summer, starting with the June 6th Pool Pizza Party!

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

A major issue for the greater Williamsburg/James City County area is the availability of affordable housing especially for service industry employees. As a mixed use community, New Town was built with commitments for its developers to provide a certain percent or number of homes for sale to households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income or to be sold at a set below-market price listed in the developer’s proffers. A total of 78 New Town lots were identified for these affordable homes. However, only the initial sale of the property was governed by these economic conditions. Over time, ownership changed and subsequent home sales rose to market prices.

 

What is the situation in New Town today? Of the 78 homes (locally referred to as cottages) built to provide mixed housing, only 34, including all 16 of the newer (2024) cottages in Shirley Park, are original owner-occupied. 19 cottages – including 7 purchased solely by investors even when originally listed as affordable housing – are rental units. The 37 remaining homes have resold as many as 5 times.

 

Beyond the purchase of a home, New Town is an HOA community with owners subject to annual dues/assessments. With the exception of Eagle Construction of Virginia who mandated that 3 Village Walk homes receive a 30% neighborhood assessment reduction each year, New Town’s developers did not provide any allowances for reduced assessments for owners of workforce housing. The covenants/governing documents for the New Town Residential Association require full general assessments for all owners.

 

If New Town’s experience holds, affordable housing without any time stipulations/obligations or assessment reductions, likely remains “affordable” only for a short period. Are there lessons to be learned for future mixed use housing developments?

 

Proposed Housing Proffers for Eastern State Hospital Developments (as of May 30)  

 

Per James City County’s website, “The purchasing power of highly paid workers and well situated retirees has driven up the average cost of housing and encouraged private sector development to focus on the more profitable end of the housing spectrum.”  To encourage developers to include affordable and workforce units, the county utilizes the following:  

• Expedited Permitting: Fast-track subdivision, site plan, and building permit processing for developments that qualify.
• Fee Waivers/Reductions: Potential to waive, reduce, or rebate development and permitting fees.
• Density Bonuses: Allowance for higher residential density in exchange for including affordable housing units in the Primary Service Area.
• Land & Cash Contributions: The county accepts land or cash contributions from developers of by-right and residential projects to fund dedicated affordable housing trust funds. (The planned James City County Community Land Trust seeks to create and preserve permanently affordable housing and community assets by leasing land for long-terms (e.g. 99 years) while selling homes on the land to income-qualified owners or organizations.)