Town Crier Articles

Eastern State Rezoning Deferred to Allow For Comprehensive Plan Land Designation Change

Posted on November 1, 2025 6:47 AM by Mary Cheston

The James City County Board of Supervisors (BOS) has not yet taken any legislative actions on the two pending development projects for Eastern State Hospital surplus land.

ABVA Westwood Park Development

Jim Icenhour, BOS Chair, announced at the scheduled October 14th public hearing that the Westwood Park applicant had requested a postponement.

In an October 14 email to the JCC Director of Community Development, ABVA’s attorney requested that the “Board of Supervisors defer this case until its February 10, 2026 meeting. We look forward to participating in the Comprehensive Plan discussions that will take place in the meantime.” BOS voted to open the public hearing and then postpone any staff presentations until this February 2026 BOS meeting.

Following this agenda item, a planned public hearing on the Comprehensive Master Plan Land Use designation change for the Parcel C Eastern State Hospital property was similarly opened and then postponed until the December 9, 2025 BOS meeting. When the JCC Master Plan was updated in 2021, it retained the designation of Public Lands for the Eastern State property given the limited available information on the potential impacts of a land use change to Mixed Use. (Note: the BOS had postponed action on this Parcel C land use designation change in April 2023 until a rezoning application was submitted for consideration. ABVA’s formal application (Z-23-0004) for Westwood Park in May 2023 triggered the need for a Master Plan revision.)

In preparation for a December 2025 BOS vote, the Supervisors held a short discussion of the Eastern State Master Plan land use change at its October 28th BOS business meeting. JCC Staff had prepared a memorandum explaining that geographic specific language could be adopted for both Mixed Use and Economic Opportunity districts. The Chair requested that staff develop additional information on the different levels of mixed use, including the “economic opportunity designation” that might be applied to Eastern State Parcel C. Supervisors expressed concern that there was too much residential coming to the area – both from a traffic congestion and economic diversity perspective. Per their discussion, the County needs to find a balance that is “truly mixed.”

The Westwood Park development rezoning public hearing was called to order and remains open. Residents who have not previously commented may still submit written comments or plan to speak at the February 10, 2026 BOS meeting. Similarly, the Master Plan land use change hearing also remains open and additional public comments may also be considered at the December 9th BOS meeting. The address for comments is: Community Development, 101-A Mounts Bay Road, P.O. Box 8784, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8784 or email: community.development@jamescitycountyva. gov

Latest DR Horton Cardinal Ridge Application Revisions

The larger 368 acre rezoning application, (Z-23-0008) Cardinal Ridge on the northern side of Eastern State hospital has completed four JCC Planning Department reviews. (For background, see Town Crier August 2025 and April 2024 issues.)

Over time, DR Horton has adjusted the proposed density of its Cardinal Ridge development to reflect housing for the Hope Family Village complex that is part of this parcel. As currently drafted, Cardinal Ridge would contain:

“no more than 1,006 residential dwellings (the “Residential Units”) constructed on the Property, of which no more than 450 of the Residential Units shall be apartments, no more than 262 of the Residential Units shall be multi-family, and no more than 321 of the Residential Units shall be single-family detached. The non-residential development within the portion of the Property designated Commercial on the Master Plans shall not exceed 100,000 square feet of floor area.”

In this housing mix, the proffers anticipate 126 affordable housing rental units.

In its August 2025 proffers, DR Horton is requesting that the County approve, establish and fund “a Community Development Authority to fund the design, right of way acquisition (if any) permitting, and construction of all of the transportation improvements” required at the site.

These revised Cardinal Ridge proffers also add a proposed contribution to JCC’s stormwater restoration fund so that the County could address stormwater management issues with the site.

“The Owner shall make a contribution to the County in the amount of $1,250,000.00 (the “Stream Channel Restoration Amount”) for stream channel restoration to be conducted by the County on or in the immediate vicinity of the Property”

JCC Staff referenced and linked this proposed DR Horton stormwater contribution to Westwood Park’s situation in its report to the BOS suggesting collectively addressing issues with the Powhatan Creek watershed. Essentially both of Eastern State’s developers are offering funds that the County could leverage and apply to obtain additional State grant funding. Combined, such funding “would come close to fully covering expected costs for the stream restoration project, as the stream exists today.” Without all three sources of revenue, staff stated that the costs for stream restoration on the Eastern State Hospital land would exceed available County revenue and alternative plans would be needed.

DR Horton is working with JCC staff and VDOT to address their latest comments related to drawings, density, construction phasing and traffic. If the applicant responds soon, the Cardinal Ridge rezoning process could go to public hearing at the JCC Planning Commission’s December 3, 2025 meeting leaving the possibility that both developments would then come before the BOS at the February 10, 2026 meeting.

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