New sports center working through parking charges for out of town event participants

It's Aug. 14. Sports & Events Center has to reach agreement with Colonial Williamsburg before moving ahead. Del. Mark Downey jumps into 2-way race against Sen. Danny Diggs, primary may result.

From left...Center has 300 spots, overflow goes to CW Visitor Center, which charges $10 a day (Williamsburg Watch photos)

The Greater Williamsburg Sports & Events Center is just a few months old, but parking availability and costs are becoming an issue.

The agency that runs the center is looking at charging out of town visitors to park. But first it needs to negotiate terms with Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which owns the ground where the center sits. And officials want to make sure parking fees don’t drive away potential events.

Members of the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority, which owns the center, discussed options at their monthly meeting on Wednesday. They all stressed that they did not want to charge local residents of the three localities that run the authority, just out of town visitors.