Williamsburg paid $121K to settle development cancellation
Happy February 2! Williamsburg releases settlement with local developer after losing Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. Two local legislators file bipartisan bills to push technical training.
Williamsburg agreed to pay a local developer $121,838.78 to cancel a contract selling city land on Strawberry Plains Road for a proposed townhouse development.
The city turned over the November 2024 settlement agreement to local resident Robert Lee Wilson, after losing a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit Wilson filed last month in Williamsburg-James City County General District Court. Wilson forwarded a copy of the settlement to Williamsburg Watch, and you can download it at the end of this article.
The origin of the case dates back to June, 2022, when the city entered an agreement to sell 13.9 acres at 180 Strawberry Plains Road to Cale Development for a high-density townhouse development. After considerable protest from William & Mary faculty and students, and a rejection by the city planning commission, Cale withdrew its proposal and the city cancelled the agreement.
Last month the city announced it would turn the land over to William & Mary as part of a land swap that will allow the city to expand the Cedar Grove Cemetery.
Wilson asked for a copy of the termination agreement under Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act in December but was turned down by the city. City attorneys said it was exempt from the FOIA law under a clause that protects attorney work compiled specifically for use in litigation.
Judge Matthew D. Danielson, a 9th circuit judge sitting in on the case, ruled the city was unable to provide any case law to support its refusal to provide Wilson with the termination agreement.
A city spokesperson told Williamsburg Watch the city turned down Wilson’s original request because both parties to the settlement had agreed to maintain it confidential.
“The City has never been concerned that the release of the settlement would reveal anything other than a fair and lawful resolution to a contract dispute,” Nicole Trifone told us in an email. “However, the City was bound by a confidentiality clause, which is a standard and powerful tool for achieving swift and reasonable resolutions in matters that may otherwise result in litigation.”
The judge’s order had given the city 30 days to appeal the case.
Wilson said such an appeal would have opened the door to discovery that would require the city to provide more details about the Strawberry Plains deal.
“I believe that there was more to the history of the deal that hasn’t been disclosed,” said Wilson, who is a frequent critic of what he says is lack of transparency by the city with its taxpayers.
Local legislators file bipartisan effort to promote non-college career training
A bipartisan effort by two local legislators to push for more non-college career training options has advanced in the current General Assembly session.
Del. Jessica Anderson, D-71, and Sen. Danny Diggs, R-24, introduced bills that would create a clear accreditation pathway for non-degree workforce training programs under the department of workforce development.
Both bills have been referred to committee for further action.
Anderson and Diggs both told a meeting with the Greater Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce last month that employers have a critical shortage of potential employees with the technical skills needed to do everything from repair HVAC systems to weld ships.
At that Jan. 7 meeting with the chamber, all the area’s legislators agreed the state needs to do more to train young people for high-paying technical jobs that do not require a college degree.
Anderson said a majority of high school students in the Williamsburg-James City County school system who apply to the regional New Horizons technical training center cannot get in.
The two legislators’ bills include provisions to make accredited training programs eligible for state and federal workforce funding, including the federal Workforce Pell Grant.
Anderson’s bill, HB 551, is now in the Professions/Occupations and Administrative Process subcommittee of the House of Delegates.
Diggs’ bill, SB737, is with the Senate’s committee on General Laws and Technology.
York County chair: personnel and capital spending will be main budget focus
York County Supervisors will be focused on capital spending and personnel during this year’s budgeting process, Chair Douglas R. Holroyd said in his monthly email to his first district constituents Sunday.
The county has been delaying or removing projects to keep capital spending costs flat, Holroyd said, but it is now facing the need to expand the courthouse, and become the regional center for a new drug addition and rehabilitation court, he said.
County staffing has essentially remained flat the past three years, Holroyd said. A consultant who evaluated county staff pay is recommending raises to make York competitive with neighboring localities, which will add to budget pressures.
The supervisors spent Friday in a daylong retreat discussing economic factors impacting the county, and Holroyd said they asked for an evaluation of the county’s bond rating to determine the best way to borrow for capital spending.
Holroyd said he has been asked if the county uses bottom-up or zero based budgeting in setting its annual spending plan.
He said areas like schools and public safety, which take the largest share of the county operating budget, start with a bottom-up review. Zero-based budget review starts from scratch, but Holroyd said that was impractical because “we are mandated to provide public safety and education services.”
Any changes proposed to the budget then complete a zero-based review, Holroyd said.
There will be town hall meetings for public input March 31 and April 2, and another public hearing April 21 before the budget is adopted.
Taxpayers can see budget information on the county website, Yorkcounty.gov.Budget, and email comments to bos@yorkcounty.gov.
Government meetings this week that affect you
The Williamsburg-James City County school board will meet Friday morning with James City County’s Board of Supervisors and the Williamsburg City Council to present their proposed budget of more than $200 million.
The meeting starts Friday at 8:30 a.m. in the Stryker Center, 412 N. Boundary St.
James City County
Planning Commission: Regular meeting, Feb. 4. 6 p.m. 101 Mounts Bay Rd., government center board room.
Williamsburg
Williamsburg Public Arts Council: Meeting rescheduled from prior month. Feb. 2. 2 p.m. Large Conference Room, 401 Lafayette St. municipal building.
Board of Zoning Appeals: Regular meeting. Feb. 3. 4 p.m. Stryker Center
York County
School Board: A special meeting is on the calendar for Feb. 4. 9 a.m. School Board Office, 302 Dare Rd. Agenda not disclosed.
Board of Supervisors: Regular Meeting. Feb. 3. 6 p.m. York Hall. Supervisors will vote on clarifying the rules making all of Back Creek, Chrisman Creek, Goose Creek and Wormley Creek no-wake zones.
Passings
New Horizons has been great for my senior. He’s learning a great trade.
Incredible work uncovering the details behind this settlement through FOIA litigation. The tension betwen confidentiality clauses and public transparency in taxpayer-funded deals is somthing I've seen play out similarly in other municipalities. It's interesting how often agencies default to confidentiality without testing exemptions in court first.