Kingsmill homeowners respond to Escalante plans for development

Overview
Over the past several months, the elected members of the KCSA Board of Directors and
members of the Strategic Planning Working Group have listened to both Escalante
representatives and Kingsmill residents regarding Escalante’s preliminary plans to further
develop the community. It is clear to us that there is a need to balance the interests of both
organizations in order to better serve the community, promote the lifestyle expected by
residents, and support the development needs of Escalante to ensure a healthy and viable
Resort.
We disagree with and have questions about parts of the conceptual plan as submitted
to the James City County planning staff.
To that end, we recognize and support the following:

• Need for reasonable residential development to sustain a vibrant community and ensure
  increasing property values.
• Community’s desire to retain the natural setting and design concepts of the original
  master plan for Kingsmill on the James.
• Importance of the “soccer field” as a central venue for Kingsmill recreational and
  community events.
  Escalante’s Commitments and Efforts
  Escalante is making efforts to improve the Resort and the Kingsmill community. This is
  illustrated by the following:
• Escalante has committed to investing $25 million in the Resort upgrades, starting with a
  renovation of the sports club and resurfacing the tennis courts.
• Escalante owners and staff held an open house to share and communicate preliminary
  Resort and real estate development plans.
• Escalante has made commitments to the community to help build an alternative athletic
  field, gatehouses, and entrances.
  All these plans and commitments are recognized as Escalante’s desire to maintain the viability
  of the Resort, develop real estate, and increase club memberships.
  Maintain the Kingsmill Community Design and Future Development
  As cited in the original developer’s promotional brochure, “Kingsmill was built around one idea.
  Mother Nature. Mother Nature made Kingsmill a beautiful place to live. And in the design of
  this resort/residential community, great care was taken to complement the natural advantages
  of the land.” (Washington Post, 1976, see attached brochure)
  Kingsmill, a forerunner of HOA communities, was conceived as a “community in a park” with a
  centrally located resort, championship golf courses, and multiple tennis courts. In architectural
  publications, Kingsmill has been cited as an example of blending a community into a park-like
  setting. Some examples include:
• Kingsmill entrances have setbacks a quarter of a mile from the connecting highways.
• None of the main arterial roads are open to residential driveways.
• All multifamily parcels, except the Enclave, have setbacks from the roads, interior open
  greenspace, and amenities, e.g., a swimming pool or tennis court.
• All multifamily parcels, except the Enclave, contain off-street parking.
• Minimal removal of trees to create buffers
  Kingsmill residential properties have higher price-per-square foot sales than other similar
  Williamsburg area properties largely because of the park-like community setting and design.
  Our Views on Moving Forward
  As we approach the 50th anniversary of Kingsmill, we need to grow and refresh the existing
  infrastructure. Association residents are diligently reserving funding to upgrade community-owned properties. Escalante has also made commitments to rebuild Resort amenities and has
  prepared a real estate development plan that includes refreshing Kingsmill entryways, building
  new gatehouses, and developing 240 new residential homes.
  This preliminary development plan has been commented on in the summary report based on
  feedback from 220 residents who attended KCSA’s community meetings. Based on this
  feedback and our own observations, we are requesting the following modifications to the
  proposed Escalante conceptual real estate development plan:

1. Retain the soccer field, pavilion, and historic buildings as central open greenspace for
   the community to continue to enjoy as they have for many decades. This site was
   actually promoted in the attached marketing publication for Kingsmill as the “Kingsmill
   Athletic Field.” Past developers recognized the significance of this land to Kingsmill
   residents and chose to plan their real estate development in other areas, such as the
   Woods Golf Course.
   This objective can best be achieved by transferring the soccer field, pavilion, and
   surrounding open greenspace to KCSA for use as the Kingsmill Community Park. The
   cost to improve and maintain this property is far less than all other alternatives.
   Transferring this property to KCSA will reduce the footprint for the proposed Frances
   Thacker Homes development to the current areas of employee parking, maintenance
   shop, and dump site near the cell towers. As an alternative to single-family homes,
   Escalante might also consider building multifamily residences. This will greatly reduce
   the traffic and safety concerns of the surrounding neighborhoods and allow the soccer
   field, pavilion, and historic buildings to remain community amenities.
2. Take advantage of the strong market appeal of building homesites at the Woods Golf
   Course, as reported by Escalante’s current real estate marketing opportunity analysis
   report (RCLCO, June 2021). There are many advantages to consider:

• Lower housing unit density in River Course 5/6 and Wareham Pond Estate Lots
  and still achieve the goal of building 240 units by building next to the Woods Golf
  Course.
• Reduce traffic concerns on Wareham’s Pond Road by opening another gate at
  the end of Busch Road and providing a third access to Kingsmill.
• Minimize clearing trees that are currently acting as a buffer to the brewery and
  amusement park.
• Retain the original design integrity and natural feel of the Kingsmill community.

1. Redesign the development plans for River Course 5/6 by reducing housing density and
   adding ample setbacks, adequate buffering, off-street parking, and more open
   green space. The new plans would be much more acceptable to the Kingsmill
   community, and more than likely the County, which must approve rezoning plans. The
   importance of adding and retaining adequate buffering to the brewery for light and
   sound reduction can’t be over-emphasized.
2. Reduce the number of Wareham’s Estate Lots, especially those beginning at the Woods
   Golf Course turn-off, in order to maintain adequate buffering to the amusement park and
   retain the natural beauty of the Country Road.
   Alternative Sites for Open Space – Areas 2 and 13
   Area 2 and 13 have significant drawbacks to development as the Kingsmill Community Park
   and represent a costly option. As natural open spaces, these areas provide buffers to Rt. 199
   and McLaws Circle in addition to protecting the Country Road. It is our opinion that the land is
   best served as perpetual open spaces for the Kingsmill community. Accordingly, we are
   requesting the land be transferred to KCSA.
   Summary
   Our objectives are to represent the best interests of the community and support the financial
   viability of the Resort. We believe our changes accomplish these objectives. We want an
   opportunity to negotiate our requested changes in order to gain community support.
   We look forward to your response