Marquis Crossing Heads to York County Supervisors: Townhomes, Sheetz and Commercial Development Proposed Across from The Marquis
By John Womeldorf, Mr. Williamsburg
August 17, 2026
A closely watched development proposal directly across the street from The Marquis shopping center will soon come before the York County Board of Supervisors.
At its Tuesday, August 18 meeting, the board is scheduled to hold a public hearing on Marquis Crossing, a proposed mixed-use development at 200 Water Country Parkway near Route 199 and Interstate 64.
To be clear, the proposed Marquis Crossing property is not part of the existing Marquis shopping center. It sits across the street from the retail center, on the opposite side of Water Country Parkway and Penniman Road.
The rezoning application submitted by landowner EAH LLC seeks authorization for up to 125 townhomes, along with a Sheetz convenience store, gas station and food-service use and a separate commercial site intended for a restaurant or fast-food establishment.
The property encompasses approximately 21.4 acres. Although it has a Williamsburg mailing address, it is located in York County and is therefore governed by York County’s land-use and zoning decisions.
The Marquis Crossing master plan dated June 26, 2026. The rezoning application seeks authorization for up to 125 townhomes, although this version of the conceptual plan depicts 123 residential units.
What Is Proposed at Marquis Crossing?
If the rezoning is approved, the development would include:
- Up to 125 townhomes constructed by Stanley Martin Homes
- A Sheetz convenience store, gas station and food-service use
- A separate commercial or restaurant site developed by Roka Partners
- A pocket park
- A community green
- A recreational trail
- Future bicycle-lane connections
- Landscaped buffers
- Approximately 10 acres identified as remaining open space
The residential section would be located primarily along Water Country Parkway and Penniman Road, with the proposed commercial uses positioned closer to Route 199.
Supporters argue that bringing additional residents to the area could provide more year-round customers for businesses at The Marquis and elsewhere in the corridor. The commercial components could also generate additional business and sales-tax revenue for York County.
The unresolved question is whether those commercial elements would actually be developed—and whether they would arrive before or alongside the residential portion.
Planning Commission Recommended Denial
The York County Planning Commission considered the proposal in July and voted 4-3 to recommend denial.
That close vote illustrates the competing considerations surrounding the property. The project would introduce new housing and commercial activity to a highly visible but underperforming corridor, but commissioners also questioned whether the proposal fully conforms to the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
County Administrator Mark Bellamy has also recommended that supervisors deny the application in its current form.
“In summary, there are positive features to this application, however, without guarantees that the commercial development will come to fruition before any residential development occurs, I cannot support the request,” Bellamy wrote in a memorandum to the board.
His concern is significant. A mixed-use development may appear balanced on a conceptual plan, but if the townhomes are constructed and the commercial sites remain undeveloped, York County could ultimately receive something substantially different from what was originally presented.
Bellamy also indicated that the application does not fully align with York County’s Comprehensive Plan.
The Planning Commission’s recommendation is advisory. The final decision rests with the five-member Board of Supervisors.
York County Ordered an Independent Financial Review
The Marquis Crossing proposal has received a level of financial scrutiny not typically applied to previous York County rezoning applications.
The developer submitted a fiscal-impact analysis examining the anticipated public revenues and expenses associated with the project. York County then hired TischlerBise Inc., an independent consulting firm, to perform a separate financial review.
According to information released ahead of the hearing, this is the first time York County has commissioned an independent analysis to verify financial projections submitted by a developer.
The review is expected to examine whether anticipated real estate, sales and other tax revenues would offset the costs of providing county services—including education, public safety and transportation—to the proposed development.
The independent findings are expected to be available when supervisors consider the application Tuesday.
Ron Struble, president of the Conserve York County Foundation, has described the county’s decision to independently examine the financial projections as a positive step. His organization advocates for more measured development and stronger protection of York County’s rural character and remaining open land.
Schools, Green Space and Historic Resources
Residents and county officials have raised several additional concerns, including the potential effect on York County schools, increased demand for public services and the loss of undeveloped land.
The property is also within the broader landscape associated with the Civil War’s Battle of Williamsburg. Much of that battlefield has already been altered or developed.
An archaeological assessment completed in 2015 by Circa Cultural Resources Management concluded that this particular site had been heavily compromised by surrounding development and contained relatively little remaining historical integrity.
That finding does not eliminate the broader concern about continued development of the battlefield landscape, but it suggests this parcel may contain fewer intact archaeological resources than other undeveloped portions of the battlefield.
The Marquis Has Never Fulfilled Its Original Promise
The Marquis opened in 2008 with expectations that it would become a significant regional shopping destination. Its location near Interstate 64, Route 199, Water Country USA and Busch Gardens appeared to offer enormous potential.
However, the shopping center has never achieved the financial success county officials, developers and investors originally anticipated. Two of its major retail anchors—JCPenney and Dick’s Sporting Goods—eventually closed their stores there.
One explanation repeatedly offered for the center’s uneven performance is the limited number of residents living close enough to support its businesses consistently throughout the year.
That is part of the argument for Marquis Crossing. Additional residents directly across the street could provide a larger customer base for The Marquis while potentially helping attract new restaurants and retailers.
But the history of the existing shopping center also explains why county officials want stronger assurances that the commercial portions of this new development will actually be built.
The Marquis occupies a highly visible location near Route 199, Interstate 64 and Water Country USA. Marquis Crossing would be developed across the street from the existing shopping center.
What Happened to the Proposed Sam’s Club?
There is another important piece of The Marquis story that longtime Williamsburg residents may remember.
Sam’s Club once planned a roughly 136,000-square-foot store at The Marquis. The proposed store was announced in 2014, and many people expected it to become a major new anchor for the shopping center.
The store was never constructed.
Sam’s Club eventually decided not to proceed, and its county approvals expired. However, Sam’s Real Estate Business Trust, a Walmart-affiliated entity used for Sam’s Club real estate holdings, continues to own the vacant property within The Marquis, according to current property records.
The outlined Sam’s Club-owned property is located within The Marquis shopping center. It is separate from the proposed Marquis Crossing development across the street.
In other words, Sam’s Club decided long ago not to build its Williamsburg store, but the company’s affiliated real estate entity still owns the vacant property.
That long-unbuilt site remains one of the most visible reminders of The Marquis’ unrealized potential.
The history is also relevant to the current rezoning debate. County officials have seen a major commercial commitment announced for this area before, only to have the store never materialize. It is therefore understandable that the county wants enforceable guarantees before approving residential development based partly on the promise of accompanying commercial investment.
Virginia Business reported the original Sam’s Club agreement in 2014.
What About Costco?
Whenever the future of The Marquis comes up, I inevitably hear the same question: Could Costco eventually open a Williamsburg store?
I am not a retail-site-selection expert, and I certainly do not speak for Costco, but I personally believe a Williamsburg location is extremely unlikely—especially given Costco’s major new investment just down the road in Newport News.
Costco is currently building a much larger Newport News warehouse to replace its existing store at Jefferson Plaza. The company acquired the former Ferguson Enterprises headquarters property near Jefferson Avenue and Bland Boulevard, less than two miles from its current location.
The former Ferguson office buildings—including a five-story structure—have been demolished, and construction is underway on an approximately 162,000-square-foot Costco warehouse.
The new location is expected to provide a larger store, more parking and additional gas pumps. The current Newport News Costco is expected to remain open until its replacement is ready.
The construction team has reported that it is working toward a November 2026 project delivery, although the store’s official public opening date could differ. WTKR has more information about Costco’s Newport News relocation, and the contractor has provided an update on the new warehouse’s construction.
This new investment is important when considering Williamsburg’s retail prospects. Costco is not abandoning the Peninsula. It is replacing its older Newport News warehouse with a larger, modern facility positioned to serve customers throughout Newport News, Hampton, York County and the greater Williamsburg area.
For that reason, I do not believe Costco will build another warehouse in Williamsburg. A Williamsburg store would likely overlap substantially with the customer base of the new Newport News location, which is only a relatively short drive away.
Could circumstances change someday? Certainly. Retail decisions depend on population growth, household income, traffic patterns, available land and corporate strategy. But with a new, larger Costco already under construction in Newport News, I would not consider Costco a realistic future tenant for the vacant Sam’s Club property at The Marquis.
That is my opinion—not a statement from Costco or confirmation that the company has formally ruled Williamsburg out.
A Substantially Smaller Residential Proposal
This is not the first effort to develop the Marquis Crossing property.
A previous proposal called for approximately 320 luxury apartments. In 2023, the Planning Commission recommended denial, and the developer withdrew the application before it reached the Board of Supervisors.
The current application replaces that apartment concept with no more than 125 for-sale townhomes.
Struble has said the revised plan is more palatable to the Conserve York County Foundation because it has a considerably smaller residential footprint. Townhome ownership may also create a different kind of long-term investment in the community than a large rental apartment development.
Marquis Crossing is the first significant rezoning proposal involving major new residential construction in the county’s more rural District 1 to reach supervisors since the board denied the Fenton Mill proposal in 2021. That project was reduced from more than 800 proposed homes to fewer than 300 before ultimately being rejected.
The Central Question for York County
There are legitimate arguments on both sides of this proposal.
Additional residents could help support The Marquis and other nearby businesses. The townhome plan is substantially smaller than the previous apartment proposal, and the project includes commercial uses, recreational amenities, buffers and preserved open space.
At the same time, the county must consider school capacity, public-service costs, traffic, historic resources and whether the commercial development will genuinely accompany the townhomes.
The history of The Marquis—including the unbuilt Sam’s Club—shows why commercial promises on a development plan must be supported by meaningful and enforceable commitments.
The central question for supervisors may be this: Is the residential component necessary to create a viable mixed-use corridor, or could York County end up with additional housing while the promised commercial sites remain vacant?
What Happens Next?
The York County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to meet Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 6 p.m. at York Hall, 301 Main Street in Yorktown.
The public hearing will allow residents, the applicant and other interested parties to address the board before supervisors deliberate and vote.
The board may approve the application, deny it, defer consideration or potentially approve it with revised conditions and development commitments.
Meeting information, agendas and supporting documents are available through the York County Board of Supervisors page. York County also publishes its meeting schedule and public notices online.
Whatever the outcome, the decision will carry implications beyond these 21 acres. It will provide another indication of how the current Board of Supervisors intends to balance housing demand, economic development, school capacity, fiscal responsibility, historic resources and the preservation of open land in upper York County.
Why I Write About Local Development
I have been a full-time Virginia Realtor for 25 years, and I write about local development because these decisions affect far more than the property directly involved.
A rezoning can influence traffic, schools, nearby businesses, housing choices, property values and the character of an entire community.
These issues can also be confusing because a Williamsburg postal address does not necessarily mean a property is located within the City of Williamsburg. Much of the greater Williamsburg area is located in James City County or York County, each with its own elected officials, zoning rules and planning priorities.
My goal is to help residents, homeowners and prospective buyers understand what is being proposed, what concerns have been raised and how they can participate before a final decision is made.
Every home has a story—and so does every neighborhood.
About the Author
John Womeldorf, better known as Mr. Williamsburg, is a longtime Williamsburg resident and a Realtor with Liz Moore & Associates. He has spent 25 years helping buyers and sellers throughout Williamsburg, York County, James City County and communities across Hampton Roads, the Richmond region and Virginia’s Northern Neck.
Liz Moore & Associates serves clients from its Williamsburg, Oyster Point/Newport News, Richmond/Short Pump, Kilmarnock, Virginia Beach and Northern Neck offices.
Have a question about Marquis Crossing, York County real estate or a possible move in the greater Williamsburg area?
John Womeldorf — Mr. Williamsburg
Liz Moore & Associates
Call or text: 757-254-8136
Email: John@MrWilliamsburg.com
Website: MrWilliamsburg.com
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