WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg City Council wants to create an outdoor area in Merchants Square at which alcohol can be consumed.
Currently, people can drink beer or wine directly in front of the restaurants from which they were purchased. With a designated area, people could drink — legally — at tables that have been placed in the center of Duke of Gloucester Street between Boundary and Henry streets.
Local jurisdictions are allowed by Virginia law to have up to three refreshment areas, according to city staff. With the go-ahead from City Council on Thursday, the city can now apply to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board for permission to create the area, which could take up to three months.
The city plans to ask that the outdoor area be allowed to operate from noon until 9 p.m. every day. General drinking rules would apply — nobody under 21, and drinks must be bought on premise and not brought from home. The drinks must also be in clear containers with the required labeling.
“This is a great opportunity when you look at just what’s happened in the downtown area with the placement of the tables and the chairs and just seeing people dine (and) recreate in that area,” Mayor Doug Pons said at Thursday’s City Council meeting. “This is just another added enhancement to the program.”
“This is something that we’ve heard from the community for a number of years,” Vice Mayor Pat Dent added. “I think it’s a great opportunity to give it a try and see how it goes.”
Also on Thursday, City Council allocated $89,970 from the Tourism Promotion Contingency Fund for an economic feasibility study on bringing a live performance venue to Williamsburg. The city also agreed to hire a development specialist, who will be able to work and collaborate on other city projects as well.
Pons said understanding the feasibility of a venue is crucial as the project moves forward.
The city is considering a 53,000-square-foot multipurpose performance center at the same location as the regional sports complex. The venue would be the second phase of the project to create recreational uses on 62.9 acres adjacent to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center, which the Historic Triangle Recreational Facilities Authority leases from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
The HTRFA this week went ahead with an interim agreement with MEB General Contractors to design the performance venue. MEB will develop 35% of the venue design drawings as part of the agreement.
“Completing the work of the Interim Agreement and the (feasibility study) will equip the HTRFA and the localities with the information needed to decide how and whether to advance this project to construction,” according to the HTRFA.
The process will also include soliciting input from various performance groups in the Historic Triangle “to ensure the facility design meets as many needs as possible,” according to an HTRFA news release.
City Council also voted to allow the HTRFA to move ahead with its borrowing plan to fund the regional sports complex. The city, James City County and York County will all contribute to the payments for the debt service.
In other business, the council lowered the personal property tax relief rate in the adopted fiscal year 2025 budget to 30%. The budget was passed with the previous year’s rate of 35%, because current information was not available at the time.
The newly adopted relief rate of 30% is retroactive to Jan. 1. That means qualifying vehicles worth over $1,000 will see a 30% reduction in taxation for the first $20,000 of the vehicle’s value that taxes need to be paid on. The personal property tax rate in Williamsburg is $3.50 per $100.
Sam Schaffer, samuel.schaffer@virginiamedia.com
