Williamsburg City Council approves ordinance amending minimum lot size

An ordinance amending the City of Williamsburg’s minimum lot sizes was approved via second reading last week, which is expected to allow for expedited construction of new homes within the city limits.

The Williamsburg City Council met for a special-called meeting Wednesday, Aug. 30, for the ordinance’s second reading. A first reading was held during the council’s regular monthly meeting the Monday prior, but did not require a vote. Council members in attendance voted reluctantly, but unanimously, in favor of the change.

According to the ordinance, the minimum lot required for a single-family home will be reduced from 6,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet and the width of the minimum lot size for a single-family home will be reduced from 60 feet to 50 feet. Additionally, the minimum lot size for a duplex will be reduced from 10,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet and the width of the minimum lot size for a duplex would be reduced from 100 feet to 50 feet.

The ordinance only pertains to areas that are within the R2 residential zoning districts and only affects future builds.

Mayor Roddy Harrison stressed that the change is strictly for the minimum a lot can be. Lots can be bigger than the listed dimensions, but must at least meet that threshold. Additionally, the amendment does not impact current setback requirements, parking requirements, etc.

While not written into the amended ordinance, Harrison said that he expects to present the council with a resolution during next month’s meeting to require the Williamsburg Planning and Zoning Commission to reevaluate the issue by August 30, 2025.

“That gives a time for some building to occur, for us to look at the effects of it and let them revisit it at that time,” said Harrison.

Harrison noted that he expects an influx of construction, as there have been individuals waiting for the lot requirement to be reduced so they could start building.

“The biggest benefit, right now, is the fact that most of the lots that we’ve looked into are 50 feet wide lots. For some reason—and I’m not sure why because I wasn’t around at that time—back in the early ‘90s, the lot size was at 50 feet and it was changed to 60 feet,” said Harrison. “Most of the lots that people are wanting to develop on are 50 feet, and so we were kind of hamstringing builders because they couldn’t meet the lot requirements. They needed 10 more feet.”

Council member Richard Foley made the initial motion to approve the ordinance, with council member Laurel West seconding it. Council members Loren Connell and Mary Ann Stanfill were not present for the meeting.

According to Harrison, approximately 53 percent of Williamsburg is zoned within R2 residential districts.

Anyone living within an R2 district who would like to prevent duplexes or other apartments from being built in their neighborhood, they can petition for the area to be designated as an R1 district, which doesn’t allow such structures.