JAMES CITY — A new government center should be three stories high with about 160,000 square feet of space, along with an underground parking level. And it should be welcoming to county residents who use it.
That’s what the James City County Board of Supervisors said last week it would like to see in a new center, which continues to go through the design process. The proposed center would be built on land near the county’s recreation center.
“This building is really planned for the next 40 to 50 years,” architect Brad Sipes said. “We’re getting an idea of how much they need for the next 50 years.”
Sipes, a principal with the Guernsey Tingle architect and design firm who presented to the board, said his company is partnering with other architects to tackle the large project of designing the government center.
The update comes after about four months of speaking to different county departments to assess their space needs for the incoming center. The county also continues to seek input from residents online.
To be located across Ashbury Lane from the county recreation center, the new government center is expected to cost between $80 million and $150 million, although the cost and size could change depending on whether a school administration space is included. It will consolidate county services into one location instead of being spread out over multiple buildings, as is the case now.
Rising maintenance costs and difficulties in the current facilities led to the decision to pursue the new center, with the funds for the project coming from the county’s capital improvement plan.
The next step in the design process will be for the firm to work on the appearance of the center over the next few months before coming back for more direction from the board.
“Now that we know that the building footprint’s generally right, that the square footage’s generally right and that they want us to limit it to three stories tall, now we need to figure out what the building really looks like,” Sipes said.
The county’s Law Enforcement Center, which houses the James City County Police Department, was consistently referenced as a possible guide for design. Board members generally said they would like to see a new government center have a modern yet traditional appearance.
The Law Enforcement Center comprises two large sections of brick building that are broken up by an entryway with large walls of glass that clearly indicate to visitors where the entrance of the building is.
Supervisor Michael Hipple said he thinks that model of traditional yet modern architecture is “kind of becoming what James City County is.”
Supervisor John McGlennon said that while he liked the look of the LEC, he wanted to put a focus on the experience of the residents.
“What I would like to see in the building is a structure that is warm and welcoming and not intimidating,” McGlennon said. “When you come into a building where the government’s providing services for you, you want to make people feel comfortable.”
Any building with a large number of windows should be sure to be fortified in case of hurricanes or other weather, added board Vice Chair Jim Icenhour.
Overall, the project is still in the very early stages of the design process, and it’s unclear when exactly the new center will be finished. Hipple said it will be worth the wait.
“This is not going to be cheap,” he said. “But in the long run, it’s not going to be cheap to fix all these dilapidated buildings we have in James City County.”
Residents can continue to submit input online at jamescitycountyva.gov/4082, by email at jccgovcenter@jamescitycountyva.gov, by phone at 757-259-4004 or by mail to James City County, ATTN: Brad Rinehimer, PO Box 8784, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8784.
Sam Schaffer, samuel.schaffer@virginiamedia.com
