- What would you like to see happen in Williamsburg?
- How do you think Williamsburg can best accomplish revitalization?
- How do you think the former Williamsburg School property should be used?
- What are your ideas to promote economic development?
- What strategic goals should Williamsburg prioritize for revitalization and economic development?
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Comment entry period is open until the 16th.
What would you like to see happen in Williamsburg? – I would like to see increased industry and investment in job production.
How do you think Williamsburg can best accomplish revitalization? To start, we need to select an industry and collectively invest. If we choose tourism, then we need several properties to actively invest towards air b-n-b’s, accommodations, and attractions. If we choose manufacturing, we need to actively seek out industries with multiple factories nationwide that are not within a 500 mile radius of our location that will need a labor workforce of a minimum of 35-50, like food packaging, warehouse distribution, product manufacturing, etc.
How do you think the former Williamsburg School property should be used? There are two options that I feel would be sustainable. Option one: brick up the windows and replace the doors, and rent as climate controlled storage. Option two: Renovate as small, income based studio apartments. These industrial renovations are wildly popular in metropolitan areas where low income housing, which brings a great deal of guaranteed revenue from Section 8 (HUD) housing.
What are your ideas to promote economic development? Investments take 5 years to realize a true profit or loss. There needs to be genuine investment. This can be a combination between private donations and grants. Depending on the industry selected, promotion will vary.
What strategic goals should Williamsburg prioritize for revitalization and economic development? Utilization of the school building to generate income to either repair or tear down the gymnasium, and investment in economic opportunities and high-school graduate education level jobs for local people. That means general unskilled labor, not tech. We need industries that will tap into what we have here, not result in importation of out of town labor, and turn an already stretched housing industry even thinner.