York is final locality to OK funding agreement for regional sports center in Williamsburg

YORK COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — York County supervisors have approved funding to help with operational costs for the new $80 million sports center planned for the Colonial Williamsburg Visitors Center.

The vote was 3-2 on Tuesday night, with supervisors Stephen Roane and Walter Zaremba voting no. York was the final of the three Historic Triangle governments to give their approval, after Williamsburg and James City County voted last week to OK their portions.

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Under the agreement, York County taxpayers would pay a minimum of $300,000 and a maximum of $800,000 annually over the life of a 35-year term.

Overall local leaders have acknowledged the 200,000-square-foot facility will operate at a $300,000 to $400,000 annual loss, but it’s expected to generate an additional $1.3 million in additional tax revenue and fill 42,000 rooms annually at local hotels.

Supervisor Stephen Roane Jr. before voting no said he had concerns about the payment model and its sustainability, and said he doesn’t think there’s enough return on investment for York residents, who will be able to use the facility on weekdays as part of the agreement.

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“I know there’s supplemental use of the facility for county residents, which is great,” Roane said. “But it’s supplemental, we will never be building this just for that purpose. That’s icing on the cake, and I don’t believe we’ll ever get enough uses out it to justify the expenses that we’ll be paying for it.”

“We’ll be paying anywhere from $10.5 million to 28 million on this plus debt services,” he added. “That’s a lot of money … I gotta ask myself what else could we do with that money? What if we injected that money directly into the businesses that exist today up and down the county that will see more benefit down here than just up there?”

Now that all three localities have approved their financing agreements, they’re expected to move forward with building the facility, which could open as soon as 2026.

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