Tourism Zone

Overview

In Jan. 2012, the Board of Supervisors adopted a Tourism Zone that encompasses all of James City County. As part of the County’s continued commitment to this important industry segment and to our existing businesses, the County has established a Tourism Zone. The zone boundaries include all of James City County and provide incentives to both new and existing qualified businesses. Potential incentives include a reduction of selected development fees, a Business, Professional and Occupancy License (BPOL) grant, a Business Tangible Personal Property grant and Expedited Review.

A tourism business is defined as a business whose primary purpose is to provide tourism products, processes or related services and establish a desirable destination to attract tourists from outside of the community and create an environment for those visitors that will deliver a memorable experience or promote educational opportunities and increase travel-related revenue in James City County.

Incentives

In order to qualify for local capital investment incentives, a business must make a capital investment of $350,000 or more in a tourism-related project in the County. Capital investment is defined as money used for land improvement, building, infrastructure, machinery and tools or business personal property.

Select Development Review Fees Reduced

Select development review fees (not including James City Service Authority) will be reduced by 50%.

Economic Development Authority of James City County (EDA) Grants

Five-year declining grants equal to the improvement value of the business tangible personal property assessment and/or the business professional and occupancy license for qualified capital investments made to tourism-related businesses.