James City County's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this week to approve a $1.5 million construction contract for a new skatepark at the Warhill Sports Complex, setting in motion a project that residents first pushed for five years ago. The new Warhill Skatepark will rise off Stadium Road, replacing the county's existing bowl-style park that closed last October after more than two decades of use.
The vote came Oct. 27, according to The Virginian-Pilot, which reported that the board's decision clears the way for Spohn Ranch Skateparks, a California-based firm specializing in skatepark construction, to build the new facility. The old park, built in 2001, operated at the James City County Recreation Center on Longhill Road for more than 20 years before it shut down in October 2025.
That original facility was a 10,000-square-foot bowl-style setup with ramps and jumps, and county officials had described it as well-loved but dated. “We currently have great attendance at our current skate park, but it's a little behind the times,” a county official told Williamsburg Yorktown Daily, which also reported that nearly half of the public feedback collected during the area's master-plan process favored building a skate park.
A Long-Requested Upgrade Takes Shape
The push for a bigger, more modern facility dates back to 2021, when residents asked for an expanded skate park during the county's master-plan update, according to the same official account. James City County's parks and recreation department has since worked through the planning process with Spohn Ranch Skateparks, engineering firm Kimley-Horn and Associates, community members, and the nonprofit Triangle Skateboard Alliance, the county notes.
Reports on the new park's size have varied. The Daily Press reported in October 2025 that the planned facility would measure around 15,000 square feet, while the Virginian-Pilot's more recent account puts the figure at nearly 18,000 square feet. Either way, the upgrade represents a significant expansion from the 10,000-square-foot original, and it's designed to accommodate skateboarders, BMX bikers, rollerbladers and other users of all ages, the Daily Press reported.
County official Alister Perkinson said the new park will be built for “all wheels,” according to the Virginian-Pilot. Public interest in the project has been steady since the planning stages, with about 50 people attending each of two community workshops held to gather input on the design, per the Daily Press's reporting.
Timeline Still Coming Into Focus
Exactly when skaters will get to use the new facility remains somewhat unsettled. The Daily Press reported last October that the county's goal at the time was to open the park by the end of 2026, but the Virginian-Pilot's more recent reporting indicates construction is expected to start in November or December 2026, with Perkinson saying the project should wrap up by spring 2027.
The James City County Parks and Recreation Department has said it prioritized building a new park in part because the aging Longhill Road facility had become increasingly difficult to maintain. Skate enthusiasts in the Historic Triangle region have said more skate parks are needed locally, a sentiment that echoes plans taking shape elsewhere in the area.
Neighboring York County Eyes Its Own Skatepark
Just across the region, York County has floated the possibility of adding a skatepark as part of a broader renovation of Charles Brown Park, a small neighborhood park along Route 238 in the Lackey community. That plan, which also includes a splash pad and new pickleball courts, was announced in September, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
While York County's proposal remains in earlier stages, the Warhill project in James City County has now cleared one of its biggest hurdles with the board's unanimous approval of the construction contract. Once complete, the new park will give skateboarders, BMX riders and rollerbladers in the Historic Triangle a significantly larger, more modern space to call their own.
