May 30–JAMES CITY — According to a message sent to members of the resort, Xanterra is putting Kingsmill Resort on the market.

“Please be advised that the owner of Kingsmill Resort, Xanterra Kingsmill, has made the decision to list the resort for sale. Despite this news, please be assured that it will remain business as usual at the resort, which includes the resort providing all of the services and amenities related to the Club at Kingsmill,” Wayne Nooe, general manager and vice president of sports and club operations wrote to club members. “Please note that in the event of an ultimate sale of the resort, the purchaser would acquire title to the resort subject to the terms and conditions of the existing membership plan, the related rules and regulations and the membership agreement between you and Xanterra then in effect.”

Neither Nooe nor officials at Xanterra’s corporate office in Denver returned repeated phone calls seeking comment on Friday.

Kingsmill Resort is assessed at $28,554,500 by James City County, according to County Assessor Jon Fountain. At the county’s new tax rate of 84 cents per $100 of assessed value that goes into effect July 1, that would produce $239,778 of revenue for the county.

Anheuser-Busch developed the resort, adjacent to its brewery and Busch Gardens theme park, in the 1970s. Much of the land that became Busch Gardens, Kingsmill and the brewery came from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, although smaller parcels were purchased from a number of other owners. The resort is on a 2,900-acre tract, most of which was previously part of Kingsmill Plantation. In addition to the resort, there is a gated residential community.

In 2008, Anheuser-Busch sold to Belgian brewer InBev, the largest brewery in the world, and the new owners announced they would sell off non-core beverage industry assets.

The Blackstone Group purchased Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Anheuser-Busch’s other nine amusement parks.

Xanterra acquired all of Kingsmill, both the resort and development rights in the gated residential community where there remains land for development, for just under $24 million in 2010.

“Kingsmill is important to James City County as a resort and a neighborhood. Both are not only economically beneficial but also a great example of the quality of life and amenities available to our residents and visitors,” said Jamestown District Supervisor Kevin Onizuk. “We all support Kingsmill and are confident it will remain a successful and positive contributor to our community for many years to come regardless of the owner.”

John McGlennon, Roberts District supervisor who represents Kingsmill, agreed.

“Yes, Kingsmill is an important asset to the county, and I assume that it will continue to be one,” he said Friday.

“If they sell it, we look forward to working cooperatively with the new ownership,” said County Administrator Bryan Hill.

History of change

17th to 19th centuries

— What is now Kingsmill was first encountered by Europeans on May 12, 1607. Gabriel Archer proposed to the colonists that they consider the Hope section of Kingsmill as the site of the colony. They decided to settle at Jamestown the next day.

— From 1619 through the 1800s it was the site of a plantation.

— The first 300 acres of Kingsmill were settled by Richard Kingsmill, a member of the Virginia Company, which was chartered in England to found a Virginia colony. The site still bears his name.

— Col. Lewis Burwell III was a member of the Governor’s Council, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. He inherited his grandfather’s land and built Kingsmill Plantation.

— The land was later owned by the Pettus and Bray families.

The 1970s

— Anheuser-Busch began developing Kingsmill on land purchased both from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and from a number of smaller landowners, adjacent to its new brewery and Busch Gardens theme park.

Golf mecca

— The golf courses at Kingsmill Resort have hosted 29 PGA and LPGA tour events. From 1987 to 2009 it annually hosted the Michelob Championship women’s golf tournament. The $330,000 tournament ended its run when Anheuser-Busch pulled its sponsorship in September 2009.

InBev

— Belgian Brewing giant InBev bought out Anheuser-Busch in 2008 and announced plans to sell off the non-beverage industry assets. The Blackstone Group bought Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Anheuser-Busch’s other nine theme parks. Xanterra, a Denver-based company, bought Kingsmill, both the resort and the gated residential community, which still has land to be developed.

Xanterra

— Xanterra’s tenure at Kingsmill has been marked by disagreements with a dissident group of homeowners over control of the homeowners’ association