“We Should Bend Over Backward to Help Them”: A Win for Veterans of Foreign Wars at Town Council Meeting

Much to what should be Commissioner Megan Marrazzo’s intense pleasure, the Town Council voted unanimously in favor of a request by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 1860, for relief from parking requirements that could potentially keep them from operating a place of fellowship for veterans on West 11^th Street. Marrazzo stood in the minority when this issue was voted upon at the December 18 meeting of the Front Royal Planning Commission. In her view, because the use is so noble and because the VFW has done everything conceivably possible to satisfy the Town code, they are laboring under a burden and, therefore, deserve special consideration. On the evening of Monday, January 27, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Warren County Government Center at 220 North Commerce Avenue, the council unanimously adopted a position in alignment with the values Marazzo expressed last month. “We should bend over backward to help them,” said an executive of National Media Services, Inc. and the Royal Examiner, Mike McCool, about the VFW when he spoke during the public hearing for this item.

Town Council sits prior to commencing a regular meeting on the evening of Monday, January 27. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

Indeed, Vice Mayor Amber Veitenthal agreed in her comments that if there is any organization that we should bend over backward to help, it is the VFW. Parking has long been a challenge for Front Royal in places like Main Street, and as Veitenthal pointed out, oftentimes, it simply means parking on the street farther away and walking a certain distance. Testimonies from the applicant, from the realtor facilitating the sale of the location on West 11^th Street where the VFW would like to conduct their business, and from the pastor of the Nazarene church, which is adjacent to that location, the VFW had exhausted every possibility for supplemental parking. In what may have been an arbitrary designation, the planning and zoning department assigned assembly use to the prospective VFW gathering place, in contrast to its previous restaurant use. Under that designation, seventeen parking spaces become necessary, in addition to the nine currently featured by the former restaurant. The question then becomes: would the VFW generate more traffic than a restaurant would?

Mayor Lori Cockrell stands with Wyatt Wilfong, thanking him for his patriotism in leading the gathering in the pledge of allegiance.

Whether it would or not, the VFW then pursued multiple solutions to the problem, including a proposal to purchase neighboring property from the Economic Development Authority where they could develop additional parking spaces, but that proposal did not meet with cooperation from the EDA. They also approached the Front Royal Church of the Nazarene to ask whether a shared parking situation on the church premises might be conceivable. While the church could not commit to regularly support the VFW in that way, they did extend the possibility that they could make their lot available for special events. The pastor addressed the council on Monday evening during the public hearing and expressed how eager his community is to be neighbors with the VFW considering what a noble use it is and what a positive impact it would have on the atmosphere of that neighborhood.

Planning Director and Zoning Administrator Lauren Kopishke presents to the council a request by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for relief from parking requirements.

As the applicant pointed out, the full membership is never going to be present on any given day. And as the realtor pointed out, this would be an opportunity for the VFW to get on their feet after the tragic loss of their last location to a fire and the years of struggle that ensued, and that opportunity would likely lead elsewhere to a bigger and better venue. When the vote to go against the commission’s recommendation of denial passed unanimously, Commander Jeffrey Cook shed tears of joy and relief as his people surrounded and hugged him. In her comments, Veitenthal thanked staff and the planning commission for the hard work they gave to this item, in acknowledgement of what is a complex and troubling issue, leading many to different conclusions. At the same time, she underlined the maturity of the applicant in not shaming anyone in the community who refused to work with them; but all the same, she said she hopes those people are shamed for not working with VFW.

Commander Jeffrey Cook speaks as the applicant to the council arguing his case in favor of relief for the VFW from parking requirements.

Other items under consideration included a request for vacation of a portion of Kibler Street, two feet by ninety feet, on which the council voted to appoint viewers to inspect the site. It involves a structure on Kibler Street that was constructed 9.6 inches into the property’s setback. This has led the owner to request the vacation in order that the structure might be brought into compliance by the additional two-foot border. As the council members questioned staff and then heard from the public, it became clear that assigning blame to the owner or even the planning and zoning department may be an interesting conversation, but the blame ultimately lies with the County’s building inspections department for failing to do the kind of inspection that would have led them to alert the Town to this problem. This residential use stands in contrast to the commercial zoning of the property, which is another interesting conversation. During the public hearing, concern was expressed by an adjacent property owner about whether emergency vehicles could easily access Kibler Street in the case that the one hundred eighty square feet are vacated. All of that said, Veitenthal made it clear that she places the blame for this snafu squarely on the County and extended her empathy to the owner who apologized to the council and claimed he was unaware of the necessary procedures.

The council anticipates addressing the tobacco, smoke, or vape ordinance, which came to them from the planning commission, at their upcoming February 24 regular meeting. Mayor Lori Cockrell expressed that the document still needs some work, and she hopes there will be a significant citizen turnout on the 24 as this issue has been quite popular on social media. After voting unanimously in favor of adjusting the comprehensive plan to designate the Riverton area for residential use – specifically the area between Strasburg Road and Duck Street to Rugby Street – reports of the interim town manager, the council members, and the mayor were given, in which the Town’s workers were repeatedly commended for their response to recent weather conditions, clearing the roads, keeping lights on, and addressing water and septic lines when necessary. The council was also appreciative of the job B.J. Wilson is doing as interim town manager.

After unanimously approving a final subdivision plat for a major subdivision, Squirrel Hill Development at 344 West Main Street, the council went into closed session.

Click here to watch the Front Royal Town Council Meeting of January 27, 2025.