Can it be happening – the Afton Inn redevelopment dream come true?!!?

Following a closed session on Friday morning, July 28, the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority Board of Directors passed two resolutions authorizing, first the demolition of the long-dormant Afton Inn at the intersection at the head of Front Royal’s Historic Downtown; and then “redevelopment of the former Afton Inn …”

Above, artist’s rendering of a rebuilt Afton Inn; below a photo on the EDA office wall, circa 1930s or so. Photos/Roger Bianchini

In both an EDA press release and summary proposal by MODE Partnership LLC co-released following approval of the resolutions and adjournment of the monthly EDA meeting, a four-phased project was outlined.

Phase One – demolition of the current structure and concept development – could begin this fall pending approval of a demolition application by the Front Royal Planning Department and redevelopment plans by the Town’s Board of Architectural Review.  In fact, if Friday’s package of releases are any indicator, general layout and design concepts have already begun to the point of getting at least one reporter who has covered the Afton Inn for some 20 years excited.

Phase Two – permit drawings and planning – focuses on completion of design and concept plans, contractual documents, including a lease agreement with the planned first-floor restaurant in order to integrate its design needs into the overall first floor plan.

Phase Three – construction (come on, admit it, you’re getting excited too) – “The Construction Phase will incorporate final budget agreements and timeline terms,” the MODE/Carter-Burton proposal states.  A potential project manager and/or clerk of the works is even named – Jim Brinkmeir of High View Consulting.  “The construction of the project will be an advertising opportunity with site activity, website and news agencies,” the MODE/Carter-Burton proposal states.

Phase Four – occupancy – “The development group will secure lease agreements for the ground level and apartments … Apartment fir and finish customization may occur before, during or after move in of this phase,” the proposal concludes of the outline of the project.

“The estimated cost to MODE for rebuilding the former Afton Inn will be $2.1 million,” the EDA press release on the agreement states, adding, “After consulting with many developers across the region, it was decided that due to the condition of the remaining shell of the Afton Inn, renovation is not a financially sound option.”

But if demolition is the path to rebirth of the prime commercial space at the Town of Front Royal’s primary downtown intersection, some of the demolished material is planned to help facilitate that rebirth.  “It is MODE’s plan to retrieve and recycle much of the brick and wood material from the site to incorporate into the new structure,” the EDA release states.

Pointing to design art, EDA Executive Director Jennifer McDonald told Royal Examiner that plans are for the beer garden patio, wall, roof and roof supports represented in that drawing to be made entirely from reclaimed brick and wood from the original structure.

Of the project, EDA Chairman Greg Drescher stated in the release, “The EDA is very happy to begin the process of redevelopment of this important property.  The community has waited a long time for this and we believe it will become a great asset to the Town, to the downtown revitalization and to the people of Front Royal.”

Not surprising there were smiles from the EDA board and staff with Afton Inn redevelopment on the horizon.

In its proposal released with the announcement, the developer’s partnership states, “MODE Development would like this to be one of many projects in the future for Front Royal investing.  Bringing new money to the community gets re-spent seven times on average, which creates a public private partnership that fives back to the cultural and financial growth for Front Royal,” the proposal states.

Of the involvement of MODE and Carter-Burton Architecture, PLC, the latter’s Jim Burton said in the EDA press release, “We have always been attracted to the natural beauty that surrounds Front Royal. We do think the town is on the upswing with the bridge repairs coming to an end and the Avtex site connection to Main Street.  We think the redevelopment of the Afton Inn property will add visible vitality that will help draw people to Main Street as they pass through heading to the Skyline Drive or other area attractions.”

While online research did not turn up a MODE Partnership, LLC based out of Northern Virginia, it did find Carter-Burton Architecture PLC. The company describes itself as “a small architecture firm specializing in a few good projects per year within a wide range of budgets.”  The company is located in Berryville, Virginia.  They state, “We are willing to travel to the right client and project … We are in this business because we love to design and work with people.”  They also note they have been at the forefront of “the sustainable design movement” since the firm’s founding in 1992.

One thing that caught our eye in the MODE/Carter-Burton proposal was “that the EDA will fund the project while the Development Group will have a lease to own agreement in place with early buy out options.”

However, queried about the MODE Development Partnership proposal, EDA Executive Director McDonald explained what was included in the release package was the developer’s original proposal, to which some changes were agreed upon. Included in those subsequent agreements are project funding, which MODE will take on from the outset, while the EDA maintains ownership to a point during the developmental process.

Board member William Biggs takes his turn signing the resolutions authorizing the EDA to proceed with demolition and redevelopment plans for the Afton Inn. A few permitting approvals and the project should be underway by the fall.

McDonald assured us that protections will be in place to see the project progresses as planned.  And she noted, unlike previous groups bringing proposals forward to redevelop the property, the MODE Development Partnership is not dependent on outside funding streams or grants coming through.

And for those – and we know you’re out there – skeptical of un-finalized EDA contractual agreements in the wake of ongoing controversies surrounding its workforce housing project, let’s keep our fingers crossed there will be no deal-exploding secrets involved in this project.

In fact, the early design work presented with the MODE/Carter-Burton proposal indicates a significant amount of serious thought about the project from start to finish.  Hopefully, the enthusiasm reflected in the early project art and quotes about the project won’t wane as it comes time to spend the bulk of that projected $2.1-million in project costs.

As we said, fingers crossed – this one has been a long time coming and the plan presented appears capable of making that wait worthwhile.

Per our ‘Comments’ conversation with Suzanne Silek on related ‘From the rubble:” post – a photo of the Afton Inn, circa 1920s with porches on Main Street. Courtesy Photo/Warren Heritage Society