Consideration of downtown walking mall concept kicks off during Town Council work session

Town staff earlier this week recommended that the Front Royal Town Council approve a proposed schedule and hold a public hearing to consider creating a Main Street Walking Mall in the downtown area.

Specifically, the walking area would be on E. Main Street between Chester Street and S. Royal Avenue, where the street would be closed to vehicles so that people could roam unencumbered among the businesses along both sides of the street.

“To do this, it is going to require some time — it’s not a matter of just flipping a switch,” Town Manager Steven Hicks told council members during their Monday, July 11 work session. “Effectively, today is our kickoff to discuss with Council what their expectations are and give us some guidance.”

Hicks pointed out that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, a local survey on the concept garnered positive feedback from citizens, and $15,000 in funding for the idea is included in the fiscal year 2022-2023 budget.

Additionally, Hicks said staff has reviewed the steps needed to permanently close that section along E. Main Street to vehicular use and recommended that the Council hold public input sessions with some of the businesses, merchants, and citizens in August.

In September, the Town Council should hold a required public hearing on a proposed resolution to vacate E. Main Street, according to staff recommendations, and then install bollards, signs, etc., in October.

“We just need Council’s guidance on whether you want us to move forward on this,” said Hicks.

Mayor Chris Holloway and Front Royal Town Council members Lori Cockrell, Gary Gillispie, Zach Jackson, Joseph McFadden, and Letasha Thompson were present for the council’s work session on Monday, while council member Amber Morris did not attend.

Gillispie said the idea “is going to cost some money” and added that ongoing parking issues downtown could be exacerbated if a section of E. Main Street gets closed to vehicles.

“It sounds good on the merit of it,” added Gillispie, “but… I have some serious hesitations about this.”

For instance, he said the Town has streets that require paving and bridges that need repair — work that hasn’t been done yet — “and now we’re talking about soon we’re going to be dumping a couple of million dollars into this? We need to have our priorities in order.”

Councilmember McFadden suggested that maybe sponsors could be found or that community fundraising events could be held to help with the cost.

Hicks said it wouldn’t be that expensive to just convert the street into a walking mall “as is,” meaning the guidance could say that more benches would be added, for instance.

While no formal action was taken on staff recommendations for the walking mall, the Town Council plans to follow the staff-recommended timeline for August, gather input from citizens and business owners, and then decide how to move forward on the idea.

Watch the Town Council’s Monday, July 11 work session in its entirety at: https://frontroyalva.new.swagit.com/videos/176863