Council approves EDA grant application on Afton Inn renovations

On Monday (Feb. 27) the Front Royal Town Council approved a Resolution of Support for a $600,000 grant application by the town-county Economic Development Authority to fund renovations of the Afton Inn.

The Afton Inn looms over Town Hall, at right, and the Historic Downtown Business District – which is why it has been a redevelopment priority of both the Town and EDA for nearly two decades. File Photo/Roger Bianchini

The item was a last-minute addition to the agenda, proposed on a motion by John Connolly, seconded by William Sealock.  Such late additions require a unanimous vote of approval, which Connolly’s motion received, minus the absent Jacob Meza.  EDA Executive Director Jennifer McDonald was briefly present at the meeting, but left shortly after Council approved the addition of the resolution to the agenda.

The Resolution states that the EDA “desires to apply for an Industrial Revitalization Grant through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development in the amount of $600,000 for the renovations to the Property in order to renovate and recruit retail and higher-end apartments to the derelict structure that has remained vacant for more than 20 years.”

The stated intent mirrors the plan proposed by local developers Mike Silek and Shelly Cook last October.  Contacted Tuesday, the day after approval of the resolution of support, McDonald verified that the Silek-Cook proposal had been withdrawn.

The Afton Inn, constructed in 1867, pictured in the 1920s during its heyday as a cultural centerpiece of downtown Front Royal. Courtesy Photo/Warren Heritage Society

Last October McDonald said if the Silek-Hayes project moved forward, the EDA would apply for an Industrial Revitalization Grant to help cover the large Afton Inn renovation expense.  She said those grants go up to $600,000, though acquiring the full amount is rare.  McDonald noted at the time that to receive whatever amount of Industrial Revitalization Grant money, the building must remain owned by the EDA initially.

On February 28 she explained that the Town Resolution of Support was necessary to keep the potential of the grant application alive.  The EDA was facing a March 1 deadline on the initial submissions for the grant.

Sitting on a quarter acre at the midtown intersection of Royal Avenue and Main Street, the Afton Inn has been a re-development priority of both the Town and the EDA for years.  It lies directly across Main Street from another historic structure, the Warren County Courthouse, and is also across Crescent Street from the new Town Hall.