Hope for Baymont Inn’s Conversion to an Apartment Building Seems Plausible at Town Council Meeting

The citizenry will be holding us accountable, Mayor Lori Cockrell told business owner Sam Sharma, and they will be holding you accountable.

Having delivered his intent to convert the current Baymont Inn motel at 10 Commerce Avenue into a three-story apartment building with thirty-nine dwelling units, aimed at accommodating young professionals who work locally, Sam Sharma of CCC Enterprises, LLC, received those words from the mayor. His application for a special use permit to serve this residential purpose in the business district was before the town council for a vote on Monday, June 24, at a town council regular meeting, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Warren County Government Center at 220 North Commerce Avenue.

Kyle Hopkins of Four Square Architects addresses the council on the proposed conversion of the Baymont Inn from a motel to an apartment building. Sam Sharma, who operates the Baymont in partnership with Sunny Mehta, stands behind Hopkins on Monday evening.

When the vote finally transpired, after thorough discussion, it was unanimously in favor of the special use permit. That consensus results from multiple work sessions in which the council explored the merits and demerits of what all the members consider a critical project. Councilwoman Amber Morris was especially vocal at Monday’s meeting, leading up to the vote, explaining that it is her job to ask questions and that while she was never against the concept and it was never her intent to give offense, it is her obligation to explore with her fellow council members all the possible ramifications of such a weighty concern.

It is a weighty concern precisely because the prospect of accommodating young professionals and giving them a place to live that is close to their work site is central to the goals of the Town of Front Royal. Indeed, the comprehensive plan calls for converting motels into apartment buildings. The problem that workers currently face is the cost of living, which often forces them to go elsewhere to find housing that they can afford. Thus, they are faced with a commute to reach the community they serve. This could potentially impact the attractiveness of working in Front Royal.

Among many concerns raised at the meeting, which echoed prior work sessions, was the displacement of a demographic that can only afford to live in a motel room. In Morris’s words, these families often have children who “deserve to have a roof over their heads.” As Victor Hugo writes in his preface to Les Miserables, as long as a category exists of people who are disadvantaged by no fault of their own and are aggressively kept by society in that category, “books like this cannot be useless.” The concern raised by Morris underlines the fact that the category Hugo wished to address does indeed exist in Front Royal. But perhaps she ultimately voted in favor of the SUP because establishing an affordable place where workers can live in the community they serve is the first step out of that deplorable category.

Deputy Zoning Administrator John Ware presents to the council two applications for a special use permit and a special exception from parking requirements related to one of the SUP applications.

Another concern was raised by Councilwoman Melissa DeDomenico-Payne that over time and with management changes, the converted apartment building could stray from its intent to serve young professionals. The concern is addressed by an ongoing renewal of the SUP, which gives the Town a chance to periodically examine what is happening at that site and whether it still meets their criteria for that use. The final form of the vote on this item made the permit effective at the date of occupancy; in other words, after construction is completed and the building is operational, the countdown begins for a three-year period, at the end of which the owner must reapply for the permit. At one point in the discussion, Councilman Glenn Wood pointed to an example of such a conversion being done in another municipality and how successful it has been, especially in bringing the citizenry up to a higher standard of living. Councilman Bruce Rappaport underlined how much the Baymont Inn is struggling to survive financially as a motel and how this conversion is vital to its preservation as a community treasure and the place where, once upon a time, Rappaport himself worked as a bellhop.

After adjusting the motion with conditions that everyone concerned felt were suitable, the motion to grant the applicant an SUP to convert the Baymont Inn into an apartment building passed unanimously, followed by a vote unanimously in favor of granting the owner a special exception from parking requirements. After quickly handling a few more business items, the council went into closed session.

After leading the gathering in the pledge of allegiance, Aaliyah Koryn Porter receives a certificate to C&C Frozen Treats from Mayor Lori Cockrell. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

Marlow Motors Front Royal is recognized by the council in celebration of seventy-seven years in business.