Town Council Anticipates Sidewalk on West Criser Road at Work Session

In the wake of contentious discussions about urban agriculture and hot disagreements about the most effective way to provide affordable housing, the Front Royal Town Council has nearly cemented one of its goals: a sidewalk on West Criser Road. Between Skyline Vista Drive and Route 340, where school children are currently walking without a sidewalk, a sidewalk may soon become a reality, targeted within the next six months to a year. At their work session on Monday, June 3 beginning at 7 p.m. in the Front Royal Town Hall at 102 East Main Street, the council moved to put this item to a vote at their June 24 regular meeting.

Town Council meets for a work session on June 3. Royal Examiner Photo Credits: Brenden McHugh.

This sidewalk project is made possible by additional revenue from the town budget and the possibility of federal aid. The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) is a federal reimbursement program from which the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) can award funds to worthy local projects like the proposed sidewalk on West Criser Road. “The program focuses on providing pedestrian and bicycle facilities and community improvements,” reads a description of the program on the VDOT website. “It does not fund traditional roadway projects or maintenance.” VDOT tentatively plans to award TAP funds to the Town in the amount of eighty percent of the West Criser Road sidewalk project cost. The cost of the sidewalk is currently figured at $3,148,912. If awarded, the federal aid would leave the Town with twenty percent to cover, which would be paid partly by $535,000 of additional revenue and $94,782 to be sought as an additional fund in the FY25 adopted budget.

Deputy Zoning Administrator John Ware presents to the council an application for a special use permit for a lodging house at 1324 Old Winchester Pike.

Planning Director and Zoning Administrator Lauren Kopishke presents the application for a special use permit to convert a motel into an apartment building. Accompanying this SUP application is a request for a special exception to reduce parking requirements at the site of the Baymont Inn. The council will vote on these items at their June 24 regular meeting.

“What I feel and staff feels is the most important piece right now is Skyline Vista up to 340,” explained Town Manager Joe Waltz, who had an analysis done of what it would take to build a sidewalk on West Criser, including the portion between Skyline Vista and Luray Avenue. The latter portion currently features a bike path, which Waltz considers a good stopgap measure for that road length. Including it in the project’s scope would significantly exceed the roughly 3.1 million currently figured for the section needing a sidewalk. “This is a big win for Front Royal,” he remarked about the eighty-percent coverage from TAP. “I am really excited about this and getting started on this.” He commended the staff for their performance in undertaking all the tasks necessary to make this project more than a goal. “It was their work that got us to this point.”

Having reported to the council earlier in the evening on a recent bid for tree trimming services, Director of Finance B.J. Wilson presents the facts surrounding additional revenue in the budget, which will hopefully be allocated towards an anticipated sidewalk on West Criser Road between Skyline Vista Drive and Route 340 if the council votes at their June 24 regular meeting in favor of the requisite FY24 budget amendment and budget transfer.

Adjourning on this positive note, the council looks forward with eagerness to the Town of Front Royal open house on June 22, from noon to 3 p.m., in the vicinity of the Gazebo on Main Street. Waltz anticipates it as an opportunity for citizens to meet and interact with Town staff and council members through various activities.