Town Council Tackles Special-Use Permit for a Proposed Warren Coalition Recovery Lodging House at First Work Session of 2024

On January 2, at 7 p.m. in Front Royal’s Town Hall at 102 East Main Street, the Town Council faced a packed agenda in their first work session of 2024. Their discussion covered budgetary review, acquisition of vehicles in the police department, a request for a special-use permit for a lodging house at 501 South Royal Avenue, two zoning items, a potential boundary adjustment to town limits, and a proposed code of conduct for council presented by Mayor Lori Cockrell.

Town Council meets for a packed work session agenda on Tuesday evening. Royal Examiner Photos Brenden McHugh

Possibly the most high-voltage item was the special-use permit for the proposed lodging house at 501 South Royal Avenue, the applicant being the Warren Coalition. That is because it would accommodate those in the community who are struggling with overcoming drug addiction and are not prepared to offer immediate value to said community. This lodging house idea has come under fire from members of the community who feel it would be an annoyance and potentially detract from business in that vicinity.

Included in council’s agenda packet for the evening were two letters addressed to the planning commission, which met on December 20, 2023. It was a meeting in which the commission recommended approval of the special-use permit with the conditions that “the total number of lodging rooms not exceed eight” and “applicant to provide parking to accommodate ten spaces prior to the commencement of the use.” This is precisely what the authors of those two letters hoped the commission would not do.

“It does not create jobs, promote local businesses, protect historic or community resources, or add to the experience of us locals and our millions of annual visitors who want to see our town, and our community, succeeding,” writes Edwin Wright of Manor Line Ranch, Market, and Back 40, in reference to the proposed lodging house. He offers churches and non-profits as a solution and adds that “if you agree that this is an issue worth special treatment, then make it a policy priority for the Town and the EDA, but please don’t make the mistake of granting special treatment to one property owner that undermines or undervalues the hard work and dedication to community of adjacent property owners.” He ends by saying that “there are people in our town who are improving the entrance corridors to create jobs, add accessibility, and protect historic and natural resources. Please reward that behavior. Promote that. This is not that.”

In her letter to the commission, Amber Lee of Studio Verde LLC delineates exactly how she fears the “men’s recovery housing development” would negatively impact her organic spa. The potential foot traffic, noise pollution, and loitering of men recovering from drug abuse could, she implies, make her female customers uncomfortable in an area where there is inadequate street lighting. In her judgment, the development would not be aesthetically pleasing and could lead to devaluation of property by increasing population density with its contingent effects and thereby repelling those who might otherwise move into the neighborhood.

“Here’s where the last piece of liberal is in me,” Councilwoman Melissa DeDomenico-Payne remarked as the discussion began: “Anytime you raise up other community members, you’re raising up your community. So, these are people who are trying; these are not the people who are out on our street. I’d rather see them in a building than on the street. I don’t like what I’m seeing behind 7-11 every day. So, I would rather give it a try and monitor it.” Among several items relevant to the lodging house, addressed in council’s discussion, one was presented by DeDomenico-Payne, the question being: what does the crime rate look like already in the neighborhood where the lodging house would be located? In other words, what type of environment would these at-risk individuals be entering? In response to this query, Councilwoman Amber Morris made the point that these individuals would be monitored, lessening the likelihood of criminal activity.

The Town’s Planning Director and Zoning Administrator, Lauren Kopishke, presents three items for council’s consideration, two of them zoning matters and one of them a potential special-use permit.

“This isn’t just a place to live,” Mayor Cockrell said, observing, “This is where there will be resources … help provided to them … it’s not just: ‘Here’s a place to live.’ ”

Council’s public hearing on the Special Use Permit application and consideration of the planning commission’s recommendation is slated for its next meeting.

At 9:15 p.m., council went into a closed session to discuss personnel issues, more specifically, the Town Attorney, Assistant Town Attorney, and Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), as well as to receive legal counsel pertaining to obligations of the Front Royal-Warren County EDA.

Click here to watch the Town Council Work Session of January 2, 2024.