Town Council’s goal setting session continues – Happy Creek Area – Part 4

Town Manager Joe Waltz leads the discussion. Photo and video by Mark Williams, Royal Examiner.

At the August 19th Front Royal Town Council work session, the Council had a list of seventeen items to discuss. The first five goals have been covered in previous stories on the Royal Examiner.

In part 4 of our coverage, Goal item number 6 was discussed – Happy Creek area development, infrastructure.

Council indicated staff is working to get development of the Happy Creek Road area moving forward. A primary goal is to qualify for a funding split with VDOT on area road infrastructure improvements. New road infrastructure improvements were designed over 20 years ago. That plan needs to be redesigned and reengineered in order to improve the Town’s ability to qualify for a VDOT funding split.

The road plans for the area are closely tied to the Front Royal Limited Partnership (FRLP) plans for a primarily residential development of some one thousand homes on about 750 acres of land on the town’s east side.

Staff informed council that a revised road plan needed to be created by October 30. It was also determined that a plan for roads in the nearby designated Urban Development Area and near the new Valley Health hospital project also be completed by October 30. Council also decided to reevaluate PND (Planned Neighborhood Development) /Subdivision ordinances.

“I’m not finger pointing the planning division, I want to find a happy medium between what the planning division and the town council wants,” Interim Mayor Tederick stated. A council consensus was to create a committee to address the issues with PND/subdivision ordinances by September 30. This committee will provide a report to the council by January 30, 2020.