Town Planning Commission hears Jeff Kelble’s request for a permit to operate outdoor recreation facility

On Wednesday, February 15, at 7:00 pm in Warren County’s Government Center, the town of Front Royal met for a planning commission meeting.

Jeff Kelble, the owner of 1847 North Royal Avenue, presented his application to the commission for a special use permit for a commercial outdoor recreation facility on that property that borders the Shenandoah River. He would like to offer inner tubing, canoeing, kayaking, shuttle service, and rustic and light camping at that site. Before he spoke, Lauren Kopishke, director of planning, outlined a few key points: the peak season would be from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the busiest days being Saturdays and Sundays, with the highest projected volume between the third week of June and the third week of August, essentially summer vacation.

Jeff Kelble presented his application to the town commissioners.

“It’s got about a quarter mile of riverfront,” Kelble stated in his presentation to the commission. “It’s just a lovely site; it’s a nice asset for the town.” Eventually, he wants to service one thousand customers daily between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm. Guests would be required to make reservations.

Several people spoke in support of Kelble’s endeavor. “This adds another avenue for our youth who have activities to do during the summer,” said Robert Sealock. “The more we can do for our youth, the better off we are.”

Fred Andrea, who owns a property adjacent to 1847 North Royal Avenue, underlined how pivotal this business enterprise could be in supporting the kind of tourism that characterizes Front Royal, particularly restaurants that will serve the river goers. Herschel Finch, who has known Kelble for nearly twenty-five years, said, “in all the years I’ve known Jeff, I’ve known him to be a man of integrity and honesty.” Herschel is especially excited about the “rail to trail” entity, a component of the business that would potentially bring bikers and hikers across the property.

Robert Sealock speaking in support of Kelble.

Kelble has a fifteen-year relationship with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who were the original owners of the riverside property; after an arsonist destroyed their facility and the VFW determined that it would be unable to rebuild, Kelble stepped up to purchase the property while continuing to facilitate the VFW’s use of it. This came to fruition a year and a half ago. Kelble emphasized just how important it is to him that VFW remains present on the property. “They’ve been there for generations, and it’s important to me that they continue to be involved in that property down there regardless of whether I’m running a business there or not.” Any business operating on the property will donate one percent of its revenue to VFW to create a revenue source.

Fred Andrea speaking in support of Kelble.

Kelble answered questions from the commission regarding the length of stay, waste management, bathhouse facilities, campsites, safety precautions for guests, on-site management, the number of shuttle vehicles, and how to monitor the weather. Also, he is prepared to address any difficulties pertaining to the passageway under the railroad, which raises questions about traffic. However, his studies at a similar site he owns in Harpers Ferry led him to believe that the traffic would not be a concern.

In terms of flash flooding from the stream, he said, “we don’t get flash flooding on a stream of this size.” Small mobile RVs are welcome. “I don’t really want an RV campsite,” Kelble explained, “but I would hate to turn somebody away who had a small mobile RV who wanted to come to stay a couple of nights.” He will make showers in the existing bathhouse if they are in demand. On that point, Kelble is prepared to meticulously follow the Department of Health’s code pertaining to the ratio of campsites to bathroom facilities.

Herschel Finch speaking in support of Kelble.

The commission unanimously voted to forward the request to the Front Royal Town Council with a recommendation for approval with the condition that excluding caretakers, the length of stay is no longer than fourteen calendar days at one time.

The evening ended with a nomination of Daniel Wells for vice chair, his term beginning on March 1 and expiring at the end of February 2024. Darryl Merchant was nominated as chairman for the duration of his term. Both nominations were approved. “I look forward to working with you,” Merchant said to Wells. “You will do a good job. I am confident.”

After concerns were heard from commissioners and Kopishke discussed two different reports, the meeting was adjourned.