As Town ponders costs, ITFederal breaks ground at Royal Phoenix

At the January 18, Front Royal-Warren County Liaison Committee Meeting Town Manager Joe Waltz reported on two projects impacting the start of the long-dreamed about commercial re-development at the Royal Phoenix Business Park on 149 acres of the former 467-acre Avtex Superfund site.

Waltz told county officials the Town hopes to have Requests for Proposals on the West Main Street extension access road through Royal Phoenix out before the end of January. He also confirmed that architectural consultant Pennoni is currently working on a design and cost estimate for a wastewater pumping station design for the north end of the site. Discussion indicated the pump station plan Pennoni is now working on would accommodate, not only a number of businesses hoped for recruitment at Royal Phoenix, but also the new police headquarters.

Waltz said the Town was poised to move forward on the pump station project and hoped to have the Pennoni design in shortly. Mayor Hollis Tharpe observed that with the police headquarters project underway it was hoped more businesses will come to the conclusion the remediated, former Superfund site across the street will be “a nice place to locate.”

Contacted later, EDA Executive Director Jennifer McDonald said the first commercial client at Royal Phoenix, ITFederal, began digging footers at their site last week as the liaison discussion loomed. Their first building will be a 10,000-square foot office building, with a second building to follow shortly. At liaison Waltz said town officials hope to meet with representatives of ITFederal in “the next couple of weeks.”

Two perspectives on site work at the ITFederal pad at Royal Phoenix, above looking back toward the EDA headquarters in the old ‘admin’ building, below looking from the admin building parking lot toward the site.

According to EDA officials ITFederal had not been able to finalize the site plan for Phase 1 of its project until the Town had approved a final design and elevations on the section of the planned West Main Street Extended access road running by its pad site. That process pushed a hoped for start to ITFederal construction from last year to the above-mentioned push beyond preliminary site work in the third week of January 2018.

Further uncertainty was raised last year when council appeared divided over an earlier seeming commitment that the Town would construct a wastewater pumping station to serve a number of business hoped for recruitment to the Royal Phoenix site, rather than have each new business build its own wastewater pumping station. That larger, multi-client pump station was the staff recommendation during Steve Burke’s tenure as town manager. It was a recommendation which council at the time appeared to concur with.

However, discussion late last year indicated some council uncertainty as initial site development infrastructure costs butted up against other capital improvement costs, particularly the $11-million new police headquarters being constructed across Kendrick Lane from the north side of the Royal Phoenix site.

Once council’s final decision on the pumping station is transmitted to ITFederal, the company will know exactly what its building parameters will be. It will also know exactly how its initial construction budget will be spent. ITFederal had committed $150,000 to the West Main Street extended access road project in the wake of the Town’s initial indication the company would not have to build its own wastewater pumping station.

In fact, the reminder that ITFederal had committed $150,000 to the West Main extended access road in exchange for not having to build its own pump station seemed to be the point that pivoted council back toward a commitment to a larger Town-operated pump station that clients would pay connection and associated water-sewer fees to access.

County Board Chair Tony Carter questioned Town Manager Waltz on costs of the West Main Street extension access road through Royal Phoenix and how much money the Town had put aside for the project. Waltz replied that the portion of a previous real estate tax hike of a penny or two committed to the project several years ago at the urging of then Vice-Mayor Shae Parker had resulted in $450,000 being set aside at this time.

A look at the likely path of the W. Main St. extended access road into the Royal Phoenix Business Park, from Kendrick Ln. to the north.

Responding to Carter’s citing of a $3-million estimate for the access road project, Waltz said the Town was focused on the first phase to accommodate the ITFederal project at somewhat less cost.

In response to a follow-up question on Phase 1 of the West Main extended access road costs, EDA Executive Director McDonald explained to Royal Examiner that phase will go to the end of ITFederal’s lot 6 from Kendrick Lane.

“The cost of the West Main connector for the first phase was originally estimated at $1.3 million, with a $650,000 match by VDOT; $500,000 in unmatched funds; and the $150,000 which ITFederal agreed to match in the wake of the initial decision the Town would build the pumping station,” McDonald said.

As for further construction of what will eventually be a primary access road through the Royal Phoenix site from Kendrick Lane on the north to West Main Street at Criser Road on the south, she added, “They (the Town) will then apply for a second round of funding once there is a user for the next portion of the site. VDOT funding is based on job creation and investment.”

As for significant off-site road improvements included in a traffic study of impacts of Royal Phoenix commercial development, McDonald said, “No significant road improvements (off site) are needed until the site has reached 300,000 square feet of total gross floor area.”

More views of site work at the first commercial client’s pad at the former Avtex Superfund site, now more appealing known as the Royal Phoenix Business Park.