The Northern Virginia Daily

Article date: November 18, 2005

 Conservancy group to hold first meeting

Committee to ensure development of park at former Avtex site continues

By: William C. Flook

A subcommittee formed to oversee the development of the conservancy park at Avtex will hold its first meeting next week.

The Royal Phoenix Conservancy Park Subcommittee includes representatives from the Front Royal-Warren County Economic Development Authority, the Town Council, the Warren County Board of Supervisors, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District, and FMC Corp, as well as two community representatives, according to EDA Executive Director Paul Carroll.

Carroll said the group will ensure the 240-acre conservancy park moves forward alongside the 160-acre business parks during the redevelopment of the 440-acre Superfund site, a project called Royal Phoenix.

The Avtex Redevelopment Advisory Committee, a group with some of the same purpose and membership, disbanded in April.

“This is just to get the momentum going again,” Carroll said.  “It’s to bring the groups together under the structure of the new committee.”

The Avtex Redevelopment Advisory Committee had recommended selecting Hayes, Seay, Mattern and Mattern, or HSMM , a firm now preparing to design for the conservancy park. HSMM will be present at Monday’s meeting to provide an overview of its work to date.

The site formerly housed a massive rayon plant that was closed in 1989, three years after the property was declared a Superfund site.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Tony F. Carter, a member of the newly formed subcommittee, said he wants to see the conservancy park become “ an asset to the community and an asset for tourism” and tie in with the adjacent business park.

Town councilman Fred P. Foster, another of the subcommittee’s members, said the conservancy park is still “just being born.”  He advocates having amenities like bike and running paths included in the design.

“It would be great to have something like that on the Shenandoah River,” Foster said..  “I hope it gets there someday to that point.”

Carroll said the development of the park will be restricted to low-impact recreational use by a number of covenants.  Like the business park, redevelopment work can begin on the conservancy park parcel by parcel, as the EPA signs off on them, he said.

Other aspects of the site’s redevelopment are progressing.  The EDA recently voted to begin negotiations with Lerner Enterprises, a prominent regional developer, to purchase and develop the business park.

Seeding has been completed at the 30-acre Skyline Soccerplex, another project on the Superfund site.