Warren County Report
April 2, 2010
EDA approves pending solar field lease at Avtex
Economic development cited as
key in 40-acre lease-sale proposal
By Roger
Bianchini
Is a small,
rural On March26,
the Front Royal -Warren County Economic Development unanimously
approved the terms of lease and purchase agreement on
approximately 40 acres (in two phases) of what is envisioned as
a 150-acre business park on reclaimed land at the Royal Phoenix
site in the Town of Front Royal, some 67 miles west of
Washington D.C. The
lease is tentative pending approval by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and FMC Corporation. EPA is the
overseer of over $26 million in federally funded cleanup of the
site, which covers a total of some 467 acres, or about 10
percent of the land in the small, rural, northwestern Virginia
Town of about 13,000.
FMC is a federally-mandated cleanup partner and the lone
surviving of three owners of the former rayon and synthetic
fibers manufacturing plant opened in 1940 by American Viscose
Corporation, a subsidiary of a British manufacturing company
preparing for war. After 49
years as its community's major employer and economic engine, and
a major material contributor to the Allied effort in World War
II, the then Avtex Fibers plant was closed down in 1989 by
Virginia Attorney General Mary Sue Terry for ongoing violations
of the state's water control standards. In June of
2009 principals of SolAVerde Inc. proposed development of what
could eventually be a 100 to 150 megawatt solar field on one or
more sites in Front Royal.
But negotiations stalled as an initially envisioned $ 211
million private sector start-up investment morphed into a
request by SolAVerde partners for an up- front $18 million
investment on a 14-year pre-purchase of solar power from the
project by the town. But with
other investment options being explored, including a potential,
private sector partnership between SolAVerde/Standard Energy and
AMP-Ohio (American Municipal Power), things appear to be
regaining momentum.
AMP-Ohio is a municipal energy consortium Front Royal joined
three years ago. Former
Front Royal Mayor James Eastham, now a town appointee to the EDA
board of directors, made the March 26 motion to approve a
lease-purchase agreement on 40.6 acres of the 150-acres Royal
Phoenix business park. Afterwards
he said, " The EDA doesn't want to be an impediment in the
process of this proposed use of the entire 150-acre business
park side of Royal Phoenix.
The EDA is about creating jobs and this is a step in that
direction." Long-time
EDA board member William "Billy" Biggs, who seconded Eastham's
motion approving the lease-purchase arrangement on the EDA side
and whose Old Virginia Plant adjacent to the leased acreage has
been discussed as a potential site for the solar panel
manufacturing operation, was more pointed.
"This is about jobs, tax base and not throwing up
roadblocks to progress," Biggs said.
He declined to elaborate on any potential roadblocks he
saw to the process. While the
remaining acreage at the business park has yet to be released,
the EDA and 19th Virginia District U. S. representative Frank
Wolf are poised to seek a fast track and eased restrictions on
uses at the site at a planned March 29 meeting at EDA
headquarters at Royal Phoenix adjacent to the involved 26 acres
where the first solar field would be developed.
The existing limitations on site uses in covenants
created by seven stakeholders, including the town, county, EDA,
FMC, Lord Fairfax Water & Soil Authority, and EPA at the
remediation process's outset a decade ago, are not an issue for
the proposed solar use.
However they are for the EDA's hoped for leasing of space
to Several
hours after the EDA vote approving a pending lease-purchase of
the property, this reporter sat down with Front Royal Vice-Mayor
Bret Hrbek( Mayor Tewalt was out of town) to discuss the
implications of that vote and the status of the solar proposal
for Front Royal. |