The Northern Virginia Daily

November 10, 2010

Regional commission will move into Avtex building

EDA to lease former Wayside Theatre space

By James Heffernan

FRONT ROYAL -- The local Economic Development Authority announced Tuesday that it will lease space in the Avtex administration building to the Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission.

EDA Executive Director Jennifer McDonald said the lease not only will help fill some of the remaining office space in the building, "but the EDA leadership believes it's very important, and in the community's best interest, to keep the regional commission in Front Royal."

The commission, which assists local government officials in Winchester and the counties of Shenandoah, Warren, Frederick, Clarke and Page with regional planning, has been in its current location at 106 E. Sixth St. since its inception 40 years ago, according to Executive Director Chris Price.

The group has been actively looking for larger, more adequate space for the last six months, Price said.

"We looked into a number of available offices but were unable to find anything that we could afford that would comfortably accommodate our needs," he said.

Then McDonald showed the commission the Avtex building on Kendrick Lane, part of a commercial and industrial redevelopment project known as Royal Phoenix.

At 4,000 square feet, the space meets the commission's requirements and is centrally located to the jurisdictions it serves, Price said. It also gives the organization and its nine-member staff room to grow, he said.

The space, designated as "Space E," most recently was the temporary home of Wayside Theatre during its renovation project in Middletown.

Renovations on site are already under way.

The stage and theater seats have been removed and stored. The ceiling is being repaired and the walls restored. The interior is being primed and painted, and carpet and "floating wall" office partitions will be installed.

"We are carefully reviewing and considering the commission's architectural plans for the space," McDonald said, adding, "We need to be very careful to maintain the historic integrity of the building."

The commission is paying for most of the renovation. The two parties are still negotiating the terms of the lease.

Price said the commission should be able to move in in the next 60 to 90 days.
Meanwhile, the commission's board of directors is considering options for the sale or lease of the office space on Sixth Street, he said.

In 2009, the EDA announced that James Madison University would open a distance-learning center in the old theater space in the Avtex administration building. But that project is on hold because of restrictions on what is allowed at the site because of its EPA Superfund cleanup status.