From Rayon to "Forever Plaid": Revitalization of Front Royal, Virginia Industrial Site Mirrors Changing U.S. Economy
Former Superfund Site is New Venue for Local Theater Company
MENLO PARK, Calif. – August 1, 2007 – SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research and development organization, today announced it is collaborating with the Front Royal/Warren County Economic Development Authority (EDA) in Virginia to implement a strategic economic planning roadmap that will guide the community to emerge as a national model for community development.
A key component of the revitalization program is the 440-acre Royal Phoenix site, which is focusing on hospitality and innovative technology. Rising from the ashes of a former factory site like its mythical namesake, Royal Phoenix redevelopment includes a new magnet entertainment venue that will form the core of additional facilities expected to include office space, retail, a hotel and conference center, and other tourism and hospitality offerings linked with Front Royal’s historic and picturesque downtown.
Factory Site New Venue for Theater Productions
Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Front Royal was the location for the Avtex Fibers plant, which operated for nearly a half-century until ceasing operations in 1989. The plant was once the hub of the Warren County economy. Located an hour west of Washington D.C., the 440-acre site employed 2,500 area residents and produced rayon for parachutes and jumpsuits for the Department of War during World War II, and later for NASA's space shuttle program. Listed on the Superfund program's National Priorities List in 1986, the site has undergone significant environmental remediation.
Where it once produced tons of polyester, the site’s primary tenants now include the Wayside Theater, a community-based professional theatrical organization, and the Front Royal EDA offices, in a 160-acre commercial/light industrial redevelopment of the former factory site.
The Wayside Theater opened its 46th season on June 23 in a fully renovated wing of the historic brick offices at the Avtex site. Their production of “Forever Plaid” plays through September 30, 2007.
"Wayside Theater's operations on the former industrial site mirror the continuing transformation of the American economy," said John 'Matty' Mathieson, executive director of SRI International's Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development. "Manufacturing once provided our cities and towns with their greatest source of prosperity. Services, including tourism, entertainment, and information, financial, and business services, are increasingly the engine of growth. Front Royal and Warren County have demonstrated significant growth and good prospects in high-value services, as well as in tourism and entertainment, given their location as a gateway to the Shenandoah Valley and proximity to metropolitan Washington DC," he continued.
EDA Chairman Mike South said that the theater’s opening sends "a strong message about what public-private partnerships can accomplish." EDA Deputy Director Jorie Martin was a major player in securing the space for Wayside to perform in Front Royal.
The theater is one of several new users of parts of the Superfund site that have been remediated and released for reuse. Other site developments include the 240-acre Conservancy Park, forever preserved as open, green space for hiking and recreation. A modern regional soccer complex operated by Warren County is also located on the site.
"This is the realization of a vision in which the former Avtex site resumes its place as an asset to the community," explained EDA Executive Director Paul Carroll.
For more information on the Royal Phoenix site, contact Paul Carroll, executive director, Front Royal/Warren County EDA at 540-635-2182 or visit www.wceda.com. More information about Wayside Theater is available at www.waysidetheatre.org.
About SRI International’s Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development
SRI's Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development (CSTED) helps regions, organizations, and businesses become more successful in today's economy through designing, implementing, and evaluating policies and programs in the areas of science and technology, economics, competitiveness, and workforce and education. For more information on SRI’s Center for Science, Technology and Economic Development, contact John Mathieson, executive director, 703-247-8444 or john.mathieson@sri.com.
About SRI International
Silicon Valley-based SRI International (www.sri.com) is one of the world’s leading independent research and technology development organizations. Founded as Stanford Research Institute in 1946, SRI has been meeting the strategic needs of clients for more 60 years. The nonprofit research institute performs client-sponsored research and development for government agencies, commercial businesses, and private foundations. In addition to conducting contract R&D, SRI licenses its technologies, forms strategic partnerships, and creates spin-off companies.
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