Warrenton Public Advisory Committee Discussion

…a conversation to promote truth, transparency, and preservation of Warrenton Virginia

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High level DETAILS of 18 Ct St Community ARTS Center

500K is the offer according to public documents, not 2M. AND most of the 18 Ct ST building will be PRIVATE MEMBERSHIP ONLY….and the 80-seat restaurant may sometimes be unavailable due to private events. There are plenty of properties near the WG building for private membership clubs and restaurants. The Town should keep the 18 Ct St building for the ARTS. IN fact the alternative idea for that building includes lots of businesses that generate tax money…its a blend of non-profits AND for profits…open 7 days a week and time slots could be for Town usage also. It is a win-win win all the way around. This would bring more people to the town who might like to stay in Mr Ash’s hotel….and use his Private Membership spaces and reserve tables in his 80-seat restaurant and go in his lobby Roosevelt bar.

The revenue generated by a movie night, local, state and national music talent, matinees for kids, art shows and art gallery openings, art sales, concession stand with locally sourced food from Main ST entities, craft sales, souvenir shop, wedding rentals, office space rentals, etc… will come from so many streams, it will equal or exceed Private Membership only revenue. The ARTS usage is multi-fold and IS comprised of revenue generating activities.

One response

  1. Ike Miller Avatar
    Ike Miller

    The more I have reviewed the Hotel Burg business model, the more it appears that private club membership fees to join and monthly dues are a significant component to its revenue model. The cap for total membership in Leesburg appears to be 200 to 250 members. A internet query states that a “Couples” membership initiation fee is $2,750 and annual dues are $5,500 for access to “members-only” portions of the Hotel property and amenities offered only for club members. The Hotel Burg only has a seven-month track record. By all appearances this model will be applied in Warrenton as well.  After seven months of operation, we should ask how many memberships have been sold and are in use and how many memberships are planned for Warrenton.

    The likely scenario is that much of Hotel Street space would be used for high-end dining and private club amenities. A New York strip in The Burg’s main restaurant in Leesburg is offered for $90 – with each side at $14! (Fourteen dollars for french fries ?!?). This may attract some wealthy visitors to Warrenton and negatively impact existing restaurants in downtown, but for local citizens it is not affordable regular dining.

    If indeed the likely scenario of the offer to the Town to sell this building for a fraction of it’s appraised value and then to receive Town subsidized loans and tax incentives similar to the County plan then the Town Council is:

    Offering SIGNIFICANT financial subsides to allow a developer to build a restaurant and private club that will not likely be affordable nor desirable for local residents to visit or join, and

    Subsidizing a private club that financially prevents the average town citizen from using what can again be a usable public asset and gathering place. A Club membership application is submitted and the applicant is “vetted”… The notion of the Town subsidizing the creation of a private club with a Town asset should not sit well with taxpayers nor business owners. 

    The appeal of a shared space for an indoor year-round Farmer’s Market, a concert venue, art festivals and for profit and non-profit access to this space is undeniably and option to be seriously considered. This model has been proven by Gloria’s and the 501(c)3 financials are publicly available. Tim Dingus and others have a successful track record and with others in the arts community, this space can produce a reasonable profit to offset maintenance and upkeep and REMAIN the only building the Town can offer in the Historic District for any similar purpose. The Town also preserves an asset that will only appreciate in value. 

    I wish Mr. and Mrs. Ash and their company all the best in the Warren Green Building venture. But strong-arming the Town Council to force a deal with the town to sell Hotel Street hurriedly and inferring that the Warren Green Building offer is contingent on Hotel Street being part of the deal is NOT the way to be business-friendly in Old Town Warrenton. 

    In a few years we will need to complete a Judicial Complex mandated by the Commonwealth. Estimates for this project range from $95 million up! The County owns the General District, JDR and Circuit Court buildings. These Courthouses wilI become obsolete. I see no mention of the Town Council and the Board of Supervisors even discussing a plan for these structures. The Town Council and the BoS apparently have not even sat in the same room in at least a year (if not longer) to discuss the Town’s future, the County’s repurposing of these buildings and the impact it may have on existing Town businesses and the citizens of the Town and County. 

    Since renovation of the Warren Green Building will likely take two years to complete, the Town should at least delay the sale for 12 to 18 months and see if a viable community event center can be created and operated for all to enjoy! 

    The Town Government should not rush and purportedly vote to sell this building in April – even with a public hearing and rush a vote in April or May. 

    An updated appraisal and detailed inspection should be completed prior to any further negotiation. I find it hard to fathom, that if the building were in such a state of disrepair then WHY did the Town Government operate in it from the early 70’s to 2024? 

    I hope to see a large and vocal crowd at the April Town Council meeting and many of us signing up and speaking in support of exploring alternatives for Hotel Street.

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