New retail, arts centers proposed for Frontier Culture Museum

Plans are currently in development for the construction of a new retail location and an additional cultural destination in Staunton.
Pending the signing of a lease, the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia will move forward in partnership with Petrie-Ross Ventures to complete the project. The properties developer looks to construct two separate venues, named Centre at Staunton and the Awasaw Cultural Center, off Route 250 in Staunton, adjacent to Sheetz.
“This is very premature,” said John Avoli, executive director of the museum. “There is no ground lease signed yet. And this whole deal may still fall through. We’re hoping it will happen, but until you have your John Hancock on all the pages, nothing is happening.”
The plan includes the use of approximately 40 acres to be converted into “a very unique retail environment,” along with 8½ acres dedicated to the artisans center.
Centre at Staunton, the retail development, will include retail opportunities, though organizers will not release details until the deal is sealed with Petrie-Ross.
Reminiscent of Beckley, W.Va.’s Tamarack Conference Center, the Awasaw Cultural Center intends to feature works of Virginia artisans and beyond. Plans also include restaurant and banquet areas.
According to the developer’s Web site, “This mixed-use project will include retail, banking, restaurants, [a] theater/artisans center, museum and hospitality. Throughout the new project, sidewalks and trails will join with those of the museum to compliment the tram with its stops along the boulevard.”
From the Native American word for “beautiful place,” Avoli says Awasaw will be the result of a private-sector partnership between Awasaw Inc. and the commonwealth of Virginia.
According to him, the museum has “received some preliminary site plans. It is an absolutely beautiful building that will add a lot, as far as tourism. It will be a draw, along with the museum.”
The museum will oversee design decisions of the two centers, which include decisions on colors, landscaping and building materials used.
The developer’s Web site projects that Centre at Staunton will open in Fall 2009 — if everything goes as planned.
Patrick Miller, operations manager for Petrie-Ross would not discuss details of the project, saying only that “at this point it is too premature to discuss the project. We are in negotiations with the museum.”
Avoli expressed excitement about the future of the venture.
“I think it will be a boon for the entire area,” he said. “The entrance to Staunton will be a nice, nice area. It will add immensely to the entrance of the museum itself, as well as the city of Staunton.
“It is progressing well. It’s just a matter of time. And we hope to go through with it. I think it will be a great thing
for the region. What I see in Awasaw, as well as the retail area, will be a shopping environment like no other of its kind in the area. From the sheer beauty of it, I think it will be fine.”