Business View Magazine | September 2020

187 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2020 THE WARRENTON-FAUQUI ER A I RPORT County is focusing on this area.” Another reason that companies might wish to locate near the Airport is its proximity to other modes of transportation, both actual and potential. “Warrenton-Fauquier Airport is strategically located on two very good lines of transportation,” Darrah notes. “One is Hwy 28. While it’s a two-lane in our area right now, the state has plans to make it a four-lane road that extends to Hwy. 17, a couple of miles away. Hwy. 17 is a four-lane, divided highway that offers direct connection between I-95 and I-81 in Virginia. So, that will help. Plus we do have a railroad track that runs right along 28 and there used to be a railroad siding here, years ago. But the potential for having that kind of a transportation node still exists if somebody was willing to develop that. And having this small Airport that can do stuff like small FedEx, small UPS aircraft – not the big ones, but the feeder types – working out of here, or having a railroad node or a highway…we have a perfect storm developing for the businesses that might have that type of capability, if somebody was to look at that and put it all together.” Regarding land in the Airport proper, Darrah says that there are shovel-ready sites available for new hangars, and other areas that are prime spots but still need some minimal site development. “There are people interested in new hangars,” he says. “The thing is getting the proper funding and coalition together so they can do that. I’m not sure if the Coronavirus got in the way, or they were waiting on the terminal to get done. At this point, it has not happened yet, but we’re working on it. Just today, I spoke to somebody who knows someone who is looking for hangar space or an area to build new corporate-style hangars, so we’ll see if that pans out.” Meanwhile, COVID-19 hasn’t actually hurt the Airport’s business too much, with the new terminal being a draw for the curious. “During