New playground comes to town
The Town of Washington Architectural Review Board (ARB) approved a signage application for Hayfields Rural Kitchen and Market, a new cafe Brian Noyes, the man behind The Red Truck Bakery franchise, hopes to open in Rush River Commons before the end of the year.
Noyes applied for two signs — one on the south side and one on the west side of the building facing Warren Avenue in the Town of Washington. He said as a former art director and publication designer, the choice of typography became a “passion project,” drawing on 1930s grocery store design to signal what’s inside without overwhelming the building.
“I’m working with a building that right now, to me, and what I’ve heard from other people … they wonder, ‘Well, what is that? An office park? Is it an outlet mall?’ And I say, ‘No, it’s the newest addition to the town, and that’s where we’re going,” Noyes said. “I kind of want to change the character of this just a little bit, with a little bit of an identity that speaks to destinations as well.”
During his presentation to the board, Noyes discussed his vision for the space and its aesthetics, drawing inspiration from the 211 Garage building near the library and traditional 1930s grocery stores. He said the artwork on the sign and eventual decor of the cafe are meant to celebrate Rappahannock’s farmers of the Depression era.
“I want to create Hayfields as kind of a town meeting, assembly area, a little place for all of us to get together,” Noyes said. “I want this to be a place that the lunch bunch is happy to come to, I’ve kept them in mind … but I also have, you know, another crowd that wants something a little more elevated, so it’s kind of this dance.”
ARB member Drew Mitchell — a graphic designer — said he was very happy with the signage design.
“I absolutely love your font choice. Well done,” he said.
Town residents have been anxious to have another restaurant in town since Noyes announced the project — originally planned to occupy the old Tula’s Restaurant and Bar at 311 Gay St. — in mid-2025. Several members of the public spoke in favor of the signage and suggested more street-level or temporary signs, like a sandwich board, when the cafe opens.
“I think it’s attractive and appropriate, and I hope you guys will support him so we can have another eatery in town,” said H.B. Wood, a lifelong Rappahannock resident who owns a business on Main Street.
Town Council member Brad Schneider said during public comment that the design reminded him of his father’s country store in Vermont, but asked whether a sign could also go on the side of the building facing Warren Avenue to catch passing drivers.
Noyes agreed and said his biggest concern is that people will “fly right past it” coming off of 211 and end up at Patty O’s Cafe up the road. But he’s used “all but a few inches” of the town’s allowed 25 square feet of signage, so he said an additional sign would be a “non-starter.”
“I’ve got ideas up my sleeve to get some interest down on the street level,” he said.
After the meeting, Noyes said once all of the town approvals come through, renovations can start to add a commercial kitchen to the space. Hayfields was originally projected to open this spring, but he wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday that he hopes to open “in late fall or so.”
The ARB also voted to approve:
- A 4-foot-tall black fence to surround a children’s play area behind the Rappahannock Historical Society and the health department, which will be used for the Trinity Episcopal Church’s new day school that opens this fall. Michael Goodwin, a representative of Trinity, said the playground — equipped with play equipment for three- to five-year-olds — will be open to the public, and said town and county residents will be encouraged to use it.
- A utility shed next to the town’s water treatment plant off of Leggett Lane, with the condition that several evergreen trees be planted around it to camouflage it from view.
- A one-year extension of a certificate of appropriateness for improvements to a cottage at 250 Main St.
