On October 17th, “Frederick’s Planning Commission voted 3-2 to approve a master plan for the Brickworks development project, which would add up to 1,260 homes and 130,000 square feet of retail space on a site along the city’s East Street.” as reported by Ryan Marshall of The Frederick News Post
Planning Commission Conditions
Although the planning commission approved the initial Brickworks plan, they denied a modification request and added two conditions to the final approval.
Denied modification request: “the commission voted 3-2 to deny a modification to the city’s zoning rules requested by the project’s developer, Greenberg Gibbons, that would have allowed a building in the project’s retail section along Monocacy Boulevard to sit 65 feet from the public sidewalk, rather than the no more than 20 feet, which the city’s zoning requires.
The modification also requested that buildings along public streets not be required to provide pedestrian entrances from those streets and to allow more than 10% of the required off-street parking to be located between the buildings’ main entrances on the interior of the site and Monocacy Boulevard.
The modification was important for meeting the business model of a possible tenant for the site, which Greenberg Gibbons CEO Brian Gibbons described as the nation’s “premier organic grocery store.”
Conditions:
1. Dedicated Parkland – “one of which would require the dedication of at least three acres of parkland within the larger body of the development on the east side of East Street. Greenberg Gibbons had proposed about 7 acres of parkland on the west side of the street, to be joined with the city’s Harmon Park. But critics of the project have expressed concern about the safety of children and other users crossing East Street to access the park.”
2. MD Department of the Environment Certification – “The second condition requires Greenberg Gibbons to get certification from the Maryland Department of the Environment that any section of the site where work is being done has been fully remediated to address the environmental concerns before building permits can be issued.”
What locals Are Saying
“Most residents who spoke expressing concerns about:
- how the project would connect to the streets and neighborhoods around it,
- the location of parkland that would be dedicated as part of the project,
- environmental contamination on parts of the nearly 65-acre parcel
- the fact that the project wouldn’t be subject to the form-based code.”
Frederick County Public Schools Impact
“Frederick County Public Schools has pushed for the project to include a site for a new elementary school, to help minimize the impact on the schools that the development would feed into.
Holly Nelson, facilities planner for FCPS, told the commission that the type of development planned for the site could produce pupil yields well above what planning has projected.
Gibbons said his company is open to working with FCPS and the county to find a mutually agreeable plan for a school, but Nelson said she’s concerned that there is no site shown on the master plan.
Adding a school site would require that part of the property to be rezoned from its current zoning status.”
The full article by Ryan Marshall of The Frederick News Post can be read here
Developer Response
On October 25th, Brian Gibbons, the CEO of Greenberg Gibbons — the Baltimore-based developer seeking to build a project of housing and retail on nearly 65 acres along Frederick’s East Street — wrote in a statement that the company is examining its options for the project.
“We’re very pleased the Planning Commission approved our master plan for the Frederick Brickworks project,” Gibbons’ statement said. “However, a few modifications that were integral to our proposed site design were not approved. Therefore, we are taking time to assess how this impacts our overall plans and gather additional feedback from key stakeholders. Once a thoughtful analysis of everything has been complete, we’ll provide an update on our plans moving forward.”
“The commission denied a modification that Gibbons had said was key to attracting an organic grocery store that Greenberg Gibbons had been negotiating to bring to the site.
The store would be one of the main features of the retail area on the southern end of the project, along Monocacy Boulevard.
The Planning Commission denied a requested modification that would have allowed the building to be set back farther than allowed from the public sidewalk and that buildings along the public streets not be required to have public entrances from those streets.”
The full follow up article by Ryan Marshall of The Frederick News Post can be read here
Frederick City Media 