Will East Street Rise Again?

Fredericktonians Work Toward Raising East Street Right.

By Christyne McCutcheon

Photos by David Arthur

 

“Where was Frederick 50 years ago, and where will Frederick be in 50 years,” muses Mike Muren of the Long and Foster Companies. “We have to remember that we are human; we need places to live and enjoy ourselves. It can’t just be utilitarian all the time. We have to remember Frederick as a community that needs to continue building a sense of place.”

Muren and a group of like- minded Fredericktonians share this hope that there are Frederick locales that can provide just such a sense of place.

Head down Carroll Creek, notably where it crosses Market Street, for example, and you will experience the concerted efforts of people like Muren. They have created spaces that are pedestrian-friendly and encourage community interaction.

There, children can be seen playing along the waterway, couples glimpsed holding hands, and new businesses such as the Wine Kitchen and Lunchbox drawing people for a meal.

Only a block past all this life and community activity, however, the sidewalk ends. 

Carroll Creek dissolves into uncultivated industrial lots and broad stretches of cracking concrete, hemmed in by abandoned buildings that used to be the pillars of Frederick industry There is a physical divide between two parts of Frederick: Downtown’s west side is home to commerce and renowned architectural history; and the outer east side is a former, industrial area with open space, such as the fairgrounds and airport, and an architectural history that is largely industry-intensive. 

With the birth of the Carroll Creek project in the 1980’s, the outer east side of town—2,235 acres of land stretching from East Street to the Frederick Municipal Airport and beyond—has been slated for redevelopment. “Since I began the Carroll Creek project, I knew that it would impact the whole of east Frederick.” Maryland State Senator and former Frederick city Mayor Ron Young tells The Frederick Gorilla.

Accordingly, urban planner Alan Fineberg created a committee in 2005, known today as East Frederick Rising. (EFR) He sought to designate east Frederick as an area that ideally would become a revived community echoing the aesthetics of downtown, but with modern utility.

Tied into the fate of this area is the success of small businesses, such as my family’s business, McCutcheon’s Apple Products.

But will small manufacturing and industrial businesses still be welcome in East Frederick 40 to 50 years from now if East Fredrick Rising realizes its dream?

The Vision

Fineberg’s East Frederick Rising vision foresees an urban renewal effort that would be unlike anything Frederick has ever seen. In contrast to past development projects, such as those of the Golden Mile and MD Route 355, Fineberg’s hope is that east Frederick will—with walk-able, urban courses, mixed- use buildings and parking and waste water management solutions that blend in with the architecture and aesthetics of the area—more closely resemble downtown Frederick.

As an ad hoc committee of dedicated community members, EFR includes businesspeople, politicos, writers, academics, developers, real estate agents, and planners. 

“What we are trying to do is create a set of guidelines for development that would require compact density, buildings that are street-oriented—no single story buildings—and a pedestrian focus,” says Richard Griffin, EFR board member and the city’s director of economic development. Griffin sees east Frederick as a unique development opportunity.

“East Frederick would bring a new infrastructure to Frederick by connecting roads from Monocacy all the way to I-70,” he adds.

And it appears that EFR’s vision for the city’s east end will not only change the economic and social landscape of Frederick, it will affect the whole county.

“Any revitalization of the east side of the City of Frederick would be beneficial to the county as a whole,” says Laurie Boyer, Frederick County’s economic development director, “especially if the project moves forward with a niche development, such as a ‘net- zero’ redevelopment project.” 

She is referring to North Pointe, Nexus Energy Homes, 100 percent energy-efficient residential living project along Bentz Street, on the city’s west side. The first of such development in the United States, these 59 “net-zero” homes have brought nationwide attention to Frederick and reflect an important aspect of EFR’s eco- and pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use vision for the east end. 

But a project of this magnitude does not fall into place quickly, as EFR’s slow progress proves. “We are looking at a 40 to 50- year plan,” Griffin explains. “The pressure to develop is not here yet, but it is coming. Once we have the infrastructure in place—connecting Carroll Creek Park and Monocacy Boulevard near the airport—the pressure to develop will follow.”

Who’s Who

So, who’s behind this town- changing plan? Is it just another Who’s Who of Frederick’s usual movers-and-shakers—or has this group taken a different form?

When Fienberg founded EFR, he recruited its initial board as well. But this board, observers say, was casual, lacked direction, and didn’t accomplish many of its goals. 

“When the board first started it wasn’t organized and it wasn’t recognized by the city,” recalls Muren, who is a member of the current board. “It was just a couple of people who thought something should change.”

But all that changed in 2008, he says.

“I found EFR when it was just beginning to change into what it is today,” Muren explains.

“And the shaping force [behind] EFR in 2008 was Young. He quickly changed how the game was being played.”

Young agrees.

“Alan Fienberg was pushing to get something going, and had several boards,” Young says. “But quite frankly, I didn’t like the way it was going. That is when I put most of the [new] EFR board together. They were people I knew to be good for a project like this, and would do it if I asked them.”

Young brought with him a team of professionals—such as Richard Kline, of Kline Construction; Kevin Lollar, director of development at the city’s housing authority and Bert Anderson, developer of Shab Row—who had worked on projects similar to EFR’s vision.

Gradually, as membership filled out, the board came to represent what it is today: a mixed bag of Frederick residents—along with some, like Young, Frederick City Mayor Randy McClement and Anderson, who could be considered “good ole boys”—who all share a very specific vision for east Frederick. 

Among them are small business owners, such as Brian Sclar of Reliable Recycling Center and Bob McCutcheon, (the author’s father) of McCutcheon’s Apple Products. Also included are city planners, developers, realtors—such as Muren—representatives from the Airport Authority and ex officio members from city development departments whose services are provided on an “in-kind” basis.

But, although there are city officials as current and ex-officio EFR board members, EFR itself is not a city entity—and most board members want to keep it that way.

Young is especially adamant on the subject.

“EFR should remain independent of the city, so that it doesn’t become about what the city wants, but about what is right for east Frederick,” he says.

Richard Griffin echoes Young’s sentiments.

“Every community and neighborhood needs champions to advocate for their issues,” says Griffin. “The government cannot be everything to everybody. So, if EFR remains a group of advocates we will be able to accomplish a lot more while keeping as many people’s interests in mind.”

Independent EFR members— members not directly associated with city government—share this understanding that their purpose is to remain focused advocates.

But Sclar isn’t sure he’ll remain on the board. The jargon of development and planning means little to him.

“I guess it’s business-owners like me who keep those city planner-types level-headed, and [help them] keep people like me in mind,” he says. 

Remaining independent of city government has also allowed EFR to receive $25,000 in grant money—a windfall that was used to formulate and distribute a vision plan for the area.

Muren laughs when asked by a Gorilla reporter about the organization’s financial situation. “I have never seen a grant be stretched so far,” he says.

EFR President Bob McCutcheon agrees, adding “the grant…[allowed] us to hire planner Dave Ager of Townscape Design [for the vision plan].”

Financially, then, EFR relies on grant funding and in-kind services from the city and other planning and development professionals, while operationally it depends on the persistent advocacy for change from its board members.

Is East Frederick Rising?

Fast forward to 2012, seven years after the initial EFR board was formed, and some changes for the better in East Frederick are noticeable.

“Not much has happened [overall] yet,” says Richard Griffin. “But look at what has happened along East Street.”

Griffin is referring to the recent extension of South East Street to the I-70 interchange, a development that has improved downtown traffic flow while, at the same time, drawing visitors and residents into the east side of town. 

Further enhancing this improvement, in 2010, the Frederick County Public Schools system opened its new headquarters in the area; and in 2011, the county’s Tourism Council follow suit with its own refurbished building. But, significant as these developments are, three, closely situated projects in a 2,235-acre area is still a minor makeover in terms of EFR’s overall vision for Frederick city-east. 

So, is there a way to accelerate EFR’s 50-year plan for the city’s east side—one that would make it both profitable and community friendly?

One quick solution—to which EFR stands in obstinate opposition, however—would be to bring some big-box store, such as a Walmart or a Target, into the area. Such companies have quick, standardized construction methods, and could bring one of its superstores—along with an affiliated strip mall—to the east side in a few years. 

McCutcheon, however, fears this type of development.

“Building east Frederick up like that is exactly what we want to avoid,” he says. “We don’t need another Golden Mile, or [MD Route] 355. Having store fronts pushed back from the road, fronted by massive parking lots won’t add anything to [east] Frederick, or [help it become] a long-lasting [attraction] like downtown.” 

But, big-box store development and well-known franchises—with a few exceptions, such as Starbucks and regional banks—have yet to make their way into the heart of Frederick’s downtown. 

Starbucks is a case-in-point. In 2008, the international coffee bar opened its doors at 104 North Market Street.

Initially, downtown business owners and even residents were up in arms about the appearance of a chain store in a neighborhood normally reserved for local, small businesses. Given the controversy, Starbucks’ success downtown was a toss-up, with opinion varying as to whether its presence would boost or kill local business.

“At the time it made me nervous,” says Dave Snyder, owner of Café Nola on East Patrick Street. “I was running Downtime Café [at the time] and had just opened my bakery across the street. But having a local Starbucks forced me to adapt my business. Small businesses have the ability to quickly adapt, where a lot of big businesses do not.” 

Asked if he thought big-box development and other national chains would threaten or help downtown commerce, Snyder says, “It is what it is. Walmarts will be built, but people will still come to downtown for downtown. Walmarts and Starbucks are not the reasons why people visit and shop in Frederick.” 

In Synder’s opinion, big- box store development in east Frederick will have little impact on downtown. But he sees EFR’s vision plan as potentially presenting exciting opportunities for the area to diversify, possibly even uniting the east and west sides of Fredrick City.

Forcing The ‘Good Ole Boys’ of Manufacturing Out

Currently, east Frederick is the home to a variety of manufacturing and small service companies whose operations don’t necessarily align well with EFR’s vision of a pedestrian-friendly, “new urban community.” 

This business sector, however, represents a significant portion of the local economy.

“Frederick County’s manufacturing industry is extremely dynamic, high-tech, innovative and competitive,” says Frederick County government business development specialist Judy Bollinger of the importance of manufacturing to the county. “Manufacturing represents approximately 6.2 percent of the private sector employment for Frederick County. There are approximately 172 manufacturing establishments [in the county] employing 4,768 people and paying over $274 million in annual wages.” 

But if EFR’s vision becomes a reality, will east Frederick’s manufacturing companies be forced to move away?

Frederick County Director of Economic Development, Laurie Boyer thinks that, as east Frederick develops into a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use area, manufacturing facilities may find it difficult to continue their operations there. “For a number of years, as East Frederick Rising’s [plans] have taken shape, we’ve been working with the city to identify industrial sites in Frederick County where [affected], east side industries could relocate to, [hopefully] ensuring that we keep them as Frederick County companies,” she says.

“As the [county] looks at comprehensive planning for the next 20 years, [we] understand that there are revitalization efforts within the city [as well] and are cognizant of that [when] looking for additional, industrial-zoned land in the county.” EFR board member Sclar understands that east Frederick is changing and, as it does, so must his recycling business. 

Since 1948, his recycling center, formerly known as the Reliable Junk Company, was located on the corner of East 5th and East Streets. Recently, however, due in part to what Sclar sees coming for the east side, the business moved to the Reichs Ford Road industrial area.

“The Sclar family has a very long and proud history in Frederick City,” he says. “I don’t know much about city planning, economic development or sustainable communities, but I do realize that East Street is no longer the industrial side of town—and a scrap yard is not the best use of our site in the foreseeable future. I don’t know what the next 20 or 30 years will bring to east Frederick, but I believe the potential is almost limitless.”

The EFR board says it doesn’t intend to force out businesses currently located in east Frederick. But, given Reliable Recycling’s choice to move, will others follow suit anyway? And if they do, will they choose to leave Frederick County entirely?

That’s a possible unintended consequence that planners must consider as they implement their vision for east Frederick City, siring developments that will likely bring new businesses and residents to the area, but also, possibly, unpredictable change.

It’s also a consideration that McCutcheon’s Apple Products— dependent as it is on developments in east Frederick—must ponder, wondering what will happen when EFR’s vision becomes a reality.

Will the vacant lots and abandoned buildings be left to crumble as the “new urban” look takes shape, or will the east end experience its touted renaissance and finally blend more uniformly with its west side in a new birth of community?

It’s a question that’s on many a mind as forces—both rational and irrational, self-interested and altruistic, predictable an unpredictable—contend to bring about a welcome renewal of East Frederick.