Mayor: Jennifer P. Dougherty

Contact: Nancy Poss
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, February 23, 2005

HAPPENINGS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Carroll Creek Park: On February 3rd the City’s Board of Aldermen approved the construction contract for Carroll Creek Park in Downtown Frederick! In a unanimous vote the Aldermen agreed to contract with Morgan-Keller, a top-notch local construction company, to complete the park improvements between Market and Carroll Street. Amenities include 3 pedestrian bridges, landscaping, 350-seat amphitheater, pedestrian walkways, planters, water features and handicap accessible crosswalks at 4 streets. Groundbreaking is expected for March 2005! Morgan-Keller is known locally for such high-caliber projects as the C. Burr Artz Library and the new Frederick Memorial Hospital expansion project. For more information about the Carroll Creek Park project contact the Department of Economic Development at 240-629-6360.

Carroll Creek Development: Private investment continues to move forward along Carroll Creek as well. Two new buildings along Carroll Creek Park have full approvals and another two are under construction.

* Creekside Plaza – This 90,000 sf building is located between Court Street and Market Street along the north side of Carroll Creek. Uses include commercial/office and residential. Construction to begin in the spring 2005. Contact Cathy Smith-Burdette with McShea at 301-695-1100 for leasing information.
* LaPaz – LaPaz has begun construction on their new 200-seat facility at the northwest corner of Market Street and Carroll Creek. Look for a ribbon cutting on the new location August 2005.
* South Market Center – This 43,000 sf building located between Carroll Creek and the Carroll Creek Parking Deck, is under construction! Uses include ground-floor retail, upper-story commercial/office. Construction completion is expected in the fall of 2005 and tenant fit-out will begin. Contact Mary Ford-Naill with MacRo Ltd at 301-698-9696 for leasing information.
* South Market Commons – This project, a partnership between Main Street, LLC and Washington Homes, will consist of approximately 65 residential condominiums with 200 parking spaces. Groundbreaking expected Spring 2005. Contact MacRo Ltd at 301-698-9696 for leasing information.
* The Galleria – Formerly known as Site D, this site (located between the Delaplaine and East Street), is under contract to the Wormald Company. The Galleria is currently under design and review by the HDC. Uses include 120 condominiums, 30,000 sf of commercial/retail space and 550 parking spaces. Look for a groundbreaking in 2006.
* Site F – The City has issued a Request for Proposal for the site situated between Commerce, East and All Saints Streets. The closing date for proposals March 8, 2005. Please contact Pat Keegin, City of Frederick Facilities Administrator, at 301-360-3888.
* Site G – The Frederick County Board of Education (BoE) has identified this site as the desired location for a consolidated Board of Ed office building. On Tuesday February 22, 2005 the Board of County Commissioners voted to allow proceeds from the sale of existing BoE facilities to help fund the centralized facility. The City of Frederick is currently negotiating with the BoE on the sale of Site G for $625,000.

Situated on the corner of South Street and East Street, the new BoE facility will contain approximately 100,000 sf and centralize 250-300 employees in this downtown location. The Tourism Council of Frederick County is also in discussions with the City and the BoE to renovate and occupy the Lippart Cabinet building on the northeast corner of the site. This site is also programmed for a 550-space parking deck to provide much-needed parking in this corridor.

* Site H - The City recently sold this site and the General Tire Building, located on the southeast corner of East and South Streets, to Bert Anderson, owner of Shab Row/Everedy Square. This space is programmed for mixed-use office/commercial space. The renovations are scheduled to be complete by the spring of 2006.
* Site I – The City sold this site, located on the southeast corner of Patrick and East Streets, to Douglas Development Corporation. Terms of the sale included the required demolition of the existing facility and mixed-use programming. Look for more activity on this site in the coming months.

Text Box: Frederick Innovative Technology Center: The first high-tech incubator in Frederick County opened it’s doors in January, marking success for a year-long effort involving partnerships between numerous organizations, spearheaded by the Frederick County Office of Economic Development. The facility is located on the third floor of Rosenstock Hall at Hood College. FITCI offers office space and wet lab space, accommodating both information technology and biotech start-ups. For more information about FITCI, visit their website at www.fitci.org or call 301-600-2999.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2005 Maryland Technology Council Frederick Network Awards. On February 10th the following Frederick companies were recognized for excellence in their industry: Sycamore Associates – Kurt Heckman was named Executive of the Year; SeraCare (formerly BBI Biotech) – named Frederick Technology Firm of the Year; Atlantic Biomass Conversions – biotech product of the year; and Acorn Packet Solutions – information technology product of the year. Sycamore Associates, SeraCare & Atlantic Biomass are all located in the City of Frederick.

Business Retention: The City knows that existing businesses are a valuable asset to the community. DED spends much time & effort working with current City of Frederick businesses to help them meet their ever-changing needs.

* Business Visits - DED visits businesses throughout the year to learn about their operations, their future plans, their current & future needs and ways in which the City DED can assist those businesses in reaching their goals. Recently DED held business visits with 3-Roads Communications, Asian Supermarket, The Temple, Swift Systems, EnNet and Immuno-Probe. If you would like DED to visit your company, call Susan Jessee at 240-629-6362 to schedule a visit.
* WATER – The City of Frederick does have water, and DED can assist businesses in obtaining the necessary water allocations through the Business Retention & Development category. This last quarter, DED assisted 2 businesses in either opening or expanding in the City through the allocation of 1,700 gallons per day from this business category. These allocations will result in more than 120 new jobs and $4.5 million in local company investments. In addition, another 7,526 gpd have just been allocated to the Business Retention & Development category. For more information about water allocation call Susan Jessee at 240-629-6362.

Microenterprise Loan Program: In a partnership between Community Development and Economic Development, the City of Frederick announced this NEW loan program to small businesses in October 2004. Since that time numerous inquiries have been received, and three prospective loan recipients have been interviewed. The City is also looking for a Microenterprise Loan Committee member from the banking industry. To assist entrepreneurs with early stage capital needs, loans of $600 to $10,000 are available to those who qualify. Contact Susan Jessee (Business Development Specialist) at 240-629-6362 for more information.

Downtown Frederick Farmers’ Market: DED is spearheading a task force to look at the possible locations for a special event farmers’ market in Downtown Frederick. This new market, slated to open July 8, 2005, would feature more of a festive, family event atmosphere, offering fresh produce as well as music, art and entertainment. The market would occur just three times per year (July 8, August 12, and September 9), with opportunities for expansion over the long term. The task force is working closely with the existing Frederick County Farmers’ Markets to ensure a complimentary, rather than competitive, relationship. DED is currently seeking community support for the proposed location on Carroll Street and will take the final recommendation to the Streets & Sanitation Committee March 15th for approval, the on to Mayor/Board of Aldermen Public Meeting in April. For more information call Heather Galbraith at 240-629-6360.

Frederick has the SITES you’re looking for! Looking to become a Major Element in Frederick? The City has more than 350,000 sf of existing office & flex space available, and more than 1.2 million sf in the making (CoStar, February 2005). If you need space, we’ll help you find it. Call DED at 240-629-6360.