Published: November 25, 2008 09:02 am      

Frostburg plans for town square parking

Design provides for green space

FROSTBURG — A presentation for a new parking lot and green space area was discussed during a public hearing at the Frostburg City Council’s monthly meeting.

The project will involve the vacant lot at the corner of South Water Street and West Mechanic Street, said Richard Harris, community development director, at Thursday’s meeting.

“Improvements are proposed to create a landscaped parking lot that can be used for outdoor events,” Harris said. The pedestrian-oriented improvements are designed to blend with expected future private investment at the rear of the building.

The town square will be a redevelopment of the now vacant lot measuring approximately 8,700 square feet. It will have a single-vehicle entrance and exit on Mechanic Street and 17 parking spaces with one of those designed and reserved for the disabled.

A public bike rack and an 18-foot by 19-foot area with a public walk and mini-plaza will be located near Water Street. The total area for parking and driving will be nearly 2,826 square feet and the total pedestrian and green space will total approximately 2,335 square feet.

The project will cost an estimated $195,000 and the city is proposing a partnership with the Maryland Community Development Block Grant Program, Harris said.

“The CDBG program through its economic development funding, reviewed by the Department of Business and Economic Development, would provide the critical grant to allow the city to bring this project to fruition quickly,” he said.

Harris said there are many economic development goals for this project, such as stimulating private investment for redevelopment, facilitating new and expanding businesses, creating new job opportunities and encouraging redevelopment and successful reuse of vacant storefront and upper-story building spaces. Other goals include increasing access to and traffic in the downtown area, creating an attractive public space and creating a public space for outdoor events.

“We are trying to create a multipurpose threat here in downtown Frostburg,” Harris said. “We are replacing the blighted sector with an attractive place that will draw people downtown for events, arts, displays and concerts.”

Ray Rase, of SPECS engineering firm and Frostburg Planning Commission member, is donating his time to help with preliminary and final design drawings, Harris said. The Community Development Department will complete a business case confirming the project is designed to stimulate economic development in the downtown so an application to the state can be completed.

Once this and the preliminary and final design drawings are finished, the city will put out a call for construction bids. The goal is to have the bids in early March and to award a contract in May, Harris said.

Barbara Armstrong has been one of the local business owners involved with the creation of the parking lot.

Armstrong had hoped for more space that would be green and for people to use, but she realizes there is not enough room for a larger green space as well as a larger parking lot. She suggested the idea of changing the space behind City Place, originally a parking lot for City Place, into a green space as well.

“(The new parking lot) will provide a need for City Place and surrounding businesses,” she said. “But it doesn’t meet the need for green space in the town center, which I think is important. And I think we shouldn’t let the idea of green space behind City Place fall through the cracks.”

Mayor Arthur Bond said this was a good idea and something to talk about in the future.

A meeting with the Frostburg Planning Commission is scheduled Dec. 3.

“For the public, anybody interested in the planning of Frostburg in the future, this is a good opportunity to come and start to get involved,” Harris said. “This is still early enough that you can have really good input.”

For more information, contact Harris at (301) 689-6000 or e-mail rharris@allconet.org.

Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.