Frostburg historic commission approves Tunnel Hotel sign and dining deck at 28 Depot Street

FROSTBURG, Md. — The Frostburg Historic District Commission approved exterior changes for 28 Depot Street, known historically as the Tunnel Hotel and most recently the Trail Inn, at its meeting on Feb. 10, 2025.

Adam Forshey, the applicant and project representative, told the commission he closed on the property on Nov. 1 and intends to restore a historic-style sign and add a dining deck that will replace a hostel sleeping room. "We've recently purchased the, what's currently known as the Trail Inn," Forshey said. He said the sign will be modeled on an original late-19th-century design and that the deck will provide outdoor dining tied to a new wood-fired pizza operation.

The project seeks to return the hotel name to the Tunnel Hotel and to convert the hostel room and adjacent space into a service area and outdoor dining. Forshey said the property currently has a back-area bathhouse with showers and laundry that serve camping guests, and the proposal would remove a ramp used by trail users and tie the new deck into the existing deck system. He said the applicant plans to use Trex decking and stainless-steel cable railing and expects the first phase to be operational by Memorial Day, weather permitting.

The commission discussed the property's inventory status and materials. Staff and commissioners noted the main hotel building is listed as a contributing resource in the district inventory while the adjacent one-story building (the former hostel/snack shack) is noncontributing. The commission reviewed guidance that decks and patios on noncontributing rear-yard structures can be eligible for administrative approval if they meet certain conditions (located in rear yard, not higher than foundation, and not projecting beyond either side of the building), and commissioners asked whether the proposed materials and profile fit the district character.

Forshey also told the commission he is working to transfer an alcohol license for on-site service; he said training and certification steps are complete and that the transfer requires signatures from people in the local voting district. "We're down to 1 more. We just need to get, 10 signatures from people in our voting district, and then we can submit it to the liquor board to transfer it over," he said.

After presentation and questions, a commissioner moved to approve the proposal, stating that the proposed changes are compatible with the neighborhood's exterior design, scale and materials and citing the application materials and Section 4.1 (0.2, 0.1 c) as the basis for the finding. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; commissioners responded "Aye." The verbal motion recorded to the minutes read in part: "I have studied the application and all relevant documents and presentation related to this case, and I am familiar with the property in question. I find that the proposed changes are compatible with the neighborhood ... I move to approve the proposal ..." (motion text as entered in the meeting record).

Separately, the commission reviewed and accepted several administrative approvals submitted since the last meeting, including in-kind roof replacements and minor exterior work at multiple addresses: 58 South Bridal (in-kind roof replacement), 1 Standish Street (in-kind roof replacement), 259 East Main Street (in-kind porch roof replacement), 49 Depot Terrace (driveway grading not visible from main right-of-way), 287 East Main Street (in-kind roof replacement), 64 Frost Avenue (in-kind roof replacement), 183 East Main Street (exterior paint selected from a historic palette), 179 East Main Street (wooden shed construction not visible from right-of-way), and 126 East Main Street (rear roof replacement to match existing). The commission approved the meeting agenda and the minutes from July 8, 2024 earlier in the session by motion and voice vote.

The commission did not set a separate, binding timeline for all phases of the Tunnel Hotel project; Forshey described the Memorial Day target for initial operations as a goal and said full completion of later phases would depend on resources and time. Commissioners asked for clarification on materials and exact deck placement and relied on staff review authority for some noncontributing-structure determinations.

The meeting concluded with routine business and an adjournment motion.