Planning commission approves site-plan extensions, three final site plans and related forest waivers

The Frederick City Planning Commission on a unanimous roll call on matters at its most recent hearing approved a one-year extension for the Frederick Shoppers World final site plan, granted modifications to two site plans on West Patrick Street and approved the combined preliminary plat and final site plan for Brickworks Lot 5 with conditions that include additional screening for an alley adjacent to industrial property.

The votes covered four separate agenda items: approval of the May 12, 2025 meeting minutes; a one-year extension of the Shoppers World final site plan to July 10, 2026; two modifications and a final site plan at 1435 West Patrick Street (PC24-760FSI) along with related forest-stand and forest-conservation approvals (PC24-761FSCB); and multiple modifications and approval of the combined preliminary plat/final site plan for Brickworks Lot 5 (PC24-834PSU/FSI) together with a preliminary forest conservation plan (PC24-835PFCP).

The Frederick Shoppers World extension: Chair read a staff recommendation that the final site plan (originally approved Jan. 10, 2022) had previously received a six-month administrative extension and that the applicant asked for another year “based on the ongoing search for tenants.” Mike Swanson of Terra Solutions Engineering, who prepared the plan, said, “We’re simply requesting an extension. There’s no changes to the site plan and, we look forward to having approval of a 1 year extension.” Commissioner Manelas moved for approval; Commissioner Lee seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

1435 West Patrick Street (PC24-760FSI) and related forest plan: Staff entered the report for a shopping-center final site plan, including two requested modifications: reduced separation distance for a private drive along Old Camp Road and a reduction in the parking-lot interior landscaping requirement from the 10% standard to roughly 8.5% (staff supported both modifications citing lot shape and an adjacent forest conservation area). The commission approved the modification to access separation standards and the landscaping modification, then approved the final site plan with standard condition language to note modifications and APFO approval dates. Separately, the commission approved a combined forest-stand delineation and preliminary forest conservation plan for the same property; the applicant will meet tree-planting requirements via a fee in lieu ($2,548.26) after minor corrections noted by staff.

Brickworks Lot 5 (PC24-834PSU/FSI) and its forest plan: The commission approved a package of requests for Lot 5 in the Brickworks mixed-use master plan: a modification reducing required street trees on specific streets (staff found compensating tree plantings elsewhere), a modification to allow some lots to front onto HOA open space rather than a public street (staff found open-space frontage to be a compensating design feature), and the combined preliminary plat/final site plan for 231 townhomes on Lot 5. The applicant agreed to staff conditions and the commission added an additional condition specifying a minimum eight-foot fence with screening between the row of eight townhouses adjacent to Molding Press Alley and the industrial property to the east. The planning commission also granted conditional approval to the preliminary forest conservation plan for Lot 5 with staff-requested corrections to landscape-credit exhibits and a requirement for SHA (State Highway Administration) sign-off on afforestation along Monocacy Boulevard before final forest-plan approval.

Why it matters: The approvals move sizable private development projects forward in Frederick’s Golden Mile and Brickworks areas while triggering required follow-up: improvement plans, building permits, final forest conservation submittals and APFO (adequate public facilities ordinance) updates. The Brickworks Lot 5 approvals in particular advance a large infill neighborhood of townhomes that will depend on later environmental, traffic and construction approvals to implement.

What commissioners and applicants said: Commissioners asked questions about stormwater and timelines for improvement plans and permits. Staff cautioned that the administrative processes for improvement plans and building permits typically require concurrent work and that a year is a reasonable window only if the applicant advances improvement-plan submissions promptly. Sean Benjaminsen of AdTech Engineers and the Brickworks team described efforts to resolve floodplain and stormwater constraints and said the development team had negotiated with the City on required forestation and other mitigation. Commissioner Lee, Commissioner Manelas and staff repeatedly noted that approvals carried standard conditions and technical corrections that applicants must meet before permits are issued.

Next steps: Approved plans and modifications must be reflected in final permit submittals, corrected plan sheets, finalized APFO notes and, where applicable, final forest conservation approvals or fees in lieu. The commission’s votes were recorded as motions and seconds in the hearing minutes and will be incorporated into the official approvals package used for issuing permits and for any subsequent administrative review.