Planning commission reviews city capital improvements program; East Street, Rails-with-Trails and Westside center among priorities

Frederick City planning staff presented the commission’s annual review of the capital improvements program (CIP) at the commission’s Feb. 18 workshop and asked commissioners to recommend projects to the mayor and city council.

Gabrielle, a planning department staff member, opened the presentation: “This is our annual review of the CIP,” and walked the commission through project updates, new requests and projects that remain unfunded or in early stages of design.

Why it matters: The Planning Commission is required by state law and City of Frederick code (Chapter 2) to make recommendations on the CIP. Commissioners’ recommended projects are forwarded to the mayor and council and can affect what enters the city’s capital budget and short‑term work plan.

Most urgent items

- East Street design: Staff said East Street improvements — between Fifth and Market Streets and other segments — remain a priority; $750,000 was requested for design. Commissioners noted that adoption of the city’s form‑based code is intended to guide design and that staff intends the design work to follow code adoption so the right-of-way and public‑infrastructure assumptions align with new zoning rules. Commissioner Katie Manelas asked whether East Street work can begin prior to formal adoption; staff said adoption is the intent before issuing an RFP for design.

- Rails‑with‑Trails: Staff reported that phase 1 is complete, 100% design is underway for phase 2 (northbound side of East Street from Eighth Street toward 1526), and phase 3 — a bridge linking phases 2 and 4 — has received grant funding and is awaiting State Highway Administration approval to advertise for design bids. David Edmonson, transportation planner, said the city has “about 1 and a half miles remaining to build” on phase 2 and plans to advertise in the coming fiscal year.

- Menoxie Boulevard interchange: The proposed interchange at Menoxie Boulevard and U.S. 15/26 is listed in the highway needs inventory with an estimated cost noted in staff remarks at about $118,000,000; staff characterized it as a long‑range, high cost project that is not yet programmed as a CIP line item.

Other CIP items and timeline

- Westside Community Center: Added to the city’s current matrix, staff described the proposed center as a partnership among city, county, federal, nonprofit and private stakeholders. Design and public engagement are slated for 2025; staff said construction would be targeted for 2026 with a hoped opening in 2027.

- Sidewalks and equity sidewalk repair: Two sidewalk initiatives were highlighted — a citywide sidewalk retrofit program to identify gaps and prioritize repairs, and an equity emphasis area sidewalk repair CIP that would cover repairs within designated census tracts at no direct cost to property owners.

- Police headquarters and Harry Grove Stadium: Staff said the new police headquarters remains on track for late spring 2025 and that Harry Grove Stadium renovations are state funded (design to be completed in March; construction through May 2026) and not a city CIP expense.

- Smart traffic systems and streets master plan: Commissioners renewed requests for a study of “smart traffic systems.” Staff said no citywide study of smart traffic has been completed to date, though corridor studies exist; the streets master plan is in the department’s FY25–28 work plan and data gathering/outreach is expected to start in 2025.

Funding and process notes

Staff said projects that have received funding typically remain listed in the CIP until they are fully complete and accepted; a commissioner asked whether allocated funding can be withdrawn, and public‑works director Zach Kirschner (present) said allocations typically remain with the project though city council retains budget authority.

Public comments and committee recommendations

Members of the public and local groups urged action on downtown streetscape, East Street safety upgrades and flood control alignment. Karen Norman of the Downtown Frederick Partnership encouraged aligning streetscape and stormwater work to “dig once” and coordinate design. Vicky Understein of East Frederick Rising thanked the commission for continued support of projects including Rails‑with‑Trails. Hannah Nickerson (East Frederick Rising) called East Street “a death trap on the daily” and urged funding, even as a pilot prior to full form‑based code adoption.

Next steps and meeting schedule

Staff asked the commission to return a recommended CIP letter to the mayor and council; staff said it plans to bring the draft back for commission action at the March regular meeting to align with budget discussions. The commission did not take a final vote at the workshop; staff said they would prepare a draft recommendation for the commission to review and adopt at the regular meeting.

Ending note: Staff encouraged commissioners to raise additional questions or request more detail on specific CIP line items; multiple commissioners asked for supplementary materials (funding breakdowns, a matrix of modifications where applicable) ahead of the March meeting.