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Sykesville presents $2.5 million South End streetscape plan; station building to be enlarged for new kitchen
Summary
Town staff outlined a South End streetscaping plan funded with a $2.5 million allocation and presented proposed renovations to the historic station building that would remove an early-1990s kitchen and add a larger commercial kitchen and an enclosed platform area.
Town staff presented detailed plans for a South End streetscaping project and a separate renovation of the historic station building at a recent Sykesville Historic District Commission meeting. The streetscaping effort, funded by a roughly $2.5 million allocation approved by the town council, targets the main intersection at Main Street, Sandusky Road and Oklahoma Avenue and aims to expand sidewalks, improve pedestrian crossings and reshape a public parking lot.
"Council just approved, you know, a 2 and a half million dollar allocation, to do work on the South End," Speaker 1 said while outlining the scope. Staff described a mix of surface treatments: pavers, stamped concrete in the state right-of-way, and standard concrete for pedestrian areas. The plan includes sidewalk "bump-outs" at the main intersection to shorten crosswalks, realign irregular pedestrian crossings and improve sight lines for motorists.
The streetscape design would remove several on-street spaces at the intersection to create wider pedestrian zones; participants discussed differing parking-count estimates during the meeting, with references to eight spaces in one accounting and a later estimate of a net loss of two to four spaces. Speaker 1 said the project would also add sidewalks, curb and gutter along Baldwin Drive, formalize parallel parking there and incorporate an old railroad spur as a paved feature through Fountain Park.
Staff told commissioners that the town awarded the contract to BGC (a general contractor) and that the work is expected to take about six months once a notice to proceed is issued. "We put a 6 month time frame on it once we give notice to proceed," Speaker 1 said, but noted bids came in higher than expected and that the work may be phased or have material substitutions if necessary.
On the station building, staff said the exterior of the historic structure would largely remain unchanged but that the early-1990s kitchen addition will be removed and replaced with a substantially larger commercial kitchen. "The existing kitchen addition that's on the structure...is gonna come off completely, and they're gonna build a much larger commercial kitchen on the structure," Speaker 1 said. The proposal also calls for enclosing the back platform to create a year-round or three-season space, including larger openings and a metal roof; staff and commissioners discussed so-called "nano wood accordion windows" as a possible option for operable walls.
Staff warned that the kitchen enlargement would reduce on-site parking modestly. "I think the net loss was only on our between 2 and 4 spaces," Speaker 1 said during the discussion.
Next steps: staff will finalize materials and return formal plans for any required approvals. The commission received the presentation as an informational update; no formal approvals for the streetscape or station renovations were recorded in the meeting minutes discussed at the session.
