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Planned restaurant at Sykesville Train Station would add kitchen, require amended plat and historic sign-offs
Summary
Town presenters showed plans to enlarge the kitchen and enclose the station’s rear platform so a restaurant can operate year-round; staff said a site plan, building permit and amended plat are required and materials must be approved by historic authorities.
Joe, a town project representative, presented plans to convert space at the Sykesville Train Station for year-round restaurant seating and a larger commercial kitchen.
The proposed work removes the small existing kitchen and builds a larger addition on the west side of the historic station; designers said the new kitchen footprint currently encroaches on an existing property line, so the town will require an amended plat to place the addition on a single lot. Interior renovations include lowering the freight room floor and unifying split-level platform areas so the building is accessible on a single level; ADA access will be retained from the west side.
"MHT has given their blessing" for the concept, Joe said, noting the project went through a concept review with Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) and that final materials and exterior details must return to the Historic District Commission for approval. Joe emphasized the team’s intent to keep exterior changes visually transparent and sympathetic to the historic structure.
The presenters said work will require a site plan and building permit because the property lies in a business local district and the addition may extend beyond the existing lot line — hence the need for an amended plat. Joe noted the project is out to bid, with a pre-bid meeting scheduled and bids due Dec. 13; he said the team expects to be under contract by year’s end and anticipates a late-winter or early-spring construction start if bids and schedules align.
On parking, Joe said the kitchen addition will reduce available spaces in the southern downtown parking area by roughly four to five spaces; the town owns an adjacent lot that it hopes to expand into for additional parking, but that would require coordination with a longtime downtown business that uses the lot.
Next steps: the project team will file a site plan and building-permit application, pursue an amended plat to adjust lot lines, and obtain final approvals from the Historic District Commission and MHT for exterior materials.
