City commission approves plan with 78-acre regional park

Ryan Marshall, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·2 min read

May 9—Frederick will have nearly 80 new acres of parkland, with the city Planning Commission approval of a new facility from the developer of a large residential project.

The developer of the Renn Quarter, Forestar (USA) Real Estate Group, will provide 78 acres for a regional park along East Church Street.

The Planning Commission approved a final site plan for the project at a meeting Monday night.

The park will stretch along East Church Street from Highland Street to near the intersection with Monocacy Boulevard.

The developer was required to donate the flood plain area along Carroll Creek as part of the 2015 rezoning agreement for the 221 acres of the Renn Quarter project.

The project includes plans for 1,050 residential units and 105,000 square feet of nonresidential space.

The agreement also requires the construction of a shared-use path from Monocacy Boulevard to Highland Street, Pam Reppert, a planner for the city, told the commission Monday.

The development of the park, which also includes the construction of a 38-space parking lot along East Church Street, is somewhat restricted because the property is in the overlay district for the Frederick Municipal Airport, Reppert said.

The city will be responsible for improvements in the park, such as lighting and adding restroom facilities, she said.

The park is entirely within a 100-year flood plain of a section of Carroll Creek and less than a half-mile from the Monocacy River at its closest point, according to a report prepared by the city's staff.

The environmental sensitivity of the floodplain and the restriction of the airport overlay mean that the area will be largely a passive park, although the potential for stream restoration will allow the city to collect credits toward a state stormwater permit, the report said.

The plans will allow for the construction of a course for 5-kilometer races on the property.

The environmental aspects of the plan will help remove sediment from Carroll Creek before it reaches the Monocacy, Chris Smariga, of the design firm Harris Smariga & Associates, told the commission.

And with more houses being built in Renn Quarter and the nearby East Church Residences, the shared-use path connecting various neighborhoods and providing a path downtown will be an amenity for the community, he said.

Follow Ryan Marshall on Twitter: @RMarshallFNP