Downtown Frederick is the hub of culture, commerce and government in The City of Frederick, and attracted more than 2 million visitors annually prior to the pandemic.
The current downtown streetscape was implemented in the early 1990s when the city relocated utilities underground. Since that time, however, the facilities have aged and limitations of the current layout have emerged. These constraints have been further magnified as a result of recent COVID-related needs and trends toward complete streets supporting multi-modal transportation, accessible pedestrian routes, social distancing, outdoor dining and friendly parking.
Frederick now has an opportunity to use the experiences and data collected during the pandemic to reimagine the Downtown Frederick public streetscape and reinforce long-term recovery and continued growth. The City of Frederick and Downtown Frederick Partnership have partnered to engage a design company to develop creative design solutions, help set priorities and determine a framework for future streetscape improvements.
The consultant team — Design Collective and RK&K — was selected through a competitive RFP process to lead the initiative. The initial step of their project will focus on the completion of a robust community engagement process, followed by the development of a design concepts report.
There are many competing needs for the Downtown Frederick streetscape represented by a variety of stakeholder groups — Pedestrians want wide sidewalks free of obstacles and trip hazards, while restaurants want to maximize outdoor dining in the same area. Retailers and drivers value convenient street parking while others may prefer a closed pedestrian mall. For public safety, health and welfare, the City requires street trees, garbage cans, bike racks, streetlights and effective storm-water management.
An effective community engagement process is critical to listen to, evaluate and consider options/solutions for those often competing needs for the same space. Focus Group Interviews are currently being scheduled with key stakeholders. A community survey will be launched soon to invite additional public input. The consultant team will also help facilitate two Public Workshops on the topic later this spring.
Following the community engagement process, The Design Collective will prepare an options report based on the feedback gathered. Any implementation of these proposed concepts will be contingent upon the approval of the City’s Board of Alderman, as well as the availability of funding.