Golden Mile Sees Business Expansions, New Construction, Façade Improvements

The City of Frederick Department of Economic Development and the Golden Mile Alliance Organizing Committee is pleased to report renovations and new business activity on the Golden Mile including:

• VERIZON store is renovating and will occupy the former Hollywood Video space at 1003 West Patrick Street, part of the Frederick County Square shopping center.
  



• FAMOUS DAVE’S restaurant, also located in the Frederick County Square shopping center, is undergoing major exterior renovations but remains fully open and operational during construction.
  



• RED LOBSTER restaurant recently completed a façade improvement of their location on the Golden Mile.
  



• IF THE SHOE FITS has signed a lease in the Cellular One Center at 1170 West Patrick Street.
  



• GOODWILL store is renovating the former 84 Lumber facility at 101 Willowdale Drive and is opening this month.
  



• MCDONALD’S restaurant is planning to demolish and completely rebuild their location at 1501 Garrett Drive. The project includes a complete overhaul of the exterior, new interior décor and improvements to the drive-thru.
  



• CVS PHARMACY is constructing a new 12,800 square foot location at 1460 West Patrick Street. Located on the west end of the Golden Mile on the corner of Old Camp Road, this new branch will replace the former Earthworks Garden Center.

“The Golden Mile continues to be a vibrant business location as evidenced by the investment being made by these businesses,” stated Richard Griffin, director of economic development for the City of Frederick. “We are pleased to see businesses growing, expanding and investing in our community.”

The City of Frederick in collaboration with residents, property owners, and businesses is establishing the Golden Mile Alliance. According to Mayor Randy McClement, the mission of the group which is nearing incorporation is “to promote and foster the Golden Mile gateway community through business, neighborhood and economic development programs.” The ad-hoc organizing committee meets at Hillcrest Community Center on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7PM and has established a vision “to ensure that the Golden Mile is an attractive, diverse, and highly dynamic, mixed-use commercial corridor with top retail, office, and service uses linked by safe pedestrian routes to healthy residential neighborhoods and parks.

World Trade Center Institute’s 22nd Founders’ Anniversary and Embassy Wine Tasting

Date: December 1, 2011 4:00-6:30pm

Location: World Trade Center Baltimore

                        232 East Pratt Street 21^st floor

                        Baltimore, MD 21202

WTCI’s Founders’ Anniversary and Embassy Wine Tasting is an annual event that celebrates our mission of connecting local businesses to global opportunities. We invite you to raise a glass to the founders and founding companies who play integral roles in Maryland’s growing global community.   This year’s highlights include:

·         Insights about Maryland companies on the move in 2011 – including major international contracts, acquisitions, and expansions

·         Opportunity to sample fine wines from around the world at Embassy hosted wine tasting - win a bottle to take home!  

·         Unparalleled networking, appetizers, raffles, and more! 

Tickets: Members - $50, Non Members - $75

More information about the event can be found at the Event Page.   Registration is easy!

Monocacy Boulevard Opening in Late 2012

Last week Mayor McClement announced that the center section of Monocacy Boulevard would be open to traffic by the end of 2012. This is welcome news for the business community, as this new roadway will greatly improve access and traffic flow to major employment centers in Riverside and on the north end of town.

Completion of Monocacy Boulevard and improvements to Gas House Pike will create a new access point from I-70 to the businesses located in the Riverside business parks, Clustered Spires Golf Course, and to Route 26. Once fully completed Monocacy Boulevard serves as a mini-beltway around Frederick, connecting I-70 to Route 15 N along the east side. Future completion of the Rt. 15/Monocacy Boulevard interchange will continue the connection to the west side of the city.

“Continued investment in the City’s infrastructure is a critical component of economic development and the creation of new jobs in our community,” said Richard Griffin, director of the City’s Department of Economic Development.

The City’s costs to construct Monocacy Boulevard will be off-set in part by the Maryland BRAC Revitalization and Incentive Zone program. In 2008, the east side of Frederick City became one of the first such zones designated in the State of Maryland. A program of the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development, the BRAC Zone program was designed to assist communities with the development of new infrastructure projects in support of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) expansions at federal installations.

For more information on this project, or the BRAC Revitalization and Incentive Zone, contact DED at 301-600-6360.

Green Business Practices are the Focus of Upcoming County Programs

The Department of Solid Waste Management (DSWM) is putting local businesses in the spotlight with two fall programs that focus on local commercial recycling and waste reduction activities. The outreach efforts are intended to provide resources for businesses that would like to reduce their disposable waste stream and also to provide recognition for those that are already operating with a ―green‖ mindset.

Between September 1 and October 12, 2011 any local business, non-profit or public sector entity can be nominated for the County’s Business Waste Reduction and Recycling Award program. This annual award recognizes the efforts of organizations that have taken steps to reduce their impact on the waste stream, through preventative waste reduction practices or integrated waste management strategies. Examples of waste-preventative business practices include ordering supplies in bulk, distributing pay stubs electronically or avoiding disposable items where possible. While such front-end tactics can reduce the amount of waste generated, other strategies, such as equipment and supply reuse, materials exchange programs, composting and recycling, divert valuable resources that would have otherwise been disposed.

According to DWSM Superintendent Phil Harris, in 2010, almost 160,000 tons of waste were generated in Frederick County and sent for landfill disposal; local businesses contributed roughly half of that amount. Harris notes, ―"While much attention has been given to residential recycling in recent years, this awards program is part of our ongoing effort to promote integrated solid waste management practices to the local business community. We are committed to helping local business leaders recycle more and waste lessand to demonstrate that such practices are not only environmentally sustainable but are also economically feasible."

For businesses interested in establishing or improving a recycling program, the County is conducting a free, day-long forum on October 5, 2011; the purpose of the program is summed up in its title, Working Together: Helping Businesses Recycle. The goal is to provide attendees with information and resources for creating a recycling program that meets their particular needs. Dialogue will be facilitated to help identify and reduce perceived barriers to beginning a commercial recycling program.

To address concerns specific to individual sectors—such as retail, hospitality or multi-family housing—attendees will be able to converse with local business leaders who have already incorporated recycling into their enterprise as well as learn from regional recycling experts. Richard Anderson, principal consultant of CQI Associates, will present information on how recycling cooperatives were created in Howard County to assist businesses in arranging recycling collection service in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Local waste hauling companies that offer recycling collection will also be on hand to discuss the existing array of available services. Complete information for both the business awards program and the recycling forum are available on the county’s website, www.FrederickCountyMD.gov/BusinessRecycle. Applications for the award may be downloaded online and submitted by fax or mail. Those interested in attending the forum may register online; there is no cost to attend, but space is limited, so advance registration is required.

These programs are being administered by the Department of Solid Waste Management, in conjunction with The Frederick County Office of Economic Development, Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, City of Frederick Economic Development and the Downtown Frederick Partnership. The Department of Solid Waste Management regularly assists businesses in developing waste reduction and recycling programs by providing technical assistance and outreach support. For more information on commercial recycling and waste reduction opportunities, contact Dave Helmecki, the county’s Commercial Recycling Program Coordinator, at 301-600-7404 or by email to DHelmecki@FrederickCountyMD.gov.

Community Focused on Filling Vacant Buildings

Long-time vacant commercial buildings (and we can all name several), are major nuisances for their immediate neighborhoods and the City as a whole, creating unsightly health, safety, and welfare issues. Such vacancies are eyesores and can result in declining property values, crime, vandalism, loitering, and other undesirable effects. Recent articles in the media have focused on this issue as one that is particularly visible and distressing since there are a number of notable vacancies which current policies, codes, regulations, and incentives have not been effective in forcing renovation and leasing.

It is important to note that the vast majority of the commercial leasable space in the city is occupied by terrific businesses employing nearly 49,000. While commercial vacancies have crept up into the upper teens during the recession and slow recovery, these properties are not the ones causing public outcry for action. Most commercial landlords are focused on minimizing vacancies and routinely invest in their properties keeping them leasable, all in hopes of driving strong revenue. Landlords who don't are often referred to as "slumlords" and their properties eventually become deteriorated and unleasable. There is little understanding for why they choose to allow this to occur, but the reasons they give range from the high cost of renovation including life-safety and ADA improvements to simply feeling overwhelmed and not knowing how to reposition derelict buildings. The latter is a good reason for them to consider selling their properties to others who do.

There is a strong correlation between public safety and economically vibrant, healthy neighborhoods with low vacancy rates and capital investment. The City has tried a number of ways to encourage and force delinquent property owners to maintain and lease their properties including recently condemning properties which are unsafe to occupy. What we need now is a well-coordinated, focused set of regulations and incentives to achieve progress.

In an effort to advance this issue, the city administration has announced that a blue-ribbon panel of local property owners, brokers, residents, and staff is being appointed to recommend regulatory and incentive strategies within 90 days. The group is being asked to review current policies, regulations and incentives, as well as to explore best practices from other communities. Many options have been identified by city staff, residents, elected officials and organizations like the Downtown Frederick Partnership which has been exploring the issue. Some of the alternatives include required registration for vacant properties, vacant property taxes or fees for long-time vacancies, land-value tax system, and increased incentives for building renovation and capital re-investment.

We all want Frederick to maintain and improve its reputation as a vibrant and safe community with healthy commercial occupancy rates, jobs, and available retail products and services. For more information check out www.businessinfrederick.com.

Local Businessman appointed to Governor's Maryland Economic Development Commission

Congratulations to Dave Severn, local Frederick attorney with Severn O’Conner & Kresslein, for his recent appointment to Governor O’Malley’s Maryland Economic Development Commission. The Commission’s 31 member board was created in 1995 with the mission to establish policies to create a competitive economic climate for business growth to compete more vigorously in the global marketplace.

Dave was quoted as saying, "These are challenging and uncertain times and more than ever we need to develop, support, and initiate programs and initiatives to position Maryland’s economy for growth. Maryland’s economic engine is driven by broad and diverse industries ranging from agriculture to manufacturing, tourism to technology, state and federal facilities to military bases. We need to invest in those economic drivers, promote entrepreneurial enterprises and make it easy to do business in Maryland. I look forward to lending my service and voice to the MEDC in its efforts to grow Maryland’s economy."

Business Preparation Guidelines for Hurricane Irene

The Greater Washington Board of Trade has issued suggested guidelines to assist businesses in light of Hurricane Irene and severe weather.

Hurricane Irene could cause significant disruption to business and property throughout Greater Washington. Severe flooding, strong winds and widespread outages may make for difficult days ahead. Transportation issues may affect commuter routes, bridges, tunnels, airports, METRO and AMTRAK. Access to workplaces, technology limitations and communication links may all be restricted. To assist area businesses in preparing for a wide spread disruption, the Greater Washington Board of Trade recommends the following considerations.

Richard Griffin, Director of Economic Development for the City of Frederick shares, "I strongly encourage ALL Frederick businesses to develop their own Emergency Plan and "be prepared."

To learn more, visit the Board of Trade's Emergency Preparedness Website.