By Paige Jones, Frederick News Post
Monday, February 29, 2016
To the naked eye, the long-vacant Frederick Towne Mall remains unchanged since it closed in 2013.
The parking lots and hallways once bustling with shoppers remain empty and silent. Signs outside the once vibrant mall advertising shops and services are faded, some disintegrating from age and neglect.
Plans to demolish the former mall at 1301 W. Patrick St. and redevelop the space as a shopping center are moving forward, but not in a visible way, said Justin Kiska, president of the Golden Mile Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the residential and economic climate on U.S. 40 in Frederick.
“Right now, the work being done is nothing anyone can actually see,” Kiska wrote in an email.
Crews are working to remove the former mall’s HVAC system, which was also used by its neighbors, the department store Boscov’s and discount store Ollie’s, and install separate systems, according to Kiska.
“Because of the way the whole site was developed, all of the HVAC for the entire property was one system,” he wrote, noting new HVAC systems must be set up for Boscov’s and Ollie’s before demolition can begin.
The property owner Rockwood Capital declined to comment. Caroline Luz, a spokeswoman for the real estate investment company, told The Frederick News-Post to “check back in a few months.”
Once construction on the HVAC systems is finished, Kiska said he believes the building’s demolition will happen soon after. Plans for a demolition event in the late spring or early summer is currently in the works.
“Everything is moving along … nothing happens quickly,” he said with a laugh during a follow-up interview, referring to construction.
The new shopping center known as the Frederick Towne Center will include a 155,000-square-foot Wal-Mart and two smaller lots. The long-vacant mall will be demolished except for Boscov’s and Home Depot.
Adam Greenberg, the Mid-Atlantic director of leasing for the project developer DLC Management Corp., said he believes construction will be complete in mid- to late 2017, rather than earlier in the year.
As of last week, the shopping center has no confirmed tenants. The company is in talks with several national and local businesses, and Greenberg expects to announce signed leases within the next two months.
“We have been very active in reaching out to tenants locally and nationally, trying to bring high-quality users to be part of the project,” he said.
Greenberg said he hopes to fill the 15 to 16 potential tenant spots prior to construction.
“Ideally, we’d like to be as leased up as possible before they begin construction,” Greenberg said. “I do expect by the time the project is delivered, it will be fully leased or close to it.”
By Ken Kellar, Woodsboro/Walkersville Times
Sunday, November 1, 2015
On October 8 the Golden Mile Alliance held a development showcase and open house at Elks Lodge 684 in Frederick. Alliance president and owner of Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, Justin Kiska, kicked off the event by welcoming everyone and introducing
Frederick City Mayor Randy McClement, the second-term Mayor of the City of Frederick. The Mayor communicated his enthusiasm about the Route 40, Golden Mile
plans and activities. Several city, county, and state political officials were in attendance. All the properties represented are within the City of Frederick.
Justin Kiska explained that the Golden Mile Alliance membership consists of 5 business owners, 5 property owners (landlords) and 5 residents. It was started about 5 years ago by Mayor McClement as an ad hoc committee. Today it is an independent organization.
The Townhomes at Willow Bend had a display. They are nearly half way through selling
about 190 former HUD town homes to families and investors. The representative said prices were in the 180 to 200 thousand dollar range which translates to mortgage payments less than prevailing rental rates. Willow Bend is attracting many first time home-owners such as young professionals, newlyweds, and single moms.
Remember the old State Trooper barracks on the corner of Rt. 40 and Baughman’s Lane? It’s gone and a new Wawa is being built and slated to open the summer of 2016.
The last government delay in building the new Walmart at Frederick Towne Center has just been overcome, and construction is expected to start in the next 60 days. The Walmart builder is also building three other retail buildings nearby that total 52 thousand
square feet of floor space.
Another developer displayed plans for the recently annexed Summers Farm Pumpkin Patch. The approximately 70 acre property will be the site of over 300 residences. The plans call for half single-family homes with the balance being town homes. Per the annexation agreement, 10 acres are to be commercial properties, but the developer is seeking relief in order to build the entire property as residential.
The old VFW 9-hole golf course is on the chopping block and is slated to be the site of West Park Village which will consist of fewer than 300 housing units as well as some commercial space.
A representative from Frederick County Public Schools showed the plans for the Butterfly Ridge Elementary School and Community Center. The new school, which is
the same design as North Frederick Elementary, is scheduled to take its first students in August, 2018 and will take in some of the students from surrounding Hillcrest, Waverly, and Orchard Grove Elementary Schools.
Bobby Baumler, an employee of the Frederick Department of Economic Development, displayed plans for a regional park up near Hillcrest. These plans were in the very early stages.
Timothy Davis, a Transportation Planner for the City of Frederick, was at the event to show transportation plans. He mentioned the very diverse demographic and transportation challenges of the Golden Mile region.
The mix of residential and commercial properties combines foot traffic, heavy automobile traffic, public transportation buses, as well as bicyclists, commuting to and from work. The plans on display included modifications to several major intersections. He also discussed the concept of dedicated bus/bike lanes in some areas to minimize their impact on other traffic flow.
I asked several of the presenters about any image issues of the region. This reporter was concerned that the Golden Mile had lost its luster. All were very enthusiastic, noting that the new construction and increase in home ownership is shifting things in a positive direction. One stated that existing landlords of older properties are feeling pressure to upgrade to meet the new expectations of the area, and existing property improvements are taking place. Keep an eye on the Golden Mile, it may be shining again.
In conjunction with National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, the Golden Mile Alliance will be collecting food along the mile the entire month of November. National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week is held each year the week before Thanksgiving. This is a time for us all to start to think about what we are thankful for, a perfect time to share our compassion with our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness, and work toward a world where no one has to experience Hunger and Homelessness. All donations will go to the City of Frederick Maryland Food Bank.
Please visit the following Golden Mile businesses to drop off your donations of non-perishable food items.
My Bank First United Bank & Trust, 102 Baughmans Lane
Wolf Furniture, 1215 West Patrick Street
Way Off Broadway, 5 Willowdale Drive
Thrift Angel, 1507 West Patrick Street
Spartan Tactical & Police Supply, 1517 West Patrick Street
M & T Bank, 1304 West Patrick Street
Modern Asia Restaurant, 1306 West Patrick Street
Starbucks Coffee, 1046 West Patrick Street
Petersen’s Carpet & Flooring, 1060 West Patrick Street
The Golden Mile Alliance wishes to thank these businesses for their participation. Please join us in Giving Thanks by donating at one or more of these locations the entire month of November.
By Paige Jones, The Frederick News-Post
Monday, October 5, 2015
Three businesses along Frederick’s Golden Mile are getting a facelift with help from the state’s facade improvement grant program and support from a local advocacy nonprofit.
For the first time, the Golden Mile Alliance received funding from Maryland’s Community Legacy Program to allocate to businesses along the U.S. 40 corridor for facade improvements. The Golden Mile Alliance is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the residential and economic climate on U.S. 40.
The nonprofit delegated $23,500 in state funding among three businesses that applied for the grant – Petersen’s Carpet and Flooring, Casa Rico and Vista Shops, according to Justin Kiska, the president of Golden Mile Alliance.
“We did want to break up (the grant) and not give out the entire amount” to one business, Kiska said.
The grant matches up to 50 percent of the project’s costs, allowing business owners to update and upgrade their facade with a financial break.
Grant money at work
At Petersen’s Carpet and Flooring, news of the grant came at the perfect time.
After years of use, the stairs leading up to the store’s front door were on its last legs. So, owners Gayle Petersen and Stewart Kennedy decided to give the entire storefront a facelift in the spring of 2015.
Renovations to the facade of the store, located at 1060 W. Patrick St., include a new outdoor stairway, a vestibule with heating, revamped lighting, a fresh coating of cream color paint, new red trimming and a large gutter to protect customers walking in from rain, snow and other elements, Petersen said.
She recalled the experience of one customer who had snow dumped down his back upon entering the store last winter. The snow had fallen from the roof of the building.
“That’s not going to happen anymore,” Petersen said.
The week they were scheduled to begin construction on the store, Petersen and Stewart said they stumbled upon information about the grants and immediately applied for funding.
“I think within the first 24 hours, Petersen’s Carpet and Flooring had already submitted one,” Kiska said, noting many businesses expressed interest in the grant program.
Once the application process was completed, the Golden Mile Alliance allocated $15,000 to Petersen’s Carpet and Flooring for facade improvements, according to Petersen. Stewart estimated the cost of these facade upgrades and improvements will exceed $50,000.
Although the grant only covers a chunk of the total cost, Petersen said she is grateful.
“It helps,” Petersen said. “It helped us to do a little… more than what we were originally going to do.”
Only about a week into construction, the facade of Petersen’s Carpet and Flooring is covered with clear plastic, shielding the ripped up flooring and missing front staircase from the elements.
The store remains open. Parking is available toward the rear of the building and a door on the side currently serves as the main entrance.
Petersen said they expect the facade improvements to be completed by early December to avoid the winter weather and attract customers who may have been deterred by the construction.
“We don’t know if we’re losing people because of the construction,” Stewart said.
Casa Rico, one of the other businesses to receive a portion of the state-funded grant, is nearing completion on its facade improvement construction, according to owner Ajay Prakash.
Renovations to the exterior of the Mexican restaurant located at 1399 W. Patrick St. include a fresh coat of paint, updated lighting, a new sign and other repairs, Prakash said.
“The building needed it,” he said. “It had not been redone in like five years or so. It really needed it and when the grant program came … that gave (us) incentive to do it right away.”
The Golden Mile Alliance allocated Casa Rico $3,500, nearly half of the total project’s cost; Prakash estimated the facade improvements will add up to about $8,000.
“Whatever I can get, I’m thankful for,” he said.
Work on Casa Rico’s exterior began at the end of August and is expected to be completed within the next week or two, weather permitting, according to Prakash.
“To do our best and look our best, is a natural,” Prakash wrote in an email. “The facade improvement grant came as a welcome gift – and will go a long way towards the revival of Route 40 West.”
Vista Shops, located at 1080 W. Patrick St., was the third business to receive state funding from the Golden Mile Alliance. Attempts to reach the shopping center’s leasing agents Friday were unsuccessful.
The Frederick Police Department is conducting an online survey and is asking the Frederick Community for their participation. This is an opportunity for you to voice your opinions about crime and police response in your neighborhood and will allow the Police Department to better serve the City of Frederick. The survey link can be found on the City’s homepage at www.cityoffrederick.com.
By Kevin McManus, WFMD Radio
Monday, June 20, 2015
Merchants and business people along the Golden Mile are excited about what will be taking place at the site of the now-closed Frederick Towne Mall. The developers of the site are not only planning to build a 155,000 square-foot Wal Mart, but also 40,000 square feet of retail space around the department store.
Justin Kiska, the President of the Golden Mile Alliance, says that 40,000 square feet includes 16 spaces for retail outlets and offices. There will also be two PAD sites for restaurants. “It is going to bring a new fresh look to the Golden Mile, and especially to a property that has pretty much fallen apart over the past several years,” he says.
The project, which consist of four buildings, will be known as the Frederick Towne Center. The former Frederick Towne Mall will be demolished with the exception of Boscov’s and Home Depot.
Kiska says one exciting facet of this project is the two, 6,000 square foot PAD sites that could be used for restaurants. “I know that companies like Chipotle and Panera, they tend to look at areas right around major hubs like this. But the good thing we could also see brand new restaurants or brand new shops like there are along Shab Row in downtown Frederick,” he says.
He says Gary Brooks, the owner of Barley and Hops on Urbana Pike, is considering opening a second restaurant in Frederick and it could be located at Frederick Towne Center.
While many believe the Golden Mile has lost some of its luster, Kiska says it’s still very vibrant. He says it’s estimated that 50,000 travel down West Patrick Street each day, and this shopping center could give that area an economic shot in the arm. “The merchants, the business owners, they all realize that this is going to increase the traffic along Route 40. As in traffic I mean people coming to shop, to dine, looking for services,” says Kiska.
“This is actually going to be that visual symbol that the Golden Mile is alive, is vibrant, is revitalizing,” he says.
By Nancy Lavin, The Frederick News-Post
Monday, July 20, 2015
Developers behind a project to bring a shopping center to the former Frederick Towne Mall site are looking for commercial tenants to fill a 40,000-square-foot building included in the plans. Property owner Rockwood Capital recently published a leasing brochure for the 16 spaces it hopes to fill with stores, restaurants and other businesses.
The four-building project known as the Frederick Towne Center will also include a 155,000-square-foot Wal-Mart and two smaller lots. The long-vacant mall will be demolished except for Boscov’s and Home Depot.
Since the planning commission approved the final site plans in October 2014, the developer has been working to finalize the necessary easements, approvals and permits with various state agencies, a process nearing completion according to Adam Greenberg, the Mid-Atlantic director of leasing for the project developer, DLC Management Corp.
Greenberg said construction on the project is slated to begin in the fall, with early 2017 as the target opening date.
Architectural renderings in the leasing brochure depict a one-story building with room for 16 individual businesses or commercial spaces, which will range from 1,200 to more than 5,000 square feet, according to Greenberg. The exact specifications and aesthetics of the building may change slightly, he said.
Justin Kiska, president of the Golden Mile Alliance, praised the design as a superior replacement to the vacant, crumbling structure that has sat abandoned on the site for years.
“I think it looks fantastic,” he said. “It’s a totally different look and feel than what most people think of for the Golden Mile.”
As of early July, Greenberg said the rental prices for the spaces had not been determined, but would vary depending on the size and location of each site in the building. Although no offers had been submitted, he said the developer received several letters of interest in recent months from potential tenants.
“The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “There’s clearly a demand from the community for more high-quality dining and shopping space.”
The flexibility the new shopping center building provides will allow for “anything and everything” in terms of commercial tenants, according to Kiska.
Although he acknowledged that national chains such as Chipotle or Panera Bread will likely be among those eyeing the site with interest to lease, he said it also makes way for “the possibility of new independent shops we don’t even know about yet.”
Gary Brooks, owner of Barley and Hops Grill & Microbrewery on Urbana Pike, said he was exploring the possibility of opening a second business in one of the 16 small storefronts or one of the two separate, individual lots.
Brooks said he was discussing details of a lease with Greenberg. Although details have not been ironed out, Brooks said the new business would be another restaurant, but not a brewery, since he can hold only one brewer’s license in the state.
Regardless of who leases the storefronts, the prospect of beginning construction is welcomed after years of public hearings, architectural renderings, debate and discussion.
“For the last three years, it’s been, this is what’s going to happen. Now, it’s actually happening,” Kiska said.
Greenberg agreed, characterizing the project as “unlike anything that currently exists on the Golden Mile.”
The Frederick Police Department is pleased to announce it will be conducting the 22nd session of its Citizen Police Academy (CPA) starting September 2nd, 2015.… Read on
By Nancy Lavin, The Frederick News-Post
Monday, June 29, 2015
International cuisine spans far beyond the limits of Frederick’s historic downtown.
In fact, the number of South and Central American, Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants along the Golden Mile may surpass those downtown, or at least come close to matching it.
The Route 40 West corridor boasts a mix of longtime institutions and newcomers to the Frederick food scene, serving everything from Indian samosas to Vietnamese pho and a simple, yet wildly-popular char-broiled Peruvian chicken.
“There’s a lot out here … pretty much for any taste,” said Justin Kiska, president of the Golden Mile Alliance.
But, according to Kiska, the multitude of exotic dishes hasn’t surpassed the demand from Frederick’s eager dining crowd. There’s plenty of room for the rapidly-growing international restaurant scene because Frederick itself is expanding just as rapidly.
“It just goes to show that Frederick can handle having all of this,” he said.
The steady business at a small brick storefront on McCain Drive, home to the aforementioned Peruvian chicken, proves Kiska’s statement true.
Sardi’s owner Phil Sardelis said his business has grown enough since he opened in 2009 that he plans to expand into the space next door, formerly a Fox’s Pizza Den since purchased by Sardelis.
Sardelis, who owns nine other restaurants in Maryland, said he chose the Frederick location based on its demographics.
“We knew there were a lot of Latinos in the area, and sort of a blue-collar vibe, which is where we do best,” he said.
He also saw the amount of other international restaurants in the area as an advantage, instead of a sign of too much competition.
“We like competition,” he said. “I think, once people try [international food], they’re more likely to try other international meals as well.”
Roy Zou, owner of Modern Asia Bar & Restaurant, agreed.
When he opened the Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese food restaurant last August, he wasn’t too worried about competition. Not only did he have 17 years of restaurant experience to back him up, but the wealth of adventurous eaters made it clear there was ample demand.
“People like to eat out, and they like to try different cuisines,” he said.
Sardelis chalked it up, in part, to the generational difference between immigrants and their first-generation American-born children. His parents, Greek immigrants, ate and fed their children almost exclusively Greek food. But he and his first-generation counterparts seem more open to trying other foods, he said.
His customer base ranges from all backgrounds and a large contingent of those stationed at Fort Detrick, he said.
Ajay Pradhan, owner of Clay Oven Restaurant, said most customers who dine on his Indian and Nepalese dishes have no ties to either of those countries. Those who were immigrants or descendants of India and Nepal are more likely to pay for his restaurant’s catering services for large gatherings like birthdays or funerals, he said.
Despite easy access to the food in his own restaurant, Pradhan said he eats out at least once a week, typically at other international restaurants.
But with new international restaurants cropping up with increasing frequency, it’s hard to hit them all. Kiska admitted that he still has several on his “to try” list, including Sardi’s.
He couldn’t pick a favorite among those he had visited, either. But the Italian offerings at Il Forno Pizzeria are definitely toward the top of the rankings, he said.
