Planning Commission approves subdivision for future development

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

Frederick’s Planning Commission has approved the subdivision of a property on the northern side of the city to help pave the way for developing a project that would add 274 housing units.

The commission voted unanimously Monday night to approve the subdivision of the Barrick property near Rocky Springs Road and Kemp Lane, moving less than an acre from one parcel of land on the property to another.

The property was divided into three lots: an estate lot of nearly 7 acres with a house, barn and out buildings; a lot of less than an acre that will eventually be transferred to the city as parkland for the surrounding community and for access to the estate lot; and a farm lot of nearly 69 acres where a community named Sycamore Springs will be developed.

The community is expected to contain 120 single-family detached units, 58 attached single-family units, and 96 multi-family units.

The project is expected to include more than 16 acres of parkland, including a tot lot, a pavilion, and a bike rest area.

The parkland is also expected to include a section of a city shared-use path, as well as parts of a path system created by the developer.

The Planning Commission also unanimously approved a site plan Monday night that will allow the construction of a new Carriage House museum at the Rose Hill Manor estate on North Market Street in Frederick.

The plan will allow a 7,103-square-foot building at the historic estate that served as the home of Thomas Johnson, the first elected governor of Maryland.

Rose Hill Manor Park is listed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.

The Park Service’s handbook for building design directs museums not to have windows, and to limit the number of doors to the amount required for safe entry and exiting, Sharon Kemper Suarez, a planner for the city, told the commission.

As a result of the handbook’s policies, the new carriage house building will have solid spans of wall along its west and south sides, according to a report prepared by the city’s staff.

A permit for demolition of the existing carriage house museum was issued in December 2022, but the existing building will not be demolished until the new building is ready, according to the staff report.