Original Published September 13, 2016
Frederick News-Post
Press Release: August 12, 2016
Plamondon Hospitality Partners has scheduled a Downtown Frederick Hotel: Preservation Update public meeting for Wednesday, August 17 at 6:30PM at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center located at 40 S. Carroll Street. At the meeting, KANN Partners, the Preservation Architect on the Downtown Frederick Hotel Project Team, in addition to Dr. Mechelle Kearns, the project team’s archeologist, will provide a summary of the preservation related information learned about the project site to date. The public meeting also will include an opportunity for attendees to ask preservation related questions about the project.
Preservation findings will be provided to the City of Frederick and the State of Maryland as part of the project development process. The information gained will be used in evaluation and planning to develop the most effective approach to preservation, mitigation and interpretation of the historic property.
"The history of the site is important," said Pete Plamondon of Plamondon Hospitality Partners, developer of the Downtown Frederick Hotel Project, "and we are looking forward to sharing this information with the Frederick community." Plamondon added, "Our company is committed to a healthy preservation ethic, coupled with timely and open communications, in bringing this exciting project to downtown."
For more information on the Downtown Frederick Hotel Project, please visit www.downtownhotelatcarrollcreek.com.
Contact: Peter H. Plamondon Jr.
Plamondon Hospitality Partners
(301) 695-5051
petejr@plamondon-cos.com
www.downtownhotelatcarrollcreek.com
Press Release: August 10, 2016
As the various components of the Downtown Frederick Hotel and Conference Center project begin to take shape, an important element is about to occur. Over the next several weeks, archaeological testing will take place at the site. This work relates to both the Birely Tannery as well as the Frederick Railway Terminal Building, better known as the Trolley Building.
The Maryland Historical Trust (MHT), a state agency, requested preservation and archaeology information for the Tannery, in particular, as its history is not well documented. This work is a first step toward many preservation activities and strategies required for the Downtown Hotel Project. To fulfill the state’s request as well as City requirements, application was made to MHT, the City of Frederick and the Catoctin & Frederick Soil Conservation Districts to allow the archaeology work to occur. The City’s archaeology advisor reviewed the plans, permits have been secured and schedules are being coordinated. Archaeology work will commence on August 17th.
"The public should be prepared to see activity on the site," said Pete Plamondon of Plamondon Hospitality Partners, developer of the Downtown Frederick Hotel Project, "and we're excited about this next step. A dig of this magnitude has not been completed downtown since the early 1990s."
The archaeology will be performed by Kerns CRM Consultants, who has completed projects in Frederick and throughout the state. Dr. Mechelle Kerns, owner and adjunct history professor at the US Naval Academy, will oversee the removal of surface material as well as perform archaeological testing, research and reporting. The excavations and reporting will employ procedures consistent with City and State preservation guidelines. It is anticipated that their fieldwork will take a couple of weeks to complete, weather permitting.
Once the fieldwork is complete, results of the testing will be presented in a report to Kann Partners (the Preservation Architect on the project team) for consultation with the State and City on preservation matters. These findings, along with the historic research and documentation of the buildings within the project area, will be used for evaluation and planning to develop the most effective approach for preservation, mitigation, and interpretation of the historic property.
Plamondon added, "We encourage everyone to come watch our consultants in action. This process will be fun and we're hoping to find some artifacts that will help us tell the story of the Tannery. Our consultants are industry experts. We're committed to a healthy preservation ethic and strategies that enhance our efforts in bringing this exciting project to downtown."
Contact: Pete Plamondon, Jr.
Plamondon Hospitality Partners
(301) 695-5051
petejr@plamondon-cos.com
Original Published May 22, 2016
Frederick News-Post
Anirban Basu, Baltimore
Chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group Inc.
During ongoing discussions concerning the proposed downtown hotel and conference center in Frederick, a considerable volume of inaccurate information has been set forth. This information has been in existence for so long, it is now accepted by many stakeholders as sooth.
Falsehood No. 1 — Private investors aren’t investing enough in the project.
According to the Maryland Stadium Authority, the entity that successfully delivered Orioles Park, M&T Bank Stadium and the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center, the Frederick facility will cost $81 million to develop. Of that total, $50 million will be contributed by private investors that will be principally responsible for costs associated with constructing the approximately 200-room private hotel and retail space, including the historic renovation of the Frederick trolley building.
Public-sector project costs encompass $8.3 million for 24,000 square feet of public meeting space, $9.6 million for much-needed public parking, $1.7 million for design and inspections, $3.4 million for land, and other costs. Many of these expenditures largely benefit community stakeholders as opposed to the private developer, which both justifies public participation and renders it necessary for the entire project to move forward.
Some are opposed to the facility simply because the public sector is involved. But a meaningful fraction of Frederick’s resurgence can be attributed to successful public-private partnerships. One of the most visible examples of what public-private partnerships can achieve is the Carroll Creek Linear Park, with its landscaped fountains, promenades and pedestrian bridges.
Falsehood No. 2 — Frederick is doing well enough and doesn’t need the project.
Our firm, Sage Policy Group Inc., recently conducted an in-depth analysis of real estate dynamics in Frederick. In some areas of the city, significant commercial vacancy has become apparent and not enough private-sector jobs are being created. Though downtown Frederick is regarded as a runaway success story, a large piece of downtown remains underutilized and associated with sagging property values.
This is where the proposed hotel and conference comes becomes relevant. Any significant downtown business community requires a high-quality place for visitors to stay and for conferences to be held. This is particularly true in a community that is home to Fort Detrick, where security concerns may make holding on-base conferences challenging.
Other similar communities have multiple downtown hotels. A recent piece authored by a project skeptic indicates that Annapolis, about half Frederick’s size, is home to four downtown hotels. Lancaster and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, have five, while Charlottesville, Virginia, has three.
Falsehood No. 3 — The region is littered with similar facilities that failed.
Some have used examples of other facilities to argue against the proposed Frederick hotel and conference center. For instance, some have pointed to Rocky Gap as an example of why the project should be opposed. That is not a comparable facility. Rocky Gap is many miles from downtown Cumberland and has never been positioned to generate the types of synergies that the proposed facility will for downtown Frederick. Others have pointed to the Hyatt in Cambridge as another example of what can go wrong, but that facility includes 400 rooms, a golf course, a spa, incorporates 37,000 square feet of function space and encompasses 400 acres. It is a much bigger facility and, like Rocky Gap, it is also located apart from the nearest downtown, which likely limits its local impact.
Falsehood No.4 — Frederick’s taxpayers are imperiled
Here’s the most important consideration of all. Some project critics have asserted that Frederick taxpayers will be jeopardized. The memorandum of understanding negotiated by the city recognizes the fact that even the best laid plans can produce disappointment. Accordingly, the city has worked diligently to protect local taxpayers by requiring the hotel owner/operator to be fully responsible for all operational costs including any shortfalls — the city, county and state have no ongoing operational responsibilities and will provide no subsidies. Additionally, the city has added the state of Maryland as a capital financing partner. An independent MSA market study projects $1.5 million in incremental state tax revenue annually. Based on this estimate, the state can safely recover an investment approaching $20 million in taxable debt financing.
The city and county will participate in the form of a tax increment financing arrangement, with developer property tax payments used to pay off bond proceeds helping to finance the project. There are no ongoing public subsidies for operations. The facility will be privately owned, operated and maintained. Land will continue to be owned by the city of Frederick, with the developer responsible for paying annual ground rent. A portion of the net cash flow from the conference center will flow to the city.
In the final analysis, the city of Frederick has positioned itself to keep much of the project’s upside for Frederick’s citizens and has successfully deflected risk elsewhere. For whatever reason, some vocal stakeholders have chosen to remain opposed to the project, perhaps on ideological grounds, or simply because they have come to accept falsehoods as true.
Media Release from The City of Frederick
Frederick, MD – April 6, 2016: Mayor Randy McClement, together with County Executive Jan Gardner, the Downtown Frederick Hotel and Conference Center Advisory Committee and other stakeholders provided comments today about the approved $16 million in state funding for the Downtown Frederick Hotel and Conference Center.
“We are thrilled that the state recognizes this project as an important economic development game changer for the City of Frederick and beyond,” said Mayor Randy McClement. “The funding of $1 million dollars allocated in the FY2017 State Budget as well as the pre-authorization for $7.5 million in FY18 and $7.5 million in FY19 provides funding from the State we were looking for, and now our team is working with the developer to develop an updated project scope, schedule, and budget. This project will follow many, many more steps and stages of approval at the local and state level and it will take some time to fully understand how this new funding schedule from the State affects the final opening date.”
This project is a top priority for The City of Frederick, Frederick County, the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Frederick Partnership, Frederick County Tourism and many others.
The elected officials who represent the City have unanimously and consistently advocated for this project. In addition to the incredible economic benefits of this venture as a cornerstone of the City’s revitalized downtown and Carroll Creek Linear Park, a full-service hotel and conference center will address the meeting, event, and conference needs expressed by the community.
“This project is another step forward in the transformation of Carroll Creek Linear Park and the redevelopment of the East Side of Frederick City, and toward economic prosperity,” stated County Executive Jan Gardner
An important catalyst for the project was the Major Employers Group (MEG) of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. "For the past 8 years, businesses both large and small have been consistent in their strong support of the Downtown Hotel and Conference Center project,” said Elizabeth Cromwell, President and CEO of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. “At every Chamber event for years, the consistent message from members is that we need a facility that will help businesses succeed and grow. This project, including a full-service hotel under a nationally-recognized brand, combined with state-of-the-art conference facilities, will be a transformative and game-changing enhancement to the business community and Carroll Creek economic development efforts."
"Downtown Frederick Partnership is proud to be a part of an amazing team of community and business leaders who have worked hard to achieve this key milestone to bring critical business infrastructure to Downtown Frederick. We look forward to working together as this project moves towards construction in the year ahead and, most importantly, we are anticipating the transformative impact of the Downtown Hotel and Conference Center on Downtown Frederick and beyond including more than 50,000 room nights and $26 million in spending annually," said Kara Norman, Partnership Executive Director.
Market feasibility studies indicate that the Frederick market is large enough to support the Project and the existing hotel properties in the area. More than 1.7 million visitors come to Frederick County each year, spending $380 million during their stay, according to statistics released by the Tourism Council.
John Fieseler, Executive Director of the Tourism Council of Frederick County said of the project, “We are very excited about the inclusion of this project in the Capital budget. This is one of many steps remaining, but a crucial step. Securing the State portion of the public investment actually helps level the playing field for Frederick in terms of competing with other jurisdictions for investment and jobs through this type of project.”
About the Project
The Downtown Frederick Hotel and Conference Center project is proposed as a 207 room full-service Marriott hotel. The project will feature on-site parking, nearly 24,000 square feet of meeting space, and it will be located in Downtown Frederick, adjacent to Carroll Creek Park. Studies indicate the project will support 110 direct and 280 total jobs, and provide $1.5 million incremental tax revenue to the State annually.
For additional information contact: Nikki Bamonti 301-600-3835 nbamonti@cityoffrederick.com.