Renderings provided by Frederick Brickworks and Greenberg Gibbons.
For developers, residents and government officials alike, the Frederick Brickworks development ticks a lot of boxes.
The $450 million, 65-acre mixed-use project promises to reinvent a long-vacant, brownfield site, deliver nearly 1,300 new homes and 130,000 square feet of commercial space, and create “a major gateway to the City of Frederick,” said Mary Ford-Naill, Manager of Economic Development for the city. “It is consistent with the kind of economic growth that we would like to see happen in the city. It meets our goals with land use and attracting private sector investment.”
But creating a large-scale development at a time when land, construction and financing costs are all high is a daunting, even improbable feat. Several key factors enabled the Brickworks project to move forward.
Meeting the Market
Brickworks’ mix of uses, including parkland, “meld what our Frederick community wants with things that make economic sense for the development group,” Ford-Naill said.
The location and the design style, which includes brick facades, blends with Frederick’s historic downtown and east side where infill and revitalization projects have produced new retail, hospitality and entertainment spaces, and fostered a more walkable city core.
The planned multifamily building will include extensive amenities, including fitness areas, coworking space, and “special touches like a ‘hidden’ speakeasy lounge and a sports simulator,” said David Bookhout, Senior Vice President, Development & Investments at Greenberg Gibbons.
“We are also building the first large, structured parking garage for a multifamily community in the City of Frederick. This allows for a denser residential building which better complements the mixed-use environment, and the garage will provide residents convenient, secure access directly to their floors.”
The development, which just broke ground in August, has already attracted multiple commercial tenants: Whole Foods Market, a boutique fitness studio and a mix of restaurants, including First Watch, Shake Shack, Honeygrow and Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Shrewd Budgeting
The design and construction teams conducted extensive value engineering to identify ways to contain costs while also delivering priority features, such as brick facades.
“Our trade partners have been with us for years, and they know that locking in material costs early is critical,” said E.J. Youngling, Vice President of Chesapeake Contracting. “The owner helped us get under contract quickly this spring, and our partners took full advantage of that to secure pricing with their vendors.”
Since the project involves a large site, phased construction and a voluntary cleanup program, the construction team put extraordinary effort into sequencing work and drafting detailed work requirements for subcontractors, especially earthwork and site utility companies.
“It’s very expensive to export and dispose of environmental soils so we worked really hard to make the scope of work very clear so they could price accordingly and not add escalators for unknown costs,” Youngling said.
Good government
City of Frederick officials “worked collaboratively with the developer” to tap tax credits to support the Brickworks project, provide feedback on development plans, and move the project through the approvals process, Ford-Naill said. “Our processes are very clear and they have very transparent timelines. We know that’s important when you are developing a site.”
“The Planning staff and Planning Commission provided thoughtful feedback as we worked through both the master plan and more detailed site plans,” Bookhout said. “We also appreciate the City Council’s support that ensures we can deliver on a vibrant, mixed-use destination.”
Featured in this article: Chesapeake Contracting Group, Inc., Greenberg Gibbons, City of Frederick.