Shaping the Future of East Frederick
As summer transitions into fall, East Frederick continues to experience one of the most exciting and transformative periods in its history. From the groundbreaking of the Frederick Brickworks redevelopment to ongoing discussions surrounding the proposed Maryland Cricket Stadium, major investments are reshaping our neighborhoods and creating opportunities that will influence our community for generations to come.
With this growth comes an important responsibility. The decisions made today—about parks, transportation, housing, businesses, schools, and public spaces—will help define what East Frederick looks and feels like over the next 20 to 30 years. At East Frederick Rising, we remain committed to ensuring that growth is thoughtful, community-driven, and leaves a lasting positive impact for residents, businesses, and future generations. Together, let’s explore the latest developments, celebrate our local businesses, and discover how you can help shape the future of East Frederick.
In This Issue:
- Letter from the President
- Development News & Updates
- Frederick Brickworks Officially Breaks Ground
- Maryland Cricket Stadium Proposal Continues to Evolve
- Canterbury Station Progress
- East Street Streetscape & Rails with Trails Updates
- Carroll Creek Connections
- Husky Park
- Community Planning & Advocacy
- Planning the Frederick of Tomorrow
- Form-Based Zoning: Why It Matters
- Could a New School Be in East Frederick’s Future?
- Your Voice Matters More Than Ever
- Business Spotlight
- Footlights Dance & Theatre Boutique – Celebrating More Than 35 Years in Frederick
- Community Updates
- Downtown Frederick Events
- East Frederick Business Directory Additions
- Upcoming Public Meetings
Stay informed and get involved with upcoming:- City Council Meetings
- Planning Commission
- Parks & Recreation Commission
- Sustainability Committee
- Planning & East Street Corridor Meetings
- Support East Frederick Rising
- Introducing Our New Givebutter Campaign
- Contact Us
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Letter From the President by Heather Goddard Click Here to read the letter
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Development News & Updates
Frederick Brickworks Officially Breaks Ground
This summer marked a historic milestone as Greenberg Gibbons officially broke ground on Frederick Brickworks, one of the largest mixed-use redevelopment projects ever undertaken in the City of Frederick.
Located on the former Frederick Brick Works property along East Street, the 65-acre redevelopment will transform an underutilized industrial site into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood featuring approximately:
- More than 1,000 new residential units
- Approximately 700 apartments
- Approximately 320 townhomes
- 100,000 square feet of retail
- A new Whole Foods Market
- Restaurants including Shake Shack, Honeygrow, First Watch and Dave’s Hot Chicken
- Seven acres of parks and public gathering space
- Walking and biking connections to downtown and surrounding neighborhoods
The project represents years of planning and collaboration between the City, developers, and community stakeholders. Once complete, Brickworks is expected to become one of Frederick’s premier live-work-play destinations while helping connect East Frederick to downtown through new streets, sidewalks, and public spaces.
For East Frederick residents, the project represents new shopping, dining, employment opportunities, increased walkability, and continued investment in a corridor that has long been poised for redevelopment.
Cricket Stadium Proposal Continues Moving Forward
The proposed Maryland Cricket Stadium remains one of the most significant and widely discussed development projects in Frederick. Throughout recent Planning Commission meetings, City Council workshops, and public hearings, residents, neighborhood organizations, preservation advocates, and local stakeholders have continued providing valuable feedback to help shape the future of the project.
Key topics of discussion have included:
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- Traffic and transportation planning
- Neighborhood compatibility
- Environmental preservation and floodplain management
- Protection of historic resources
- Public park accessibility
- Pedestrian and bicycle connectivity
- Event operations and public safety
- Long-term public use of the property
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Since the project was first introduced, the applicant has made several notable revisions in response to community feedback and City review. Most significantly, the proposed stadium capacity has been reduced from 25,000 spectators to 10,000, including approximately 5,000 permanent seats and 5,000 lawn seating spaces, substantially reducing the overall scale and intensity of the venue. The previously proposed hotel and retail components have also been removed from future phases of the project, allowing greater focus on the stadium and surrounding recreational amenities.
The proposal has also expanded its vision for year-round public access. Current plans include publicly accessible walking and biking trails, a Monocacy River boat launch, open green space, and educational features highlighting the historic Jug Bridge, Toll House, and nearby Monocacy National Battlefield. These improvements are intended to create a destination that serves both residents and visitors beyond scheduled cricket events.
One of the most significant topics still under discussion is the project’s public park dedication. Under the original 2009 annexation agreement, the property was required to dedicate 16 acres of public parkland. The applicant later requested reducing that requirement to 6 acres, while proposing additional publicly accessible open space throughout the site. Although the current design includes expanded trails, recreation areas, and riverfront access, the City has not yet determined how much land will ultimately be dedicated as permanent public parkland versus privately owned open space with public access easements. This distinction remains one of the key issues to be resolved before final approvals are considered.
East Frederick Rising continues advocating for:
- Clearly defined and protected public parkland
- Permanent public access to the Monocacy River
- Safe and accessible walking and biking trails
- Preservation of nearby historic and cultural resources
- Responsible traffic and event management planning
- Thoughtful buffering between the stadium and surrounding neighborhoods
- Development that complements the East Street Corridor Small Area Plan
East Frederick Rising recognizes the economic and recreational opportunities this project could bring to Frederick while remaining committed to ensuring that growth is balanced with environmental stewardship, public access, neighborhood character, and the long-term quality of life for East Frederick residents. As the review process continues, we encourage residents to stay informed, attend public meetings, and continue sharing their perspectives. The decisions made today will help shape East Frederick for generations to come.
EFR position paper: (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pbNI3YyvuBGwTVvxZLhZLv-AhHtgYOc-2o4OWg42mzY/edit?usp=sharing)
Canterbury Station Progress
Construction planning continues to move forward at Canterbury Station. The redevelopment of the former Banner School site will ultimately bring new housing, park improvements, and enhanced pedestrian connections to East Frederick. East Frederick Rising recently spoke at the June Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting to urge the commission to deny the developer’s request for a waiver of the requirement for 2.4-acres of parkland . We were successful; the commission agreed with us that parkland should be required for 204 new residential units being added to the community. The request for a waiver was withdrawn, and the site plan was revised to include 2.4 acres of additional parkland. This parkland will expand the existing dog park, protect floodplain and forested areas, and serve as a buffer between future Market Street commercial development and the park. East Frederick Rising remains engaged in advocating for safe, accessible walking routes to nearby neighborhoods, Thomas Johnson Middle School, and existing parkland while encouraging thoughtful integration with surrounding communities. We are meeting with FCPS Board of Education members to revise current FCPS policies to ensure that there are standard and consistent policies that require FCPS to collaborate with developers of adjacent developments to construct and maintain safe and direct walking routes to schools.
East Street Streetscape Improvements
Planning continues for the long-term transformation of the East Street Corridor, one of the City’s most important transportation and redevelopment initiatives. Current design efforts focus on improving pedestrian safety, bicycle infrastructure, streetscape aesthetics, and traffic flow from North Market Street to Monocacy Boulevard. The project complements the East Street Corridor Small Area Plan by creating a more walkable, connected corridor that better serves residents, businesses, and future mixed-use development. In parallel, the City’s East Street Rails with Trails project continues progressing through design, expanding plans for a 3.4-mile shared-use trail connecting Downtown Frederick to Monocacy Boulevard and beyond.
Carroll Creek Connections
The Downtown Frederick Partnership, in collaboration with the City of Frederick and the Ausherman Family Foundation, continues advancing the Carroll Creek Refresh Initiative. Following community input collected earlier this year, the initiative is developing recommendations to improve park amenities, landscaping, accessibility, and a shade structure at the amphitheater of Carroll Creek Linear Park. As East Frederick continues to grow, strengthening connections between Carroll Creek, Downtown, and the East Street Corridor remains an important priority for creating a more walkable and connected community.
Husky Park
There has been renewed interest in the possible redevelopment of Husky Park, including a plan for the Bond Street Extension to connect Renn Quarter to Highland Street. We are thrilled that people are taking a strong interest in developing East Frederick Parkland. With residential growth on the horizon, new parks will need to be built, and existing parks will need to be improved. EFR feels that the recent processes for park redesigns, such as Mullinix Park, Hill Street Park, and the amazing work done to design the new Westside Regional Park, has shown that the City knows how to involve and excite the community about planning parks that are a true reflection of their needs and identity. We feel that a similar process should be followed in East Frederick, so that parks like Husky, and also Renn Park, and the Harmon park extension in the Brickworks development, have consistent, predictable, and equitable processes that allow the community’s voices to be a part of the decisions and designs of our new parks. In addition, East Frederick Rising is strongly in support of the Bond Street Extension. With just over 23 acres in Husky Park, and 73 acres in adjacent Renn Park, there is a critical need for road connections through these wide parkland areas. Roads routinely cross parklands throughout the City. Just to name a few, College Ave., West College Terrace, and Fairview Ave. are roads which connect the city through Baker Park, showing that connectivity can successfully be integrated into active parkland. Especially in a parcel as large as Husky, we can easily program that park to deliver a premium park experience the East Side deserves, and the connectivity our growth demands, to relieve pressure and congestion, assist with traffic spreading, complete the street grid, and construct the final segment of a Comprehensive Road as designed in the 2020 Comprehensive Plan (see the 2040 Roadway Classification Map – https://cityoffrederick.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=15&clip_id=5574&meta_id=143649). Roads are allowed in every zoning district in the City, including parkland (PRK). Roads are not a Use Category that is assigned to a zoning district like Mixed-Use, Light Industrial, Park, etc. Roads are things that cities build in every zoning district, because connectivity is a critical element of any zone in the city. Roads are planned well in advance of their ultimate construction, appearing in Comprehensive Plans which are amended every ten years. Cities use maps of Comprehensive Roads to work with developers to design road networks. When developers build their required road segment, it is the responsibility of the City to complete the network. An incomplete network is a disaster for traffic congestion. For these reasons, East Frederick Rising supports road connections wherever possible in East Frederick, and strongly supports the Bond Street extension. (See our letter of CIP Projects we sent to the City this year during the budget approval process – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w7m9DvpkUGho1dXQHXxhitmx2kcE9IHZvbwwbkRM2MI/edit?tab=t.0)
As the community energizes to advocate for our area, it is critical that facts and sources be accurate and true. We pledge to convey accurate information to the community and be a trusted source of information.
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Planning the Frederick of Tomorrow
One of the most important conversations happening today may not involve a single development project but rather how Frederick chooses to grow over the next several decades.
During recent City discussions, officials reviewed several important planning initiatives including:
- 2027 State Legislative Priorities
- Frederick’s Draft Climate Action Plan
- Westside Regional Park
- Proposed City Values Act
- Comprehensive planning initiatives
- Form-Based Code implementation
Why Form-Based Zoning Matters:
Unlike traditional zoning, which primarily regulates land use, Form-Based Zoning focuses on the design of neighborhoods.
It encourages:
- walkable streets
- active storefronts
- attractive architecture
- safer pedestrian environments
- public gathering spaces
- neighborhood connectivity
The approach emphasizes how buildings interact with sidewalks, parks, and public spaces to create neighborhoods where people want to live not simply places where buildings are constructed.
During public comment, East Frederick Rising expressed strong support for Form-Based Zoning and thanked City staff for continuing to prioritize community-focused planning.
EFR also reiterated concerns regarding the delayed implementation of regulatory amendments connected to the East Street Corridor Small Area Plan, originally adopted in 2017. Those amendments could have provided stronger design guidance for redevelopment occurring throughout East Frederick over the past several years.
As more redevelopment projects move forward—including Brickworks, East Street redevelopment, Canterbury Station, and future infill housing—the implementation of thoughtful design standards becomes increasingly important.
📚 Is a New School in East Frederick’s Future?
With more than 1,000 new homes planned at Frederick Brickworks and additional residential development continuing throughout East Frederick, many residents are beginning to ask an important question: Will our community need another school?
While no school is confirmed as part of the Brickworks development, the significant growth expected over the next decade will inevitably increase demand on nearby schools and public infrastructure. Frederick County Public Schools continuously monitors enrollment trends through its Educational Facilities Master Plan to determine when new schools, additions, or boundary adjustments may be needed as communities grow. The Plan indicates that ES #42 or ES #43 (as-yet-unnamed elementary schools) are needed by 2031-33.
As East Frederick continues its transformation, thoughtful planning will be essential to ensure schools, parks, roads, and other public services keep pace with development. East Frederick Rising encourages continued collaboration between the City of Frederick, Frederick County, FCPS, developers, and residents to ensure our community remains a great place to live, learn, and raise a family. By planning today, we can help build an East Frederick that serves not only current residents but generations to come. (https://docs.google.com/document/d/17og-u9crCwYzWCPOL7iUORQsXfMmd7_94AlSP1BQhWc/edit?usp=sharing)
Your Voice Matters More Than Ever
East Frederick is changing faster than at any point in recent history.
Within just a few years our community will see:
- thousands of new residents
- new parks
- expanded trail systems
- major commercial investment
- redevelopment of former industrial properties
- transportation improvements
- additional housing choices
These investments present tremendous opportunities—but only if residents remain engaged.
Community participation helps shape decisions on:
- transportation
- schools
- public safety
- parks
- environmental protection
- neighborhood character
- affordable housing
- future redevelopment
The future of East Frederick should not simply happen to its residents—it should be built with them.
Whether attending Planning Commission meetings, City Council work sessions, neighborhood workshops, or simply sharing feedback during public comment, every voice contributes to creating a stronger community.
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Business Spotlight
Footlights Dance & Theatre Boutique: Inspiring Frederick’s Performing Arts Community
For more than 35 years, Footlights Dance & Theatre Boutique has been a cornerstone of Frederick’s performing arts community. Founded in 1991 by Joy Ellis, the family-owned business began with a mission to provide dancers with expertly fitted dancewear and exceptional customer service. Today, Joy, alongside her son Joe and daughter-in-law Molly, continues serving generations of dancers from Frederick and throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
Known for its nationally recognized pointe shoe fitting expertise, Footlights partners with local dance studios, schools, and theater organizations to ensure performers have access to quality apparel, footwear, and personalized guidance. Their commitment to education and proper fit has helped countless young dancers perform safely and confidently.
Beyond retail, Footlights has become an active supporter of Frederick’s arts community by donating dancewear, supporting scholarship programs, assisting nonprofit organizations, and investing in local performing arts initiatives. Theirs continued dedication to Frederick’s cultural vitality makes Footlights a business that truly helps our community shine.
Community Updates
Downtown Events
Downtown Frederick continues to host a full calendar of community events that support local businesses and celebrate Frederick’s vibrant culture. Throughout the summer and fall, residents can enjoy Alive @ Five, First Saturdays, Creekside festivals, outdoor concerts, art events, farmers markets, and seasonal celebrations along Carroll Creek. These events continue to strengthen Downtown’s role as a regional destination while creating opportunities for residents from every neighborhood to gather and support local businesses.Click here for more info
East Frederick Business Directory
East Frederick’s business community continues to grow alongside new investment throughout the corridor. EFR welcomes new businesses opening or expanding in our community and encourages residents to support the local entrepreneurs who contribute to East Frederick’s unique character and economic vitality.
Recent additions include:
- WaveLength – Community gathering space and creative hub
- Footlights Dance & Theatre Boutique – Celebrating more than 35 years serving Frederick’s performing arts community
- New businesses announced as part of the Frederick Brickworks development, including Whole Foods Market, First Watch, Shake Shack, Honeygrow, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and other future retail and dining destinations that will further strengthen East Frederick as a place to live, work, and shop.
Upcoming Public Meetings
Your voice helps shape the future of East Frederick! We encourage residents to attend these upcoming City meetings to stay informed about development projects, transportation improvements, parks, sustainability initiatives, and other issues affecting our community.
- City Council Public Meeting
Thursday, August 6, 2026 | 6:00 PM
City Hall Boardroom, 101 N. Court Street (also streamed live) - Planning Commission Public Hearing
Monday, August 10, 2026 | 6:00 PM
City Hall Boardroom - Parks & Recreation Commission
Tuesday, August 11, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Virtual Meeting - Planning Commission Workshop
Monday, August 17, 2026 | 2:00–6:00 PM
City Hall Boardroom - Citywide Planning Department Community Outreach Meeting (East Street Corridor, Small Area Plans & Future Development)
Monday, August 17, 2026 | 6:00–8:00 PM
City Hall Boardroom - Sustainability Committee
Tuesday, August 18, 2026 | 6:30 PM
Virtual Meeting
View full schedules:
https://www.cityoffrederickmd.gov/calendar.aspx?CID=14
Can’t attend in person? Most City Council, Planning Commission, and Planning Department meetings are streamed live and archived on the City’s website, making it easy to stay informed and engaged. (https://www.youtube.com/c/CityofFrederick-Government/streams) or (https://www.cityoffrederickmd.gov/901/Public-Meetings?PREVIEW=YES&PREVIEW=YES&PREVIEW=YES)
Closing
East Frederick is no longer simply preparing for growth, it is experiencing it!
Every park, street, business, and neighborhood being discussed today will shape how future generations experience our community. East Frederick Rising remains committed to advocating for thoughtful development that balances economic opportunity with neighborhood character, walkability, environmental stewardship, and quality of life. Together, we can help build a Frederick that honors its history while embracing its future.
Contact Us
We value your feedback and suggestions. Feel free to reach out to us at:
info@eastfrederickrising.com
Thank you for being an essential part of the East Frederick community.
“Meet you on the East Side!”
-East Frederick Rising
