20030128 Business in Westminster - The Welcome Sign is Out

Business in Westminster - The Welcome Sign is Out

A Westminster Team Report by Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

January 28th, 2003

Part of the Carroll County Chamber on Location

2003 Breakfast Series

First of all, I must begin by repeating what Mayor Yowan said when he addressed the Chamber about Westminster’s economic development outlook on February 29th, 2000: ‘Timing is everything’, … that’s how I look at this opportunity to speak with you this morning.

Many good things are happening in Westminster right now, much more than I will be able to talk about with you, in the next 15 minutes of your time - - but before I get into specifics, I think a few background words are in order.

First of all, I think it would be fair to say that the Staff and the Mayor and City Council of Westminster are very bullish on business, and have been for several decades, and will continue to be so. And that is not just in words, but in actions. That is because we realize the extreme importance of a vigorous healthy business community at the core of a vibrant and exciting Westminster.

Opportunities multiply when they are seized. Not only do we seize every opportunity to promote business in Westminster – but we make opportunities happen.

The City of Westminster is blessed with perhaps the best City Council and Staff in the State and I’m here to applaud them for all their great leadership and hard work.

Team Approach

But it is not just the City Council that has been hard at work for the business of business in Westminster. The City uses, just as any successful business uses – a team work approach to success and accomplishment. Anytime one particular member of the Westminster Team is the subject of a headline for spearheading this or that effort – any number of the members of the rest of the Team, are hard at work on the mundane and day-to-day workings of excellent government. No one person makes things happen in Westminster. Everything happens as a result of Teamwork. And that sense of team is not confined to the Staff and City Council of Westminster - - for nowhere in the State of Maryland is the concept of private-public partnership more alive than in Westminster.

Under the leadership and hard work of our excellent Administrator of Economic Development, Stan Ruchlewicz; Planning and Public Works Director, Tom Beyard; Town Planner, Shawn Siders; and the Westminster City Council, many new bold initiatives have been carried forward in the last several years.

We have continued to work with businesses to secure low interest loans to construct and renovate new facilities.

A facade loan program has begun to aid businesses in fixing up their store fronts.

Police foot patrols have continued to be emphasized and increased. Crime in Westminster has continued a downward trend that began over 9 years ago.

Pennsylvania Avenue Committee

One example of cutting edge government, that quickly comes to mind, is the inclusive and comprehensive Pennsylvania Avenue Committee that was initiated and spearheaded by the Council President, Damian Halstad and Councilman Greg Pecoraro, with the capable support of the rest of the Westminster City Council and Staff and leaders from throughout the State. When I was growing up in Westminster - - Pa. Avenue was one of the more exclusive neighborhoods in town; with its stately houses, shops and businesses. Make no mistake, that under the City’s leadership and initiative we will restore the Avenue to vibrancy.

Carroll Arts Center

Which quickly brings to mind – the crown jewel City project on the West end of town – the Carroll Arts Center. One goal of Westminster’s leadership is to expand the economic base and vibrancy of Westminster’s Main Street - east and west. Westminster’s traditional Main Street is currently book-ended by the Historical Society’s bold campus approach on the east side of town and the Carroll Arts Center on the west side of town.

What can I say – is this a great example of private - public partnership or what? It is also an example of great intergovernmental cooperation to get the project funded. The Arts Council Executive Director, Sandy Oxx has stepped up to the plate, along with the excellent support of her Board members and are making this arts and cultural Mecca a reality.

The more than $1 million project is in its final stages. The Arts Council staff started moving in just last week. When it opens in April, we should see more foot traffic along West Main Street providing a sense of vitality and hopefully, contagion for additional arts-focused businesses and restaurants in that area.

Westminster Square

Which brings us to the Westminster Square development. The $2.6 million, 4-story, 26,000sf, mixed-use Westminster Square building at the corner of Liberty and Green is proceeding on schedule. Incidentally, the Tyler-Donegan proposal being carried out in that project, was the one recommended by a private-public partnership - the GWDC.

Stone Building

On that same parcel, plans for the renovation of the old Stone Building are moving forward. Recently, The Westminster Town Center Corporation, under the leadership of Jake Yingling, has voted to bring a new restaurant to that location in town – building upon Westminster’s reputation as a dining destination in the central region of Maryland.

Keep in mind, that the Westminster trade area, now has the demographic strength of over 110,000 consumers.

Longwell and Westminster Square Parking Decks

The next exciting projects to talk about are the Longwell and Westminster Square Parking Decks. Not only will these decks provide much needed parking directly in the heart of Downtown, but they will provide fuel for future development opportunities.

The $2 million, 163-space Westminster Square Parking Deck is expected to go online this spring.

The $2.5 million, 315-space Longwell Parking Deck is on schedule for a late June/early July completion; you will see its precast concrete components arriving in March; the parking deck’s design allows for an additional level in the future.

With an increase of almost 400 net new parking spaces in the heart of Downtown Westminster, it is now time for the City to evaluate its surface parking lots and determine whether certain lots should be converted into development parcels in the near future.

Locust Lane Improvements

Which brings us to the Locust Lane improvements which will link the Longwell parking deck to Main Street.

Locust Lane improvements include re-grading and reconstructing the Locust Lane walkway to provide each of the businesses on Locust Lane with accessible entrances that they currently lack; a new performance space in front of the mural complete with electric outlets; new lighting and new street furnishings.

You will continue to see construction activity in this area all spring with completion at the same time as the Longwell Deck.

Main Street

On Main Street, since January of 2001, we have seen 35 new businesses start-up and 3 more expand their operations. The Pour House Café; Go Girl Garbs & Gifts; The Checkered Flag; Clayland Marble & Tile; Carousel Stained Glass; Wildflower Floral Design; and The Pottery Loft to name a few

These business start-ups and expansions have resulted in a net increase of 59FT and 7 PT jobs in the Main Street Program Area.

$1.4 Million in private investment and $350,000 in public investment occurred during the same period of time.

These investment figures do not include on-going projects, such as the Carroll Arts Center, the 2 parking decks, Westminster Square, Johansson’s elevator project, or the pending façade projects at the Rexall Pharmacy and Dutterer’s Flower Shop.

Between the on-going projects and some other projects on the drawing boards, like the final development of the Old Stone Building and the Old Mission Property, completed investment in Downtown during 2003 could be over $9 million.

Over the past two years, volunteers donated over 2,000 hours to the Main Street Program to enhance the vitality of downtown Westminster. This represents the hours put in by members of the Westminster Town Center Corporation, the GWDC and the downtown merchants responsible for such activities as Midnight Madness and Starlight Shopping. Not to mention the large number of hours put in with our highly successful Fallfest and all the other City Boards and Commissions

Westminster Town Center Plan

A new Westminster Town Center downtown revitalization plan will be presented to the Mayor and Council in February. This plan generally focuses on a two-block radius from the corner of Main and Liberty Streets and the railroad tracks. It contains ideas and recommendations that were developed during a 4-day design charrette in September; and is a plan for the future enhancement of Downtown Westminster that builds on existing strengths and current and future opportunities.

This plan does not focus solely on transportation issues. The plan provides cutting edge land use, transportation, and urban design strategies. It calls for the re-use of several of the existing surface parking lots and several underutilized building parcels as new development sites for perhaps additional mixed-use, multi-story development. This plan reinforces the Main Street character through further rehabilitation efforts and in-fill development; developing the Railroad Avenue corridor as an extension of the Main Street character. Also included is the establishment of a coordinated directional signage program for Downtown and a pedestrian scale streetscape approach along Railroad Avenue.

Be assured that you will hear more about this plan in the future.

Boscov’s

We are really looking forward to Boscov’s opening this spring.

The City of Westminster facilitated all of the necessary zoning changes, required for the Boscov’s development in less than 2 months (10/3/01-11/26/01).

This two-story, 186,000sf department store and the company’s traditional advertising and marketing strategy will help make Westminster a major Retail Destination, just like Baugher’s and Harry’s did for the restaurant sector.

Boscov’s will draw from far outside Westminster’s primary and secondary trade area. Boscov’s has already produced some economic contagion within the Mall. Because of Boscov’s announcement, several other businesses have become very interested in the TownMall.

I hope this has brought you up to date with the obvious business activity going on right now in Westminster. There are several areas I haven’t been able to address, but I’m sure that you have noticed, such as the Westminster Market Place retail stores on the East end of the city limits: BJ’s, Kohls, and Home Depot, right after Lowes, Target and a number of restaurants. The west end of the city limits has the Carroll County Airpark, with a wide variety of commercial businesses, and another restaurant – Bullocks Airport Inn – as well as one of Jack Tevis’s service centers.

And of course before the Airpark is the Corporate Center - the new home of our Carroll County Chamber of Commerce.

As Westminster continues to grow and change to meet the times, we have the variety to meet the needs of both the consumers and the businesses. Westminster is bullish on business.

I welcome any questions about projects I have mentioned, or anything else in the City of Westminster. Luckily I have Stan from the Westminster Team to help answer those questions.

20010727 MD Route 140 Improvement Study

MD Route 140 Improvement Study

July 27^th, 2001

Labels: Westminster businesses, Westminster Profile, Westminster Planning and Zoning, Westminster Rte 140, History Westminster

City of Westminster Development History:

There are essentially two types of development evident in the City of Westminster: the traditional, more dense development found in the older parts of Westminster, and the suburban, less dense development located on the outskirts of the downtown area. These two types of development feature residential, commercial, and industrial land uses.

The older parts of Westminster, centered on the intersection of Main Street and Railroad Avenue and extending east and west parallel to Main Street, were developed primarily in a traditional grid pattern, with buildings located closer together and next to the street than in the more recently developed areas. In the traditional part of the City, residential and commercial land uses are located within close proximity, allowing for easy pedestrian travel. This more densely built, mixed development prevailed until the 1950s when Maryland Route 140 was completed as a bypass for Main Street, along the northern and eastern sides of the City.

The construction of Maryland Route 140 made it feasible to develop land on the outskirts of the City of Westminster. With the exception of some residential areas, this newer developed area is characterized by buildings located farther apart and set back from the curvilinear streets in order to efficiently accommodate automobile traffic. In most areas, residential uses are separated from commercial and industrial uses, further necessitating the need for automobile travel. Commercial uses in the Maryland Route 140 corridor include an enclosed shopping mall, large retail stores laid out in a strip fashion behind large parking lots, and franchise restaurants. The City’s prime industrial corridor focuses on the Air Business Center, located in the northern part of the City on Maryland Route 97, and contains a mix of business and industrial uses.

Vacant lands located within the City of Westminster are minimal. Vacant areas include several commercially zoned parcels located adjacent to Maryland Route 140, as well as two large residentially zoned properties at the intersections of Maryland Route 31 with Route 140, and Maryland Route 31 with Uniontown Road. Approximately 235 acres of vacant land are available for residential development and 125 acres for commercial uses. Another 190 acres of land in the MD 97(N) Corridor are available for industrial uses. Available residential land and housing units in Westminster provide the capacity for an additional 3,761 people; however, the population projections show an increase of 6,575 people by the year 2020. The difference in these two figures is 2,814 or approximately 1,125 households. Based on currently permitted zoning densities, an additional 270 acres of Urban Residential land would be required to accommodate the increase in Westminster’s population.

While a portion of the projected population could be accommodated through in-fill development and mixed use structures in the downtown area, the City of Westminster will also need to annex land that is appropriate for residential development in order to accommodate the remainder of the projected population.

City of Westminster Transportation Network:

The City of Westminster and the surrounding area are served by eight Maryland State Highways: Route 140 (Baltimore Boulevard), Route 97 North (Littlestown Pike), Route 97 South (Malcolm Drive and Washington Road), Route 27 (Westminster/Manchester Road, Railroad Avenue/Liberty Street and Ridge Road), Route 32 (Main Street and Sykesville Road), Route 31 (New Windsor Road), Route 832 (Old Taneytown Road), Route 526 (Pennsylvania Avenue), Route 852 North (Old Manchester Road), and Route 852 south (Old New Windsor Road). The City of Westminster and the surrounding area are served by two primary east-west corridors: Maryland Route 140 (Baltimore Boulevard and Taneytown Pike) and Maryland Route 32 (Main Street), as well as two primary north – south corridors; MD Route 97 and MD Route 27.

Maryland Route 97 North, classified by Carroll County as a principal arterial, connects Route 140 to Pennsylvania Route 97, serving Littlestown and Gettysburg and providing a connection to U.S. Route 15. The Maryland Route 97 (N) corridor immediately to the north of Maryland Route 140 is the site of prime industrial land in Westminster. The City’s most significant industrial parks as well as the Carroll County Airport are located on Route 97 North.

Maryland Route 97 (N) also serves as a primary commuter route, connecting residents of northern Carroll County and southern Pennsylvania with employment destinations in Westminster and points to the south and east. During morning and evening rush hours, the volume of pass-through commuter traffic chokes the roadway, making it difficult for employees and clients of the industrial parks to safely make turning movements. This also results in long queuing of vehicles at the signalized intersections.

Maryland Route 97 South, between Route 140 and Route 32, is classified as a principal arterial, while south of Route 32, Route 97 is an intermediate arterial. This road continues south through Carroll County and into Howard and Montgomery Counties, intersecting with the Washington, D.C. beltway (I-495) and continuing into Washington, D.C. as Georgia Avenue.

Maryland Route 140 is classified as a principal arterial under the Carroll County system of functional classification. Maryland Route 140 is a divided multi-lane highway with good vehicular access; however, there are some traffic congestion problems during peak hours due to numerous access points along the highway and traffic signals at the major intersections. Portions of Maryland Route 140 are located outside of the Westminster corporate limits, so any corridor planning would require the involvement of the City of Westminster, Carroll County government, and the State Highway Administration. Eastbound Route 140 provides access from Westminster to Interstate 795, which joins the Baltimore Beltway (I-695); to the west, Route 140 intersects with U.S. Route 15 in Emmitsburg. This route serves commercial and commuter traffic between Carroll County, Pennsylvania, and the Baltimore area via I-795 and I-695. East of the Westminster corporate limits, Route 140 is a four lane, divided highway, with twelve foot wide travel lanes and ten to twelve foot shoulders. The posted speed limit is 55 miles per hour to the east of the City. Within the Westminster area, the speed limit decreases to 45 miles per hour, while the roadway width increases to provide for right and left turn lanes at intersections. West of Route 31, the width of Route 140 decreases to between forty-four and forty-eight feet, providing two twelve foot travel lanes with ten to twelve foot paved shoulders. The speed limit increases to 55 miles per hour in this area.

Maryland Route 140 has the highest average daily traffic (ADT) of any roadway in Carroll County. The 47,650 ADT recorded in 1995 by the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) in the vicinity of the Center Street intersection makes this section of roadway comparable to ADT volumes recorded on parts of I-70 in Frederick County. In addition to its commercial character, the Route 140 corridor provides access to the Baltimore regional markets via connections to I-795 and I-695. Goods and materials shipped from Pennsylvania and Baltimore, as well as commuters traveling to places of employment, use this important transportation link. The traffic volume, diversity of trip purposes, and vehicle mix on Route 140 create congestion and safety problems.

City of Westminster Economic Profile:

The City of Westminster contains two distinct major retail areas: downtown Westminster and the commercial corridor located along Maryland Route 140. The Westminster portion of Route 140 functions in many ways as the core business area for much of Carroll County. Included in the Route 140 corridor are numerous shopping, dining, and entertainment opportunities. The Maryland Route 140 corridor contains one large, enclosed shopping mall, a number of large “big box” retail stores, “in-line” or “strip” retail shopping centers, fast food restaurants, and offices. This area experiences significant commercial activity during both day and evening hours, including the weekends. The highest concentration of goods and services available to Carroll County residents is found along this highway. Demand is high for commercial land in the Maryland Route 140 corridor; however, there is very little undeveloped commercial land left in this corridor which is not impacted by steep slopes or other environmental and site constraints. Consequently, there has been a rapid increase in real estate values along certain segments of Maryland Route 140. As a result, commercial properties and rents in downtown Westminster are more affordable for small business owners, while major retailers and high traffic businesses continue to locate along Maryland Route 140. Many of the structures located in the Maryland Route 140 corridor have been built in the last 15 to 20 years and are in good condition, although some of the shopping centers have a dated appearance.

In addition to the commercial areas described above is the City’s primary industrial area, located along Maryland Route 97 in the vicinity of the Westminster Airport. This industrial area contains a mix of office space and manufacturing uses. The first industrial park, the Air Business Center, was developed by the County’s Industrial Development Authority and included advanced infrastructure such as fiber optic cable, with the purpose to promote employment for county residents in the form of research and development types of industries. There is a concern that this prime industrial area is being undermined by the number of retail and service-oriented businesses locating here due to a lack of vacant commercial land in the Westminster area. All of the structures in this industrial area were constructed recently, and development in the area is ongoing due to the emphasis on marketing the area. The County’s first buildings built on speculation of future users were constructed in the Maryland Route 97 industrial corridor.

The major employers in the City of Westminster in 1995 included Carroll County Government central offices (located on Center Street near MD Route 140), Western Maryland College (located on West Main Street and MD Route 140), Marada Industries (located on MD Route 97 North), and Carroll Lutheran Village (located west of MD Route 31).