Jun. 14—A prominent downtown Frederick property that has long been vacant will be a parking lot for a business's new office, beginning this summer.
The lots at 56-70 S. Market St., the former site of a series of building facades screening vacant lots, will be parking for the new offices of Transportation Management Services, as the company moves from its current downtown location.
The company expects to move about 25 employees into the new offices in the upper floor of a building at 46 S. Market St., along Carroll Creek Linear Park, this summer, said Ashley Allen, a spokeswoman for Transportation Management Services.
The company provides transportation for public and private events, corporate conventions, and special events, according to its website.
It is looking for a restaurant or brewery to occupy the ground floor of the building and take advantage of its location along the creek, Allen said.
The parking lot will have about 40 spaces, for the company's employees and the downstairs occupant, she said.
The facades and one blighted building were demolished in the spring of 2017, to the satisfaction of some people in the neighborhood.
However, the city's Historic Preservation Commission initially denied the demolition, ruling that the prominence, architecture, and a Coca-Cola sign painted on the northern wall facing Carroll Creek of a three-story building at 56 S. Market St. provided a contributing resource to the city's historic district.
But ultimately, a contractor said the building was too dangerous to try to stabilize and save. The city determined that the building was an "imminent danger" to the neighborhood.
The facades were left from buildings that were damaged in the flood that ravaged downtown Frederick in 1976, said Richard Griffin, the city's economic development director.
The owner initially sought to keep the structures and build behind them, but it became clear that the properties stood little chance of being redeveloped, he said.
At one point, a developer planned to build multistory apartment buildings on the property, but the plan fell through, he said.
The city appreciates the value of adding parking for businesses downtown and the removal of the eyesore that the facades created, Griffin said.
The city is "absolutely delighted" to have Transportation Management Services in the new location, Griffin said, and he's looking forward to seeing people dining or enjoying a craft beverage along the creek when a tenant is found for the ground-floor space.
Follow Ryan Marshall on Twitter: @RMarshallFNP