Officials Comment on State Funding for Downtown Frederick Hotel and Conference Center

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.