Urban Revitalization in Hagerstown (Baltimore, Frederick: ski resort, real estate, job market)

[Dequindre]

Let's make this clear: Hagerstown's downtown core is a bit rough in its current state, but it has great bones. Some of the buildings, many of which aren't being used to their full ability, are architectural marvels. What I can't understand is how Frederick's downtown gentrification hasn't rubbed off on Hagerstown at all. Hagerstown's potential (or current status, depending on how you look at it) as a commuter suburb should be bringing some wealth to the area. Perhaps the influx of money is being spent on the fringes of the city, which is a likely possibility, but that should alarm Washington County officials. The downtown core has a lot of square footage being wasted and neglected, so it should be a priority. Even nearby Chambersburg, PA's downtown core is getting very firm commitment from Franklin County's development corporation to focus their attention on the county seat's downtown core. Nearby Winchester, VA already has a marvelous pedestrian street referred to as Old Town, which has seen significant investment over the years. Martinsburg, WV, the last of the four big Four State towns, seems to suffer from the same investment issues as Hagerstown

For example, Hagerstown official's are very proud of the Maryland Theatre in the downtown core. The entrance is a bit homely, but it's considered a pleasant civic space. Two buildings up is Barbara Ingram School for the Arts, a liberal studies school operated by Washington County Schools. As you'll see in the below Google Maps link, there is a gorgeous Baroque/rustic five-story building in between the two that is simply rotting. Unfortunately, that's not an uncommon sight in Hagerstown.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.6414...8i6656!6m1!1e1

Hagerstown's former Y.M.C.A., a massive neo-Georgian style building, was damaged by a flood (I believe it was a flood) years ago and now sits empty. A landmark such as that should be preserved, and it's sad to see that no one is willing to invest in the building.



Hagerstown has a lot of excellent properties to work with, but I'm wondering why such little progress is being made. Did Winchester do well because of better marketing to entrepreneurs and a greater emphasis on local tourism? Is FCADC willing to tackle Chambersburg's downtown because it's smaller, therefore more manageable? Why hasn't Frederick's magic rubbed off on Hagerstown? There is a massive amount of potential in Hagerstown, but it's difficult to comprehend why progress is so slow.

[Dequindre]

Here's something else that I've noticed: despite being economically and geographically linked by I-81, Chambersburg, Hagerstown, Martinsburg, and Winchester do very little to coordinate tourism and development strategies. One would think that some kind of "history/recreation trail" could be created using places like Old Town Winchester, Harper's Ferry, Antietam Battlefield, Whitetail Ski Resort, etc. I-81 would provide easy access to all stops along the way.

[North Beach Person]

The main reason is money tied to demand.

The Frederick magic you mention is mostly due to its commutibiity to metro DC. Hagerstown is just a little too far out.

An incredible amount of money in this state is spent based on a build it and they will come mindset. That doesn't always work.

[MidValleyDad]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

The main reason is money tied to demand.

The Frederick magic you mention is mostly due to its commutibiity to metro DC. Hagerstown is just a little too far out.

An incredible amount of money in this state is spent based on a build it and they will come mindset. That doesn't always work.

I don't like to disagree with NBP but here in Frederick County the Build it and they will come' philosophy has been working for the last 30 years. in fact it is almost 'suggest it and they will come' I see planned subdivisions be proposed at 'from the low $400s' and six months later be advertised at 'from the mid $400s' and before the model is finished the signs say 'from the high $400s'

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by MidValleyDad

I don't like to disagree with NBP but here in Frederick County the Build it and they will come' philosophy has been working for the last 30 years. in fact it is almost 'suggest it and they will come' I see planned subdivisions be proposed at 'from the low $400s' and six months later be advertised at 'from the mid $400s' and before the model is finished the signs say 'from the high $400s'

Yeah it has, but the proximity, and transportation system, to DC were the drivers. Thirty five years ago, before all the upgrades to the road system, Frederick was still "too far out". Calvert was the same way back then.

Calvert's growth was fueled by white flight, among some economic factors. I don't know whether that pertained to Frederick, although the economic factors did.

Hagerstown is just too far out, right now, for mass growth. And I know there is a cohort of people who live out there, and in WV, who take the Brunswick line into town.

[seanlax]

Except I don't think Hagerstonians(?) or OP are looking for mass growth. They are simply seeking urban revitalization and support.

Across the state, the city of Salisbury is struggling with an almost identical problem in their town. The town has put a lot of energy and marketing up for downtown Salisbury recently, and, coupled with the fastest internet in the state being installed right now, it certainly is making a case for regional businesses and local residents to look at downtown differently.

Is Hagerstown doing anything similar?

[North Beach Person]

Originally Posted by seanlax

Except I don't think Hagerstonians(?) or OP are looking for mass growth. They are simply seeking urban revitalization and support.

Across the state, the city of Salisbury is struggling with an almost identical problem in their town. The town has put a lot of energy and marketing up for downtown Salisbury recently, and, coupled with the fastest internet in the state being installed right now, it certainly is making a case for regional businesses and local residents to look at downtown differently.

Is Hagerstown doing anything similar?

Here's the problem with revitalization, it doesn't happen without growth of some type. It there was a demand for those unused or underutilized buildings to be used to full capacity they would already be doing so.

Developers like a sure thing and a lot of them are still skittish, rehabbing on spec isn't happening much right now.

Salisbury has been trying to rebrand itself for a decade or more, the problem there and Hagerstown booth is employment.

I'll use Calvert again as an example. Over 60% of its work force leaves the County in the morning. Growth here had been heavily skewed towards residential, which is ultimately unsustainable.

[westsideboy]

I do feel like most of the development in Washington County has been directed towards the outer rings of the city, not the urban core. Whether this is a market outcome, a government decision, neither or both, I don't know.

From my perspective, downtown Hagerstown is too hidden. You don't see it from I-70, you don't see it from I-81, you can't get there just stopping for gas or grub, you need to know its there and go see it. The bones are definitely there, I would say the buildings themselves are probably superior to Frederick as Hagerstown was the bigger city during the early 20th century.

Here in Cumberland, we had a big uptick in our downtown occupancy around the time of the 2000s real estate boom. Since the bubble burst, we have regressed a bit. Our local government FINALLY made the call that bricking off the Main St.(Baltimore St.) of our city wasn't working (not only does it make our downtown hard to get to, it makes getting anywhere in town difficult to visitors. It was our Main St. for a reason.) We are opening up all but one block to traffic and adding in street parking. I would prefer they open the whole street, but baby steps are better than none at all.

Back to Hagerstown, the county has enough population now to try and create incentives for internal migration, you know, convincing people who have moved to Washington County in the last 20-30 years (or their kids) to try the advantages of city living. It's a tougher sell because the further west you go, the further you are from the job markets that attracted these people in the first place. But if Frederick is your model, you need not just commercial development, but a gentrification of some of those adjacent neighborhoods to boost the overall income of the city, and create a critical mass middle income or above people in the area to make it more attractive.

Don't mean to offend with that last statement, but it's an issue in Cumberland too. If people feel out of place, or don't see folks like them milling around, they are less likely to come. Heck, I think Cumberland is going to try and ban smoking on the streets there to create a reason for the police to chase away the poorer element. I am not a fan of such a move, but our mayor is becoming increasing intolerant of the realities of living in a city with a large percentage of poor people and it is coming through in his policies.

[North Beach Person]

I may offend you but the more I listen to your Mayor at various events the more I'm convinced he's nuts.

[westsideboy]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

I may offend you but the more I listen to your Mayor at various events the more I'm convinced he's nuts.

No offense taken, that is the conclusion many of us are coming to as well.