Group focuses on community investment

Jan. 13, 2007
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon@fredericknewspost.com

FREDERICK — A group of developers has taken an interest in growth on the east side of town.
     The East of East Street Development Corporation, headed by architect Alan Feinberg of Frederick-based FeinDesign Group LLC, formed last year to direct the expected expansion of Frederick between the Mono- cacy River, I-70 and the Frederick Municipal Airport.
     The city has been talking with residents about revitalizing the east side of town, home to many industrial properties.
     The group wants to create a plan that will help community members while reducing the number of residents displaced by gentrification. It presented ideas for growth in a Dec. 19 meeting with Mayor Jeff Holtzinger.
     The discussion included the group's desire to resurrect the Frederick Industrial Development Authority — founded in 1994, but never used, Mr. Feinberg said.
     The State of Maryland Economic Development Revenue Bond Act empowered FIDA to raise money through tax-exempt bonds to relieve unemployment, encourage business, protect natural resources and promote the welfare of Frederick residents.
     “We were basically talking about the city using the industrial development authority to forward fund developments and use it as a source of revenue,” Mr. Feinberg said Friday. “All we're asking is for the city to think about filling those positions with people who are highly respected and willing to steer the authority responsibly.”
Developing inspiration
Group members draw inspi ration from a wide range of development projects, including natural disaster recovery plans.
     Former alderman Bill Hall believes some of Frederick's problems can be solved with old technology. Living in Holland for six months a few years ago inspired him after he saw how a different culture dealt with everyday issues, such as high population density and traffic.
     “Everyone got around on bicycles,” he said. “The problem is, we always think of (bicycles) as the past, but we need to take the best of the past to move forward.”
     One of the group's goals is to create a vision of development that merges new and old without gentrifying. The group has studied what it considers the best of downtown — alleys, mixed-use developments, high population density and beautifully crafted design — and hopes to use those elements effectively on the east side.
     When developments on the east end begin, attorney Laura Purcel hopes the group will help prevent the kind of displacement that happened in Frederick during downtown renovations in the 1970s, she said.
     “Although projects like the creek are great, they are not that involved in community cohesion — that has severe consequences,” she said. “Rent increases, which displaces residents and scares away small merchants while landlords become increasingly greedy.”
     Mr. Feinberg volunteered his services in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in December 2005.
     “That tragic event showed the nation it's the perfect time in our history to bring people together to address social inequities,” Mr. Feinberg said. “I came back from New Orleans with fire in my gut.”
     He believes the current model separates people into economic divisions because most developments are created with profit in mind.
     “The East Street project gives us a tremendous opportunity to change that,” Mr. Feinberg said.
     Mr. Feinberg hopes investment tools, such as individual development accounts, can help east side residents be a part of the future of east Frederick.
     An IDA, a savings program similar to a 401(k), helps break the cycle of poverty by giving people with low income a way to build assets and save for the future. Account holders' contributions are matched by private or public funding, which can be used for education, buying a first house or starting a business.
     “We're interested in a longterm sustainable and vibrant community where ordinary people can have a voice and investment in this city's growth,” Mr. Feinberg said. “Being able to invest in your community changes the chemistry of the whole thing.”