In a proposal from earlier this summer, Clarksburg Town Center is looking for approval on limited amendments that would put the upcoming development in “a position to attract additional tenants and multifamily residents sufficient to support development of this final phase of Clarksburg Town Center.” The subject amendments to the Project Plan, Preliminary Plan and Site Plan propose construction of 179 multifamily units in three buildings along the east side of Clarksburg Square Road, and approximately 99,200 sq. ft. of retail/commercial space, including a grocery store of approximately 55,000 sq. ft.
At a Clarksburg community meeting on the future of the Clarksburg Town Center (CTC) last December, it was revealed in updated plans that the hope was for construction to begin in 2024 and be completed in “one fell swoop”. It was also announced that a grocery anchor, Weis, has signed a letter of intent to open up a new store at the CTC.
Per the proposal: These amendments, similar to the previously approved amendments, propose an integrated mix of residential and commercial space with a street front orientation in order to create a functional, attractive “town center” for Clarksburg Town Center. Most significantly and similar to the previously approved amendment, the proposal includes a grocery store of approximately 55,000 sq. ft. in response to the long-standing interest of residents of Clarksburg for such a use. Since the Town Center mixed-use core was initially conceived in the 1994 Clarksburg Master Plan, retail demand, design and even the identity of retailers have changed considerably. Due to on- line shopping and delivery for anything for which a consumer would desire, including groceries and restaurant meal delivery, brick-and-mortar retailers no longer require physical retail locations. This trend started prior to the previous amendment and was materially accelerated and exacerbated by the pandemic. Moreover, due to similar changes, office users require less space as employees work from home. At the same time, the build-out of Clarksburg itself has occurred at a much slower pace than envisioned nearly 30 years ago. The combination of these factors has created inherent challenges to bringing a grocery store to Clarksburg Town Center as well as the related smaller shops. The Applicant has been working to address these constraints since it acquired the property in 2011 and now the circumstances finally enable the Applicant to bring the retail forward, including the grocery store. As reflected in the plans being submitted, in addition to the grocery store, there will be commercial and retail space fronting on the retail street, with street front parking in front of that space and additional surface parking behind the buildings. The other component of the plan, as called for previously, will be multifamily buildings along Clarksburg Square Road which includes 179 new dwelling units and 22 new MPDU’s. The addition of this multifamily housing will both help to address a housing demand in the up-county area for such units, while, at the same time, providing the additional customer base necessary to make the retail successful.
This application is being submitted under Sub Section 7.7.1.B.3 of the Zoning Ordinance which allows an applicant to amend any previously approved plan under the zoning standards as they existed on October 29, 2014. In this situation, that means the RMX–2 zone that calls for a Project Plan Amendment and Site Plan, as well as any potential amendment to the underlying Preliminary Plan of Subdivision, is necessary to incorporate the current changes. To that end, this Application covers all three amendments.