A Clarksburg community meeting on the future of the Clarksburg Town Center (CTC) revealed updated plans that hope for construction to begin in 2024 and be completed in “one fell swoop” and a grocery anchor, Weis, having signed a letter of intent to open up a new store at the CTC. Additional information and a few slides from tonight’s meeting available below:
History: The Clarksburg Master Plan was approved in 1994 with preliminary plan approval for 1300 units approved in 1995/1996. Original site plans (phase I and phase II) were approved in 1998 and 2002 and from 2007-2011 the marketing of a retail area for the proposed Clarksburg Town Center (CTC), which is located between Snowden Farm Rd, Stringtown Rd., Clarksburg Rd., and 355, proved to be unsuccessful with grocery stores and retailers widely rejecting an amended plan from 2008.
2011-Today: A large portion of the future CTC was sold to Third Try LC in 2011 and following the pandemic, plans were changed once again. Goals for Third Try’s amended site plan (approved in 2015) include making retail financially feasible, getting it built, and fulfilling the master plan vision (as communicated in 2012-2015 meetings). Challenges that were met by Third Try due to the pandemic include a much lower demand for brick and mortar retails and office buildings, anxious grocers impacted by the the acceleration of shopping online and through Amazon, and a focus on dining with outdoor seating. Because of that, the proposed square footage of the retail core has from the approved 206,185SF in 2015 to the proposed 97,760SF in 2022.
According to Kate Kubit of Elm Street Communities, a letter of intent has been signed by Weis to open a full sized grocery store (56,000SF) with gas pumps included in their design. The store will be similar to a Weis in Brunswick, MD. There’s a Weis location approximately 5 miles away in Damascus, and when asked if that location will remain, Kubit replied “I have not heard anything to the contrary.” No other specific retailers were mentioned in tonight’s meeting.
Per Elm Street Communities, in early 2023 an amendment will be submitted with an updated layout and work to obtain support and approval will take place throughout the year. The hope is for the site plan to be certified by late 2023/early 2024 and for the application for building permits to take place in early 2024 with construction taking place “in one fell swoop” right after that including remaining amenities (splash fountain was included as an example).
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