Excerpt from the Frederick News-Post:
Members of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission officially signed off Thursday on plans to rehabilitate the dilapidated downtown Frederick townhouse at 20 W. Fourth St.
Susan Murphy, a representative of prospective property owner Murphy Properties, presented plans to rehab the building for the second time at Thursday’s public hearing. She presented the first set of plans at a Jan. 26 workshop and initiated some minor tweaks based on commissioners’ comments before presenting the plans again Thursday.
Murphy Properties offered to pay $20,000 for the 20 W. Fourth St. property, with plans to invest $193,000 in a nine-month renovation project.
Decades of vacancy require the installation of basic utilities such as plumbing, electricity, and heating and cooling. The HPC also authorized demolition of the rear third of the building, which is required through the renovation because of its state of disrepair.
The project is well on its way now, despite an ongoing appeal that former property owner Allan Pickett has filed. The open case is seemingly the last in a series of appeals Pickett spearheaded regarding ownership rights that spanned roughly two decades. The latest appeal, filed after Pickett’s ownership rights were stripped, challenges the demolition order. However, because Pickett did not file a stay along with the appeal, Assistant City Attorney Scott Waxter said the rehabilitation can move forward as the case awaits a resolution.
