Residents of Howard County still have the chance to make their voices heard about plans for Main Street in historic Ellicott City.
The Howard County Department of Public Works (DPW) is holding a community outreach meeting on Thursday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. to discuss plans for Tiber Park.
Tiber Park sits along the southwest corner of Main Street and Maryland Avenue in Ellicott City, and the concept plan calls for the park to be expanded. As it exists now, it is a temporary park space with picnic tables and benches, where a small farmers’ market is held on Saturday mornings with live music and vendors.
The expanded Tiber Park would replace the temporary park with larger gathering spaces, site furnishings, seating areas, improved lighting, interpretive signage, and a new pedestrian bridge with accessible ramp.
Construction will begin when the Maryland Avenue Culvert project is complete. The culvert project is one of seven flood mitigation projects in the Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan created after the area experienced two historic floods in two years (2016 and 2018.)
After the 2016 and 2018 floods, Howard County acquired 10 buildings on Lower Main Street, from the former Phoenix restaurant building up to the former Caplan’s building. The Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan involved removing the four buildings at the bottom, and renovating the remaining six so that they will no longer have portions that cross the Tiber stream.
“Through our ambitious Ellicott City Safe and Sound Plan, we are innovatively addressing flood mitigation, preserving historic character and enhancing the safety of our beloved Ellicott City, while also breathing new life into our town,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball in a statement. “The expanded Tiber Park will bring excitement and energy to Lower Main Street with an inviting, vibrant outdoor space where residents, visitors, and community members can come together to celebrate this historic community.”
The Aug. 28 outreach meeting will include a short presentation of the park’s layout plans, followed by a question-and-answer discussion. Residents will be able to review graphics and ask questions of county staff and the project’s design consultant. The public’s comments will be gathered and recorded.
For people who can’t attend the meeting, the presentation and graphics will be available on the “Ellicott City Watershed Master Plan” website. Anyone wanting to submit questions and/or comments about the project can contact project manager Brandon Love by calling 410-313-6139 or emailing him at blove@howardcountymd.gov.
Please request an interpreter for people who are deaf or hard of hearing seven working days prior to the meeting, or by Tuesday, Aug. 19. Call DPW at 410-313-3440 (voice) or use Relay at 7-1-1, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The outreach meeting will be held in the Oella Room at the Roger Carter Community Center in Ellicott City, located at 3000 Milltowne Drive, Ellicott City, Maryland.
