A new footbridge spanning the Patapsco River between Howard and Baltimore counties, a concert stage, a riverfront park and a parking deck — those features are among the items presented last week as possibilities for a rebuilt Historic Ellicott City.

The flood-prone town has been damaged by two major floods since 2016, and after the most recent flood in May, county officials advanced a five-year, $50 million plan to mitigate flooding.

The plan, which would require razing 13 buildings, is contested by preservationists who say it could lead to the town’s removal from the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings would be demolished to widen the Tiber River channel.

Howard County is seeking permits from state and federal agencies to do the project; approvals could take a year. For more details on the flood mitigation proposals and the Ellicott City Master Plan, go to howardcountymd.gov/Departments/Ellicott-City-Flood-2018/Ellicott-City-Flood-Mitigation-Plan.

At a public meeting last week, county officials unveiled renderings of what the area could look like if plans for the historic district and surrounding watershed come to fruition — and sought feedback from residents and business owners.

The proposal for a footbridge over the river would be a “signature” concept, said Tom McGilloway of Mahan Rykiel Associates, a design firm hired by the county to do preliminary design. The span would be separate from a vehicular bridge and would align with a former trolley bridge.

He also suggested creation of a riverfront park in conjunction with a parking lot, and replacing 10 buildings on lower Main Street with open space and a concert stage.

The firm said the county is limited in what it can do on lower Main Street because any concept must balance historic interpretation with an ability to handle floodwaters, be built on a hard surface and be able to handle debris carried downriver in storms.

The firm is also recommending the county widen sidewalks, raise crosswalks and add a flood warning system.

On Upper Main Street, where one building is proposed to be demolished, the consultants recommended a mixed-use space that could include public restrooms, trash management and parking, wrapped with “active” uses such as art studio space.

The firm anticipates parking for lower Main Street will be in high demand after the open space is finished. It recommended building a parking deck in lots F, D and A, and using a shuttle to carry patrons.

On the Upper Main Street, the firm said, traffic can be improved through installing crosswalks, permanent curb extensions, and a traffic circle at Rogers bridge.

While a number of residents at the Oct. 25 presentation praised the plan, others criticized it as an attempt to mesh modernity with the town’s historic aura.

“I thought I was walking into a planning meeting for downtown Columbia,” said Craig Stewart, of Ellicott City. “Why are we considering commercial development in the historic district?”

Ellicott City resident Frank Durante’s house backs up to Hudson River. With each storm, he said, the waters rise to a higher level. Durante believes development — even more than climate change — is to blame for the intensity of the floods.

“If we don’t stop development in this watershed, this plan will fail,” said Durante, who called for a permanent moratorium on development in the area.

County Executive Allan Kittleman has approved a temporary moratorium on certain developments in the Plumtree and Tiber Branch watersheds and has charged the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning with studying land use, drainage infrastructure and flood mitigation so it can determine how building permit requests mesh with the flood-prone area.

“I hope development stops permanently,” Durante said. “If not, we’re building all of this for nothing.”

elogan@baltsun.com