2-21-12 Public Hearing: Will the BOCC give developers, lobbyists/lawyers the power to negotiate the adequacy of our schools and roads?
February 21, 2012 by FofFC
Filed under Our Campaigns, Police, Fire and Rescue, Roads, Schools, Share your Opinion on Policy, Spread the Word!, Water and Sewer
Public Hearing tonight: 2/21 @ 7PM
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 The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is in the process of rezoning up to 15,000 acres of farmland and open space in Frederick County for development. In the past when projects enter the development process Frederick County has relied on a local ordinance to help protect all citizens from overcrowded schools, roads and overburdened emergency services; it is called the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO), and it has been significantly weakened by this BOCC. But, apparently even the current APFO is a thorn in the side of developers and their lawyers/lobbyists. So on Tuesday the BOCC will hear a proposal to roll it into a Developer’s Rights and Responsibilities Agreement (DRRA). The DRRA is an agreement put together by developers, their lawyers/lobbyists and the county that spells out in detail the concessions the developer is granting. With a DRRA we, the taxpayers, will have to trust that the developer and BOCC are looking out for our best interest. If that doesn’t send up red flags, it should! So, once the BOCC has rezoned thousands and thousands of acres of Frederick County’s farmland for houses and strip malls, what will ensure that there are schools, roads and emergency services for this development? An agreement put together by this BOCC and the developer? Oh my. Keep your eyes open very soon for the most active lobbyists in Frederick County (Weinberg & Miller, Linowes & Blocher, Severn, O’Connor & Kresslein), representing the largest rezoned parcels, as they present DRRAs to the BOCC to develop their properties. How many windfalls and benefits will this BOCC give to the already wealthy development community on the backs of taxpayers – while they are covering our farms with housing sprawl and asphalt? It seems endless. A DRRA is a binding agreement that, once signed, can only change if BOTH parties (the county and the developer) agree to do so. The public hearing on amending the county code to roll the APFO into the DRRA is tonight, Tuesday, 2/21 at 7pm Winchester Hall. |
Frederick remains the darling of developers living outside of Frederick and a gold mine for a handful of real estate speculators. The protections to assure wise growth in the surrounding counties have made Frederick county an ideal place for enrichment of a very few while protections for the majority of the county residents fall away. The last few years of re-working the county plan were pointless. Why is that?