The problems associated with the “boom and bust” residential overbuilding in Frederick County have affected the lives of every school child and every motorist in Frederick County. 

Read the Truth about Residential Development, Our Taxes and Our Future.

Read the Truth about the Effects of Residential Development on our Schools.

Read the Truth about the Effects of Residential Development on our Roads.

Friends of Frederick County Position on Crum and COPT/Thatcher Annexations into Frederick City

We believe that our county and city should protect the Monocacy River corridor, productive farmland, scenic vistas, and a buffer between Frederick and Walkersville. At this time there is adequate development planned in the existing “pipeline” of future development in the city and we should develop that first, see that it is done in the most economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner, and evaluate its impact before bulldozing greenfields.  FoFC believes that existing roads to the north are inadequate, congested and dangerous, and there’s no financial plan to solve that anytime soon.

Background

In September 2009 the City of Frederick’s Mayor and Aldermen[1] voted to annex two farms (total 436 acres) along Route 15 north of Frederick City for 1200 new homes and approximately 2.3 million ft² of non-residential (office, retail, manufacturing, hotel) space. During the Fall 2009 citizens made a good faith effort to gather 20% of city voter signatures to put these annexations to referendum but fell short of our target due to the 45 day time allowed. Judging from overwhelming citizen involvement in that effort and interest in signing the petition for referendum it was clear that citizens of Frederick City do not agree that the development plans for the Crum and COPT/Thatcher properties promote the health, safety and welfare of our city nor county.

Petition to DeAnnex the Crum and COPT/Thatcher Properties

For these reasons, on May 20^th 6:30pm Frederick City Hall Friends of Frederick County launches a petition drive for a charter amendment to change the boundaries of the City of Frederick, MD to exclude the Crum and Thatcher properties.This petition effort, to “de annex” these properties, when put on the ballot will give citizens the opportunity to vote their preference.   The petition can be downloaded off the Friends of Frederick County website (http://www.friendsoffrederickcounty.org/by-campaign/petition-deannexation-referendum/ ) and delivered or mailed to our office.  Petitions will be available at events;  petition drop off points will be announced during the petition drive.  Hear what citizens have to say.

Why deannex the Crum and COPT/Thatcher properties from the City limits?

• Route 15 is one of the most dangerous roads in Maryland – and there is little funding for improvements.  The northern annexations will add 12-15,000 car trips/day to Route 15 and arterial roads.[2] The Maryland State Highway Administration strongly recommended that the cost of planning, design and construction of the Biggs Ford Road interchange be included in the annexation agreements, that cost is estimated at $75-80 million. It was not. The Monocacy Boulevard completion (to cost $75-$80 m) is not even funded yet.[3]
• There are 3500 homes and millions of square feet of commercial space within Frederick City that should be built first before expanding outward.  These approvals include Brick Works, Northgate, Clemson Corner, Market Square, the Ballenger Creek Center and the SAIC-Frederick/NCI facility.  For a complete list of commercial projects see:  http://www.businessinfrederick.com/site_selection/development.htm
• The annexation agreements for Crumland Farm and COPT/Thatcher do not adequately address sewer, schools and fire and rescue services. There is no planned sewer service for the Crum and Thatcher properties at this point [4] and no detailed plans for school and emergency services.
• This farmland has excellent soil for growing food.  If the properties are under Frederick County jurisdiction they will be in an Agricultural Priority Preservation Area (PPA), according to the recently signed Frederick County Comprehensive Plan.

Positions from Voices of Authority

Maryland Department of Planning[5] (7/22/2009) Asks the city to look into potential sewer constraints, the expansive floodplain and the road network impacts in light of the I270/Rte 15 Multi Modal Study.

State Highway Administration[6] SHA strongly recommends that the cost of planning, design and construction of the Biggs Ford Road interchange and park and ride lot be included in the requirements for annexation, as well as dedication of Rte 15 right of way and plans for arterial roads that will need to be constructed once Sunday’s Lane is closed.

Frederick County Board of Commissioners[7] letter dated 9/2/2009 2, 2009:  Without concurrent construction plans for an interchange and the elimination of the at-grade crossings “will only exacerbate an already dangerous situation and jeopardize the safety of City and County residents.” “The Crumland Farm Agreement (pg 5) does not obligate Petitioners (meaning the developer) to fund any portion of the US 15/Biggs Ford Road interchange. The County Commissioners and the State Highway Administration believe the developers, rather than the taxpayers, should pay for this interchange.”  There is no planned sewer to either property.  Absent private funding for a new school this development will worsen school overcrowding.

Frederick County Fire and Rescue Services Division[8] (5/5/2009)on Crumland Farm annexation:  “With the potential increase in traffic traveling to the site, thus requiring vehicles to cross Route 15, the potential for accidents will increase. An increase in accidents on Route 15 may have an effect on the fire and rescue services, therefore, the Biggs Ford Road interchange should be constructed and operational before the first Use and Occupancy permit is issued for the proposed site.”

Town of Walkersville[9] (8/31/2009)  The Walkersville Burgess and Commissioners voted 3-2 in opposition to both the Crum and COPT/Thatcher annexation proposals and urged the Frederick City Board of Alderman to vote to deny them.

Monocacy Scenic River Citizens Advisory Board River Board (5/11/2009) expresses concern about the proposed alteration of the natural landscape in the 100-year floodplain on the COPT/Thatcher property and the disruption of environmental processes and functions that follow from grading, filling, and building in a floodplain—mainly the natural storage and conveyance of flood waters.

Does your organization have a position?  If so, please send it to deannexation@friendsoffrederickcounty.org.

[2] Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual, 7^th Edition, pp 268-269.

[3] Thomas, John B. (Pers Comm May 2010).  Cost for Biggs Ford Road interchange at Route 15, and the Monocacy Boulevard interchange, Frederick County Division of Planning.

[4] Tax map 57 and 48 at: http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/index.aspx?NID=1326.

[5] Conrad, Peter G., Director, Local Government Assistance, Maryland Department of Planning.

[6] Slater, Gregory I, Director, Office of Planning and Preliminary Engineering, State Highway Administration

[7] Board of County Commissioners, September 2009 (Jan Gardner, David Gray, John L Thompson, Kai J Hagen and Charles Jenkins), Frederick County MD.

[8] Dmuchowski, Michael P, Battalion Chief/Fire Marshall, Frederick County MD

[9] Hauver, Susan J, Planning and Zoning Administrator, Walkersville MD

In September 2009 the City of Frederick’s Mayor and Aldermen[1] voted to annex two farms along Route 15 north of Frederick City for 1200 new homes and approximately 2.3 million ft² of office space. Click to download the Annexation Resolution for the Crum Farm (09-18) and Resolution 09-19 Thatcher Annexation.

During the Fall 2009 citizens made a good faith effort to gather 20% of city voter signatures to put these annexations to referendum but fell short of our target due to the 45 day time allowed. Judging from overwhelming citizen involvement in that effort and interest in signing the petition for referendum it was clear that citizens of Frederick City do not agree that the development plans for the Crum and COPT/Thatcher properties promote the health, safety and welfare of our city nor county.   Read more details on the annexations, organization positions and related issues here and on the Frederick County government website.

This petition effort, to “de annex” these properties, allows unlimited time for signature gathering and when put on the ballot will give citizens the opportunity to vote their preference.

Download the Deannexation Petition for Referendum Here!

Please return the petition as soon as possible:

• mail it to:  Friends of Frederick County,  4 E Church Street, Frederick MD   21701
• call us at:  240 529 1655
• drop off points to be announced

Contact us:  deannexation@friendsoffrederickcounty.org

DOES FHS NEED A RENOVATION?

Post up to 3 photos with brief text on facebook wall at:

(http://bit.ly/friendsoffrederickcounty)

that show and tell why FHS needs a renovation.

Become a facebook fan, and sign up for FoFC’s newsletter to see winning photo.

Most convincing entry WINS  $30 OF RITA’S ICE CREAM

Entries accepted no later than 5pm May 28, 2010

Winner announced on facebook June 1, 2010.

I read with interest Rand D. Weinberg’s opinion in The FNP about the recently approved Frederick County Comprehensive Plan. If I am left unconvinced by his argument, it is because of his own actions to organize and contrive a long series of property amendments that show much less concern for the overall public good and the impact on residents than any actions by our current county commissioners in reviewing and drafting our approved plan.

In fact, Weinberg and Blaine Young represent the pointy end of the spear in political efforts to challenge and rewrite county ordinances and zonings to the benefit of their own property and power interests. This is the fox guarding the henhouse, and the cynical use of mock outrage and emotion to elicit sympathy. Outside the comp planning process, these “defenders of property rights” constantly sought individual rezoning of properties to usurp the broad goals of the plans.

In the years leading up to 2006, the cabal of development interests they represent sought to constantly amend county regulations, particularly the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance, by text amendment in order to justify special interests. That practice was ended, but not without their objections and an attempt by Delegate Galen Clagett to support those interests by amending state law. They obfuscate the ends and absorb the time and energy of government to achieve ends for the very few, the opposite of the goals our legislators should seek to accomplish.

If property owners built future dream castles of wealth based on a property zoning, they held no current value, only imagination. That given the future development pressure and the wealth to determine it arrived, they may have found a value that did not exist presently. As my father, a staunch property rights believer, says, “If it was farmland when you bought it, why shouldn’t it stay farmland when you sell it.” A deed is not a lottery ticket, and a zoning designation is not a crystal ball.

Someday I hope that we will look to undeveloped property and farmland as our most valuable resource. The true economic value is underrealized today. Our local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay, and our very sustainability of population and shared long-term economic success, depend upon an adjustment in our recognition of land resources’ full value.

Changing our expectations, our values, our lifestyles, this may seem an unworthy hardship, an unnecessary adjustment, but we cannot proceed at our current pace of developmentand land and population impacts if our future is to accommodate our best common interests. Our crowded roads and stressed schools provide examples of our quality-of-life impacts.

I am not certain if the citizen lessons on our past civic life have been truly ingrained and safeguarded for the future of Frederick County. In the efforts by these “defenders” to strangle our interests in favor of their own, we can see that we have an important election looming in Frederick County, when we can either maintain the positive change we achieved in 2006 when electing our current board, or we can fall back to a planning process directed by favoring individual properties, which Weinberg and Young appear to prefer.

Jack Lynch

writes from Frederick

Originally published in Frederick News Post May 08, 2010

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?storyid=104688

LIVABLE LANDSCAPES explores the connection between landscape and community in northern New England, focusing on how growth and sprawl affect quality of life.

Thanks to our sponsors of this film:  The Buyer’s Best and Briggs Associates Inc.

The agenda for Public Forums:

6:00 p.m. – Registration opens 1/2 hour early at all forums
6:30 p.m. – PlanMaryland Open House
7:00 p.m. – Public Forum begins; Welcome by College President
7:05 p.m. – Opening remarks by Secretary Richard E. Hall
7:10 p.m. – Background by Richard Josephson, Director of MDP’s Planning Services
7:20 p.m. – Interactive keypad polling
7:30 p.m. – Table breakout begins
8:30 p.m. – Tables report
8:50 p.m. – Next steps
9:00 p.m. – Public Forum ends

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