They concluded that they need to talk more. Mayor Randy McClement made a list of topics to discuss at future meetings: the city’s adequate public facilities ordinance; the income tax projections from the prospective new residents of 10,000 houses; the phasing of development and road needs.

The two governing bodies agreed to collaborate on how to provide housing, schools and jobs for the people who are predicted to move to the city over the next 20 years.

The meeting was the state-mandated conference between the two bodies to discuss the municipal growth element section of the city’s updated comprehensive plan. The plan was approved in November as a guide to development over the next 20 years.

The municipal growth element section divides the development potential into two tiers: Tier 1 is for infill and redevelopment; tier 2 is for planned growth in the northeast and covered by the Potomac River Water Supply Agreement.

A swath of land in the county that borders on the city’s north and east boundary, designated as Tier 3, is shown on the land use map in the plan. Tier 3 land is not projected for city annexation or development for more than 30 years and is not part of the official growth element, said Joe Adkins, the city’s deputy director for planning.

County Commissioners President Jan Gardner disputed whether Tier 3 land could be included on the map if the city did not officially account for the cost of its potential development. A long-discussed but not officially planned north-south road lies in that swath.

Gardner said that if Tier 3 is included on the map the city must provide economic analyses of potential development of the land, as it had for Tiers 1 and 2.

Tiers 1 and 2 are predicted to be built out in 20 years. Over that time they are estimated to generate an average of 500 houses per year; 300,000 square feet of commercial development per year; 18,000 employees; two elementary schools, one middle school, and three-quarters of a high school; school impact fees worth $150 million, or 60 percent of the cost of those schools; a need for 54 police officers; an additional $4.5 million in revenue for the fire tax.

County commissioners David Gray, Kai Hagen, John L. Thompson Jr. and Gardner told city officials all taxpayers bear the burden of the cost to provide the schools, roads and fire-rescue services of development. City aldermen Michael O’Connor, Karen Young and Shelley Aloi said job growth would provide revenue that had not been included in the analysis.

“There’s no single-bullet answer to this,” O’Connor said.

“There’s a lot of minutiae to discuss,” Hagen said.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=106259

Originally published June 17, 2010

By Patti S. Borda

News-Post Staff

It’s the brainchild of Greensboro hotelier and restaurateur Dennis Quaintance, who has made his mark in the Triangle as owner of the Lucky 32 restaurant in Cary. Proximity opened in 2008 as the first hotel in America to earn the highest rating offered by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system. With water heated by 100 solar panels on the roof, a high-tech elevator that feeds energy back into the building’s electrical grid and an array of ultra-efficient materials, the Proximity uses 39 percent less energy and 33 percent less water than comparable hotels.

“The widely held notion that building and operating hotels with a commitment to sustainable practices is too expensive is a myth,” Quaintance said. “We wanted to get to the point where we’re not wasting energy and the guest is still very comfortable – and that’s where we ended up.”

But why aren’t more developers joining him? And what can they learn from Quaintance’s project that might serve both their bottom line and sustainable construction?

“Most property owners start with a calculator” – and often hastily decide green buildings cost too much, said Todd Mansfield, past chairman of the Urban Land Institute and current CEO of Charlotte real-estate developer Crosland.

Developers, for example, finance up to 90 percent of the money needed to build a hotel. With that high debt load, they focus on maximizing profits quickly by selling the hotel in three to five years. “There’s also been a long-standing misperception about the cost of green elements, that they add 20 to 25 percent to the cost of a project,” Mansfield said. In fact, he said, those costs more typically run less than 5 percent – and developers are gradually catching on.

Quaintance estimates the green elements of the Proximity added a net cost of about $800,000, or 3 percent, to his $29 million hotel. He expects to recoup it by 2012 through energy savings, state and federal tax credits and other incentives. He’s rooted in Greensboro, put considerable equity into the hotel with his investors and is willing to wait for his payoff – but many developers aren’t. Nor are they inclined to create more work for themselves by vetting the myriad green options that are available – from sensors that switch off the lights in empty rooms to high-tech drapes that retain heat more efficiently.

The result: In the two years since the Proximity opened, just one other hotel in the United States has achieved the platinum LEED rating. Quaintance finds that more disappointing than gratifying. He didn’t build the hotel to make a social statement; he did it because it made business sense.

The hotel’s energy efficiency will add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the bottom line in coming years. And, already, about 15 percent of the Proximity’s revenues come from clients who want to hold weddings, meetings and charitable events there precisely because it is a green hotel.

In the Triangle, there are several dozen LEED-certified office, university and public buildings under way or finished. Durham, in fact, is among the national leaders in LEED buildings per capita. Duke University sets the pace with 16 buildings completed and another 12 seeking certification. Scientific Properties and Trinity Design/Build have kept pace with their own LEED-certified buildings. Greenfire Development, one of the city’s largest developers, has several innovative projects using green technology.

To prod more developers in this direction, Quaintance offers a few modest proposals. For example, he said, what if developers received incentives for earning LEED certification? What if they got accelerated tax depreciation for new buildings with energy and water consumption that exceed efficiency thresholds? What if colleges, universities, school systems and government agencies required that all new buildings include an estimate for the first five years of utility costs in their capital expenditure items? The math would show where the long-term savings from green features, such as solar panels, exceeded upfront costs.

“My hope,” Quaintance said, “is that in just a short while our accomplishments with the Proximity will be overshadowed by other hotels and restaurants that surpass our performance.”

Christopher Gergen is on the founding team of Bull City Forward and Director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Initiative at Duke University. Stephen Martin, a former business and education journalist, is a speechwriter at the nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership. They can be reached at authors@bullcityforward.org.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/06/06/515631/green-hotel-proves-saving-energy.html#ixzz0qXmNlEyz

In his letter to your newspaper on May 23, Thomas Lynch, a principal in the law firm of Miles and Stockbridge, issued a call for “serious, honest and consensus-seeking discussion” about development in our county. We support this call — an informed and respectful exchange is long overdue.

Topic number one in our mind is the cost of development. By cost, we mean the financial costs of public services and facilities required to support development.

We believe that much of the development inFrederick County — particularly subdivision and commercial sprawl — costs far more than the tax revenues it generates. This gap between costs and revenues largely explains, in our judgment, why our roads and schools are overcrowded, why our taxes keep going up, and why we face the most severe budgetary crisis in decades. After all, if sprawl development actually paid its own way, then none of these problems would ever arise.

One reason this gap persists is that the full costs of development are often overlooked during planning and approval of large-scale development. A case in point is the 2010 Comprehensive Plan proposed by the City of Frederick . The city’s “financial analysis” of this plan projects a surplus in revenues for the city if the plan is implemented.

This projection was made, however, only after most of the cost of building and maintaining county and state roads, and the cost of building and operating county public schools, had been excluded. These costs, which have been reliably estimated to exceed $1 billion over the 20-year life of the plan, were apparently ignored because they would be paid by some other agency or jurisdiction, and not by the city itself.

As we know, however, the cost of development all comes out of the same pocket — that of the county taxpayer — regardless of which government agency or jurisdiction pays the bill. Any projected surplus in revenues under the city’s plan is misleading because it would depend entirely on a subsidy by county taxpayers of hundreds of millions of dollars. In other words, the city’s plan would simply rob Peter to pay Paul.

We ought to be able to accurately calculate the cost of development. It can’t be that hard. Roads and schools are the big-ticket items. Fire and emergency services, libraries, parks, and water and waste management facilities are also costly. As Lynch points out, our community is home to many informed, talented and resourceful citizens. Working together, as he proposes, we can begin to distinguish between those developments that we can afford and those that we cannot.

Fortunately, Maryland law now requires precisely this kind of analysis. The goal of this new requirement is to ensure that all costs of development — and not just those paid by one jurisdiction or agency — are fully disclosed and considered in the municipal land-use planning process. Under these new requirements, for example, the county and the city are currently evaluating the development costs associated with the city’s proposed 2010 Comprehensive Plan and will present their findings at a public workshop at 7 p.m. Monday, June 7, in the boardroom of Frederick City Hall, 101 N. Court St.

We are fortunate that the Board of County Commissioners foresaw four years ago that, when it came to development, we were living far beyond our means. By acting immediately to correct the mistakes of the past, the board avoided further risks to the fiscal integrity of our county and gave us a plan for a balanced and, above all, an affordable future.

We welcome Thomas Lynch’s call for a new dialogue. Let’s start with the math.

Janice Wiles is executive director

of Friends of Frederick County.

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?storyid=105837

During last year’s petition drive challenging the annexations, I collected 1,000 signatures during the 45 days we had to do so. In the process I spoke with about 3,000 people. Most were from outside the city and disappointed that they could not sign the petition. Walkersville residents were particularly disheartened.

Of the many Frederick residents I solicited, about 75 percent were opposed to annexations. But in three groups of residents, almost 100 percent signed. These three groups were: young people, African-American people and homeless people.

Young people readily grasp that seniors have been using up open space with no consideration for the generations to come. African-Americans invited me to their porches, homes and parties, and gave me names and addresses I should visit next. The homeless residents largely consisted of highly patriotic veterans and were well-organized. They told me what soup kitchen to visit when. Upon my arrival they would make a speech introducing me and explaining why everybody should sign.

Frederick residents do stand together for sustaining quality of life. If you are a Frederick voter and wish to bring the annexations to referendum, please send an e-mail to deannexation@friendsoffrederickcounty.org or call 240-529-1655 for information and forms.

MALGO SCHMIDT

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?storyid=105834

Download the Deannexation Petition for Referendum Here!

Contact FoFC to learn more:  deannexation@friendsoffrederickcounty.org  Read more about the effort below. 

Gazette, June 3, 2010  Annexations that were an issue in last year’s city election could play an encore in county election this fall, candidates say

I’ve lived in this county most of my life. I’ve seen a lot of change around here since the ’70s, but some things don’t change. Many of those speaking out against the comprehensive plan appear to have a financial interest to protect. My guess is that there will also be a lot of money flowing into the upcoming County Commissioner election to support a pro development slate of candidates. The rest of us also have a financial interest. Our taxes go to support infrastructure and growth.

Growth needs to be more that just a business opportunity for a select few. Our community needs to grow, but how we grow will impact the quality of life in Frederick County for generations. The new comprehensive plan is a good road map. Developers and their lawyers seem not to like the new comprehensive plan. I recall a campaign slogan from Commissioner John L. Thompson Jr., “When developers win, you lose.” That slogan is a little over the top for my liking, but maybe it deserves consideration in the current “conversation.”

RICHARD MARANTO

Middletown

Originally published June 01, 2010

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?StoryID=105616

Thomas Lynch lays out rather incomprehensible and circular arguments regarding the new comprehensive plan and growth, somehow hinting that a healthy debate on growth is bad for business. Moreover, he singles out for criticism Janice Wiles, executive director of Friends of Frederick County.

Wiles’ recent letter to The Frederick News-Post made a factual and convincing case about the cost of sprawl on Frederick County taxpayers, who have spent many decades subsidizing developers to the detriment of schools, local roads and our overburdened infrastructure.

Lynch also bizarrely suggested that that Wiles’ letter contained “inaccurate information” without any explanation or clarification. What was inaccurate? Lynch never explains. Instead, he uses a vast amount of ink to wax on about polarizations, property values and profit.

Frederick County residents have heard those talking points before — and rejected them in favor of preserving their quality of life.

AMY FARBER

Middletown 

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?storyid=105445

	Title here

The view from Braddock Heights is a popular touchstone for lifelong Frederick Country residents when they think of the changes the area has undergone since the first Earth Day.”All you could see was barge traffic and church steeples,” recalled County Commissioner John L. Thompson Jr. “I often picture myself as a 7- or 8-year-old child looking over there, and then as a 50-year-old elected official looking down at all that development now.”

Since Frederick celebrated the first Earth Day 40 years ago, sprawl may be the most visible change, but it’s not the only one. Here’s what local environmental leaders peg as top environmental issues for the region today:

Land preservation

Forest and well-managed agricultural land doesn’t just make for scenic landscape. They also store global warming-causing carbon dioxide, provide vital habitat for plants and animals, and serve as a filter for the water supply.

“Preserving forests is one of the most protective things we can do with our land in the Chesapeake Bay region,” said Steve Bunker, who directs preservation for The Nature Conservancy in Maryland.

Invasive species

As people have become much more mobile, we haven’t traveled alone — we’ve brought an array of plants and animals with us. Seeds and insects can hitch a ride on hiking boots, sailboats or tire treads, traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles to habitats that are totally unprotected from the strange, new invaders.

“We’re literally getting overrun,” said Mel Poole, who oversees Catoctin Mountain Park.

One of the species Poole has an especially close eye on is hemlock woolly adelgid, an insect native to Asia and western North America that is decimating eastern trees that lack natural resistance. Hemlocks are particularly important because they provide shade along streams.

Local economy

Building a strong local economy doesn’t just preserve local jobs, it also reduces the amount of fuel used to ship goods around the world.

“In the next 40 years, I’d like to see a vibrant local economy based on local production,” said Janice Wiles, director of Friends of Frederick County. “It would minimize transport costs and would mean connecting with your local food system by eating what’s locally available.”

Green building

Improving energy efficiency is one of the simplest ways of reducing global warming pollution. Building homes and offices with energy-efficient appliances can lock in savings for years to come.

“It really matters when you’re talking about construction of homes and businesses,” said Hilari Varnadore, director of the county’s Office of Sustainability.

The nature experience

Environmental awareness has grown by orders of magnitude since 1970, and the younger generation leads the way in many respects. For instance, children are often the most dedicated recyclers. But Poole still worries about the next generation’s environmental ethos.

“Look at the rates of childhood obesity,” he said. “We think, plain and simple, it’s that our kids don’t get outdoors and have regular nonstructured play.” Please send comments to webmaster or contact us at 301-662-1177.

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The Frederick News-Post Privacy Policy. Use of this site indicates your agreement to our Terms of Service. On 40th anniversary of Earth Day, local leaders look ahead
Originally published April 22, 2010
By Annie Snider

The view from Braddock Heights is a popular touchstone for lifelong Frederick Country residents when they think of the changes the area has undergone since the first Earth Day.

“All you could see was barge traffic and church steeples,” recalled County Commissioner John L. Thompson Jr. “I often picture myself as a 7- or 8-year-old child looking over there, and then as a 50-year-old elected official looking down at all that development now.”

Since Frederick celebrated the first Earth Day 40 years ago, sprawl may be the most visible change, but it’s not the only one. Here’s what local environmental leaders peg as top environmental issues for the region today:

Land preservation

Forest and well-managed agricultural land doesn’t just make for scenic landscape. They also store global warming-causing carbon dioxide, provide vital habitat for plants and animals, and serve as a filter for the water supply.

“Preserving forests is one of the most protective things we can do with our land in the Chesapeake Bay region,” said Steve Bunker, who directs preservation for The Nature Conservancy in Maryland.

Invasive species

As people have become much more mobile, we haven’t traveled alone — we’ve brought an array of plants and animals with us. Seeds and insects can hitch a ride on hiking boots, sailboats or tire treads, traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles to habitats that are totally unprotected from the strange, new invaders.

“We’re literally getting overrun,” said Mel Poole, who oversees Catoctin Mountain Park.

One of the species Poole has an especially close eye on is hemlock woolly adelgid, an insect native to Asia and western North America that is decimating eastern trees that lack natural resistance. Hemlocks are particularly important because they provide shade along streams.

Local economy

Building a strong local economy doesn’t just preserve local jobs, it also reduces the amount of fuel used to ship goods around the world.

“In the next 40 years, I’d like to see a vibrant local economy based on local production,” said Janice Wiles, director of Friends of Frederick County. “It would minimize transport costs and would mean connecting with your local food system by eating what’s locally available.”

Green building

Improving energy efficiency is one of the simplest ways of reducing global warming pollution. Building homes and offices with energy-efficient appliances can lock in savings for years to come.

“It really matters when you’re talking about construction of homes and businesses,” said Hilari Varnadore, director of the county’s Office of Sustainability.

The nature experience

Environmental awareness has grown by orders of magnitude since 1970, and the younger generation leads the way in many respects. For instance, children are often the most dedicated recyclers. But Poole still worries about the next generation’s environmental ethos.

“Look at the rates of childhood obesity,” he said. “We think, plain and simple, it’s that our kids don’t get outdoors and have regular nonstructured play.”

by Annie Snider

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=103998

The signs around Frederick County of foreclosed homes and quiet building sites reflects the impact 2009 had on the real estate and construction industries.

Municipal sprawl imposes a huge tax burden on county residents to pay for public services and facilities far from the city center. It also saps the strength of our community-based economy and the local work force that it employs.

Fortunately, the county’s new 20-year comprehensive plan will put an end to far-flung development and channel future growth downtown — where it will stimulate the local economy, create new jobs for the people who already live here, and bring amenities closer to our neighborhoods and homes.

This comprehensive plan embraces smart growth and tackles our current fiscal crisis — avoiding massive investments in infrastructure that county taxpayers must underwrite. The county’s passage of tax credits for renovating and reusing vacant space along the Golden Mile is one initiative that supports revitalization.

There are still some who are trying to discredit the county’s 20-year plan as an unwarranted constraint on their vision of more sprawl, everywhere and all the time. We understand that mega-subdivisions on prime farmland are where the big bucks and fat margins are found. But the Board of Frederick County Commissioners has something else in mind: a stronger local economy, jobs for those who live here, and vibrant urban centers in which to live, work and play. We can be grateful for strong leadership and good government in Frederick County.

JANICE WILES, Friends of Frederick County

Originally published March 15, 2010

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?storyid=102408