Frederick County Board adopts Western Frederick land use plan after public hearing

The Frederick County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Jan. 8 to adopt the Western Frederick Land Use Plan, an amendment to the county comprehensive plan consolidating three prior area plans and adding the Sunnyside area.

The plan covers roughly 6,229 acres west of the city of Winchester and across portions of the Stonewall, Gainsborough and Back Creek magisterial districts. Tyler Klein, the county planner presenting the amendment, said the update consolidates the Round Hill area plan, the West 37/Albin plan and the West Jubal Early study and incorporates new guidance for Sunnyside.

Klein told the board the plan “provides a planned transition from the urban and suburban nature of the city of Winchester and Eastern Frederick County and the rural areas west of Route 37.” The draft retains the county’s largely rural land-use pattern while adding policy language to guide where and how growth could occur, he said.

Key plan elements adopted by the board: Sunnyside is designated as an “urban center” in portions adjacent to Route 522, with policy language encouraging a commercial core, mixed building types and higher-density housing near existing utilities; Round Hill’s sewer-and-water service area was extended to include the community center to address failing on-site systems and allow future connection where feasible; portions of the Albin/Albany planning area were newly characterized for recreation to reflect property-owner interest in public-private partnerships; and an area in Western Jubal Early was reclassified from residential/business to planned-unit development (PUD) with policy guidance on mix of housing types, connectivity and conservation of Abrams Creek wetlands.

Members of the public spoke during the hearing. Willie Deutsch (magisterial district stated on the record) urged caution about extending sewer, saying, “Developers love sewer lines,” and warning that sewer tends to attract growth. Robert Galloway (Back Creek District) said voters in his view oppose expansion and urged supervisors to resist turning rural areas into suburban development. Darren Fultz and Vaughn Whitaker raised property- and groundwater-related concerns during public comment.

Klein and county staff repeatedly told the board that changing the comprehensive plan’s land-use designations and extending the sewer-and-water service area do not automatically authorize development; property owners would still need to pursue any rezonings or conditional approvals and the county is not committing public funding to extend utilities. “Nobody is extending water and sewer lines as part of that change,” a county staff member said during discussion, adding that the cost of actual line extensions would still need to be borne by others.

The Planning Commission recommended approval on Dec. 4, 2024. After discussion, the Board of Supervisors voted 7–0 to adopt the Western Frederick Land Use Plan.

The board did not attach any additional conditions to the adoption; future rezoning or subdivision proposals in the plan area would follow existing county procedures and could be subject to additional public hearings and board action.

The adopted plan will be incorporated into Appendix 1 of the county comprehensive plan and is intended to guide future land-use review and policy decisions in the western portion of the county.