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Planning Commission approves 27 Corporate Center site plan with buffer modification
Summary
The City of Frederick Planning Commission on a 3-0 vote approved a final site plan and a buffer-modification request for 27 Corporate Center, allowing required trees to be planted at the rear of the lot because an underground sewer easement prevents planting in the required buffer area.
The City of Frederick Planning Commission on a 3-0 vote approved a final site plan and a modification to buffer planting requirements for 27 Corporate Center, a proposed 12,000-square-foot commercial building on a 1.67-acre vacant lot at 27 Thomas Johnson Drive.
Staff planner Sharon Kemper Suarez told commissioners the property is in the M-1 zone, has adequate on-site parking (23 spaces, within the code range), provided six bicycle spaces (exceeding the two-space minimum), and includes required loading and access separation. Staff recommended a modification to Table 605-1 (buffer categories and specifications) to allow a six-foot freestanding wall and to locate required trees along the rear of the property rather than within a narrow utility easement that contains a large sewer line. Staff said the modification is consistent with the Land Management Code because section 22-10.2 of City Code prohibits plantings in utility easements and the required number of trees will be planted on-site where they can safely be placed.
The applicant’s representative, Sean Benjaminson with AdTech Engineers, said the sewer easement drove building placement and that the site plan aligns the proposed driveway with an existing opening on the opposite side of Thomas Johnson Drive. He also said the design achieves zero measured light spill at the property line through fixture shielding. Benjaminson told commissioners the applicant prefers a white vinyl fence rather than a brick wall along the shared edge with an FCPS bus/maintenance lot because a vinyl fence is easier to repair if struck by buses.
Commissioners moved and seconded approval of the buffer modification and then approved the final site plan (PC 24-937 FSI) with conditions recommended by staff, including adding approval dates for APFO decisions and addressing outstanding water and sewer utility comments prior to final engineering. The companion combined forest stand delineation and preliminary forest conservation plan (PC 24-938 FSC) was also approved; staff said the consultant’s phase‑1 archaeological work found no need for further investigation and noted adequate water capacity and provisional sewer approval pending minor technical comments from the county.
Staff reported the forest worksheet calculation produced a planting requirement of 1.16 acres for the site; because the property is largely undevelopable for forest conservation due to size and surrounding conditions, the applicant proposed a fee-in-lieu of $2,091 to satisfy the requirement and staff recommended approval of the fee-in-lieu option.
Approvals were recorded as three affirmative votes; the record showed motions and seconds on the floor and no roll-call opposition. The commission’s approval was conditioned on correcting plan notes and adding approval dates where staff identified missing or outstanding items. The approved file numbers are PC 24-937 FSI (final site plan) and PC 24-938 FSC (combined forest stand delineation and preliminary forest conservation plan).
