Residents urge caution on Mount Airy 2033 master plan; concerns raised about Harrison Leisure site, Lot 73 and environmental impacts

A public hearing on Mount Airy’s proposed 2023–2033 comprehensive master plan drew a range of comments Wednesday night about recommended land-use changes, environmental protections and community facilities.

The hearing gave residents a chance to comment on the draft plan, which the mayor said “conforms to the Maryland requirements for municipality master plans and continues our efforts to wisely manage all growth, development, land use, and public services.” The council closed the hearing after oral comments and read several emailed submissions into the record.

Why it matters: The master plan sets the town’s land-use recommendations for the next decade and frames later zoning changes, annexations and infrastructure decisions. Speakers urged the council to clarify how recommendations would be implemented, to study environmental impacts before development and to consider where new community facilities would sit relative to existing homes.

Public commenters singled out three recurring topics: a recommendation to reclassify Lot 73 from residential to industrial; future uses of the Harrison Leisure property (near Route 27 and Wattersville); and preservation of natural corridors and wildlife.

Michael Dixon, owner of a 24,000-square-foot…