Frederick County planners weigh rezoning for Winchester East as developers seek credit for future Route 37 work

Frederick County planning commissioners spent a work session reviewing a rezoning request for a project identified in staff materials as Winchester East at Opekin Creek, where the applicant seeks to rezone two parcels at 2737 and 2747 Sensenia Road from RA (rural area) to RP (residential performance) and allow up to 303 residential units. Staff said the parcels appear in presentation materials as approximately 91.7 acres (the application packet also later references 9.71 acres in another place), and the generalized development plan proffers a combination of detached and attached housing, open‑space preservation along the Opekin Creek watershed, and trail connections.

The applicant team told the commission it will dedicate a 104‑foot right‑of‑way for a future Route 37 alignment across the property and construct a two‑lane section of that roadway on part of the dedication to provide immediate access to the new neighborhood. Applicant representative Ty Lawson said the developer is seeking a partial monetary credit tied to the right‑of‑way dedication and construction to offset some of the proffer amounts that otherwise would be paid per unit. "We're proffering to build the two‑lane section that you see. That's at the sole cost of the developer," Lawson said, adding the credit is not intended to make the developer whole for the…