Frederick County planning commission recommends Western land-use update that expands sewer boundary and designates PUD

The Frederick County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend the Western Frederick comprehensive plan amendment to the Board of Supervisors, moving a package that consolidates three area plans into one unified document and adjusts sewer, water and land-use guidance for parts of the county.

Staff told commissioners the most significant technical change is an expansion of the sewer and water service-area boundary to include a designated rural community center (RCC) north and south of Route 50. Staff also recommended creating a rural community center overlay district to permit limited convenience retail and small-scale residential uses intended to serve a rural population once public utilities are available.

"We change the sewer and water service-area boundary to include the limits of the rural community center," the presenter said, describing maps that showed no change in land-use category but a clear change to the service-area boundary. Staff said the change is intended to address failing private systems and small…