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Frederick County advances Western Frederick small-area plan to public hearings after robust outreach
Summary
Frederick County staff presented the Western Frederick small-area plan — covering roughly 6,229 acres and recommending rural preservation west of Route 37 with concentrated growth in urban-service areas — and the board gave consensus to advertise public hearings; staff later moved to closed session to discuss prospective economic-development negotiations.
Frederick County officials on [date not specified in transcript] advanced the Western Frederick small-area plan toward public hearings after staff summarized months of outreach and recommended policy refinements for four subareas.
Senior planner Tyler Klein described the Western Frederick study area as "about 6,229 acres," a third of the size of the prior NE area plan, and said the project included extensive engagement: 14 town halls, outreach to schools and universities, meetings with utilities and stakeholders, roughly 300 unique survey responses, and nearly 500 unique participants overall. Klein said 65% of survey respondents agreed with the plan intent to preserve western rural lands while concentrating growth where utilities exist.
The plan proposes different policies for Sunnyside (change to a mixed-use urban center to support infill and apartments above commercial in targeted areas), a refined boundary and recreation designation for the Alban/"Route 37 West" area, an adjusted sewer-and-water service boundary for Round Hill to serve clustered small lots, and planned-unit-development policies for West Jubal Early that emphasize connectivity, a mix of housing types, and preservation of Abrams Creek wetlands. Klein said implementation tools could include county-initiated overlay districts, board-initiated map amendments, and partnerships for infrastructure where development justifies utilities.
Residents and survey respondents expressed concerns that planning designations equate to immediate rezoning or forced hookups to public utilities; staff repeatedly clarified that land-use plan designations do not automatically change zoning or compel immediate utility connections. "It doesn't mean they're getting utilities anytime soon, and it doesn't mean the government is going to pay to bring them utilities ever necessarily," Wyatt Pearson said while describing SWASA (sewer and water service area) policy implications.
After discussion and some edits reflected in the draft (for example, retaining Rock Harbor Golf Course as commercial recreation rather than business), the board indicated consensus to authorize a planning-commission public hearing followed by a Board of Supervisors public hearing. The chair instructed staff to proceed with advertising the hearings and to notify interested citizens.
Before adjourning, the board moved into a closed session under Virginia Code §2.2-3711(a)(5) to discuss a prospective business or industry locating in the county; the motion to enter closed session was made and seconded and carried by voice vote.
Next steps: staff will schedule and advertise the planning-commission and board public hearings on the Western Frederick small-area plan, notify stakeholders who participated in the process, and return to the board following the public hearings.
