Board declines to advance Love Church plan amendment now, cites schools and water concerns

Frederick County supervisors and the Planning Commission decided not to advance the Love Church comprehensive plan amendment at this time, citing timing concerns tied to pending school funding requests and water‑service capacity.

Jennifer Baird, an associate broker representing Love Church and the seller, told the joint session the property is under contract and that the buyer had a 60‑day study period. The application seeks to amend the property’s future land use from institutional to a residential performance district with an anticipated density of six dwelling units per acre.

Several supervisors said the application may be appropriate in the long term but that current county priorities — notably a major school funding request and an upcoming comprehensive plan update and impact‑model revisions — make the current moment premature to invest staff time. One official estimated the two pending residential applications before the board could add about 175 students to the school system, a figure raised as a reason to slow new residential approvals.

“Right now, the timing seems off on this one,” one supervisor said; others agreed and recommended inviting the owner or buyer to return after the school decisions and water‑capacity analysis are complete. The board did not make any land‑use changes and asked staff to decline initiating Planning Commission study at this time.