Mount Airy presents master plan and asks Carroll County to coordinate on annexations, trails and facilities

Mount Airy planning officials told the Carroll County Planning and Setting Commission on March 18 that the town’s master plan centers on preserving a ‘‘small‑town feel’’ while enabling targeted infill, transportation improvements and accountable implementation.

Ralph Gant, chair of the Mount Airy Planning Commission, said the plan emphasizes infill in the downtown Core along Center Street and Main Street and uses the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance to tie growth to water, sewer and school capacity. “We want to try to maintain as much open space, recreation, parks opportunities,” Gant said, adding that the plan sets five goals and 24 objectives with named owners to prevent the plan from becoming “a three‑ring binder that sits on a shelf and collects dust.”

John Breeding, director of planning and zoning for Mount Airy, and co‑presenters detailed near‑term priorities: widening Maryland Route 27 (Bridal Road), extending Center Street to MD‑27 and completing a traffic circle at the south end of Main Street. Mount Airy also described rails‑to‑trails segments the town wants finished, and told the county the town is focused on walkability when planning transportation investments.

Town officials highlighted several planned projects and needs. The Green Tree development — about 60 dwelling units — is slated to break ground in 2025, the town said. Mount Airy Council disapproved the pre‑concept plan for Mount Airy Crossing, a mixed‑use project now in litigation and under appeal, the presenters said. The town is pursuing rehabilitation and new uses for the historic Flatiron Building and said it urgently needs a new police station because “the current police force is in a leased area that’s frankly grossly inadequate,” Gant said.

Presenters named potential annexation parcels at Mount Airy’s borders, including the Harrison LeShear property on the town’s northern boundary off MD‑27, and said annexation decisions would be made by the Mount Airy town council in coordination with county commissioners. On water and wastewater capacity, Breeding said the town’s wastewater plant has room for additional load with engineering upgrades and potential adjustments to discharge limits, but he deferred technical specifics to the town engineer.

Mount Airy said it has targeted rezonings to support small‑scale medical services (ambulatory care and surgery centers that do not require a certificate of need) and is reviewing a site plan for a neurology/Alzheimer’s treatment facility. Presenters said the rezonings and new commercial designations are intended to make medical services more accessible to older residents and to attract medical‑service businesses that meet local demand.

The town asked the county to partner on transportation priorities (particularly the MD‑27 crossing to support walkability and rails‑to‑trails completion), facility projects for seniors and recreation, and to consider county assistance or shared ownership models for a regional sports complex. Commissioners asked about zoning, wastewater and water capacity, and expressed support for coordination on economic and medical‑service goals.

The Commission opened public comment on the presentation; no members of the public spoke. The county staff and town officials agreed to continue discussions about annexation options and infrastructure needs as the master‑plan process proceeds.