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Hagerstown staff propose forest conservation ordinance changes to align with Maryland law
Summary
City senior planner Valerie Fineberg presented a packet of amendments to Hagerstown’s Forest Conservation Ordinance to align local code with recent Maryland legislative changes and the State Forest Conservation Manual, noting changes to mitigation ratios and new neighbor-notification requirements; the packet moves to public hearings June 23 and a vote is scheduled July 14.
Valerie Fineberg, senior planner with Planning and Economic Development, told the mayor and council the city has prepared a packet of amendments to the Forest Conservation Ordinance (Land Management Code, Chapter 140) to conform local rules to recent changes in Maryland law and to the State Forest Conservation Manual. "The packet before you includes these amendments," Fineberg said, adding that the Planning Commission reviewed the draft May 27 and recommended it be forwarded to the council.
Fineberg described several substantive edits staff made to avoid duplicating state guidance and to update definitions. She said staff adjusted mitigation language and reforestation ratios and highlighted a move toward a 1:1 replacement ratio in many cases, “with a few exemptions.” She also said the draft would require notification to adjacent property owners at least 20 days before approval of a forest conservation plan, which she characterized as a new applicant cost that could be passed to plan submitters.
Council members pressed for clarification on some items in the packet. One member asked about an exemption referencing construction of a new federal facility that would house at least 2,500 people and whether a local ordinance can apply to federal entities; Fineberg said the draft contains an exemption and staff will clarify the language with the state. She said staff has been working closely with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources but that the state model ordinance has not yet been finalized.
The packet is scheduled for introduction at the mayor and city council public hearing on June 23, with a special meeting set for July 14 for final consideration.
Why it matters: the changes update local forest-protection rules to match state requirements and add procedural steps—such as adjacent-owner notice—that could affect developers, applicants and neighbors. Public hearings and council votes will determine whether the city adopts the state's updated approach.
