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Advisory group weighs land-use options to boost Frederick County commercial tax base
Summary
Advisory members recommended targeting development to areas with existing infrastructure, reconsidering Priority Preservation Area boundaries, and exploring 8,000–10,000 acres for employment uses to grow the county's commercial assessable base toward 28 percent.
Denis Superczynski, a Division of Planning & Permitting staff member, opened the July 23 meeting of Frederick County's Investing in Workers & Workplaces advisory group and framed the first phase of the master-plan effort as information gathering ahead of draft production and public outreach starting in September.
Advisory Group member Tony Checchia presented an analysis of potential employment land, citing roughly 680 acres in the I-70/Jefferson Pike/Mount Phillip Road area (12 property owners), about 500 acres in the 340/Mount Zion Road area (with developable acreage likely closer to 300 acres), and a New Design/Ballenger Creek/Quantum area of roughly 4,000 acres with about 1,800 acres currently slated for development. Checchia also summarized county fiscal figures given to the group: a $41 billion total assessable base, $8.9 billion of which is commercial (about 22 percent). He said the county would need roughly $2.6 billion more commercial assessable base to reach a 28 percent commercial share.
Members urged prioritizing development where infrastructure already exists or is nearby to reduce leapfrog development and maximize public investments. Several participants recommended examining redevelopment opportunities in growth areas before converting farmland. The advisory group discussed creating a new zoning district that blends features of Light Industrial (LI), Mixed Use (MX) and ORI zoning to support corridor mixed use, citing the Village Center (VC) district as a potential model.
Preservation programs were a recurring concern. Participants noted about 80,000 acres are currently preserved, the county preservation goal is 160,000 acres and the Priority Preservation Area (PPA) is roughly 96,000 acres. Several members recommended re-examining PPA boundaries so preservation better aligns with infrastructure and growth objectives; the minutes stress the PPA is not a zoning designation.
The group also identified regulatory and process barriers that affect development timetables, including Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance transportation provisions and permitting timelines. Members recommended re-evaluating the use of agricultural transfer tax and recordation tax revenues and said the county should be explicit about the industries it seeks to attract, the revenues they generate, the workforce required and amenities needed to retain workers.
Denis Superczynski said staff will use land-use designations and zoning as timing tools and expects to reconvene the advisory group in the fall after staff drafts. Public outreach meetings are scheduled to begin in September; staff will coordinate with County Utilities, Public Works and municipal planners, Kimberly Gaines, Division Director, said.
