Cecilton petitions county to accept earlier stormwater plan for Frisby's Meadows

The Town of Cecilton's mayor and council voted on Nov. 18 to ask the county to accept a previously approved stormwater management plan for the long-delayed Frisby's Meadows subdivision.

Administrator Cooper and Chris Rogers of AECOM told the council that although the subdivision and construction plans previously received town approval, the plat was never recorded and stormwater regulations have changed since the original approval. Rogers said Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) allows some grandfathering, but the county is taking a more restrictive view of what it will accept.

Rogers and Administrator Cooper flagged a practical consequence: if the county requires the updated stormwater design, the more complex facility would likely sit on town-owned land and the town — not a homeowners association — would be responsible for ongoing maintenance. That shift, they said, would increase the town's long-term maintenance obligations compared with the simpler swale-based system in the earlier plan.

Member Sue Katzmire moved that Cecilton petition the county to proceed with the previously approved stormwater management plan; Member Craig DeVary seconded and the motion carried. The motion directs town staff to request the county accept the earlier design rather than require a redesigned, more complex stormwater facility.

The council did not provide a timeline for the petition or a county response deadline at the meeting. The developer will need to reprepare recorded subdivision plans because the original construction plans were prepared by a group no longer in business.