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Commissioners demand explicit traffic/APFO language in Prince Frederick town‑center draft and keep record open
Summary
The Planning Commission directed Planning & Zoning to add language stating which Prince Frederick intersections are failing under the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO), to describe how those failures would limit new development absent remediation, and to keep the public record open while staff coordinates with Public Works.
The Planning Commission on May 21 pressed Planning & Zoning to add specific language about failing intersections to the Prince Frederick Town Center draft, saying the missing text prevents meaningful public review of the impacts under the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO).
Long‑range planner Tay Harris presented draft Chapters 1 and 2 (Town Centers) and summarized key elements: required plan components, five recommended land uses and focus areas for Prince Frederick, heritage and environmental protections (Hunting and North Battle Creek subwatersheds), housing stock and anticipated redevelopment, and transportation considerations including several intersections "nearing capacity."
Commissioner (speaker 10) said the draft omitted text the commission had required on April 16 documenting that multiple intersections are failing under APFO criteria and explaining the implications for new commercial and residential development (remediation or up to six‑year delays in site approvals unless overridden by the State Highway Administration). He recommended remanding the draft back to Planning & Zoning, adding the required text, and keeping the public record open for additional public review before the next meeting. "This draft... does not include the added language that we had required," the commissioner said.
Planning staff noted the draft now contains a sentence about traffic that staff believed addressed concerns but commissioners and others insisted several intersections are not merely ‘near capacity’ but in fact failing, per traffic impact analyses and SHA data. Commissioners urged including language that references failing intersections "as of" a publication date and to maintain a dynamically updated DPW list of failing intersections (hyperlinked from the plan) to avoid repeated plan amendments as traffic conditions change.
Bob Estes of Friends of Honey Creek offered public comment praising the draft's environmental focus, flagged Hunting Creek watershed impervious surface levels (about 8% vs. a 10% concern threshold), and urged tracking whether proposed development or loop roads would push the watershed into a more degraded condition.
A commissioner moved to reiterate the April 16 direction that Planning & Zoning add explicit language naming intersections failing under APFO, identify likely remediation strategies tied to appendix recommendations, and keep the public record open for further comment; commissioners discussed and accepted friendly amendments on record timing and the motion was carried by voice vote. The commission also asked for a work session that includes Department of Public Works to clarify which intersections might be remediable by signal timing or would require major construction and funding.
The commission’s action keeps the record open and directs Planning & Zoning and Public Works to provide clearer traffic findings and remediation guidance prior to advancing the Prince Frederick chapters.
