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Advisory group weighs redevelopment incentives to protect green infrastructure along Reich’s Ford Road
Summary
Advisory members recommended using redevelopment incentives in older industrial corridors (example: Reich’s Ford Road) to add stormwater treatment and riparian buffers, while cautioning against expanding industrial zoning at the expense of open space and green infrastructure.
At the Jan. 16 Green Infrastructure Advisory Group meeting, members discussed how Frederick County might accommodate commercial and industrial land uses while protecting and expanding green infrastructure.
Advisory members suggested prioritizing investments that make older industrial areas more environmentally functional, citing the Reich’s Ford Road corridor adjacent to the City of Frederick as an example where redevelopment incentives could fund stormwater best-management retrofits and help establish or strengthen riparian buffers along the Monocacy Scenic River.
Participants emphasized a distinction between heavy manufacturing/warehousing and agricultural-support businesses that historically align with county land use (for example, seed and soil amendment suppliers). They recommended pursuing redevelopment that increases land-use intensity while adding environmental treatment where none exists, and noted broadband expansion could support telework strategies to reduce vehicle miles traveled.
The group cautioned against expanding industrially zoned land into the ‘‘spaces in between’’ communities and designated growth areas that the advisory mapping exercise identified as important for maintaining connectivity of green infrastructure. Members pointed to corporate practices that have integrated no-mow spaces, stormwater retrofits and tree planting as models to promote in the Plan.
The minutes record the former Alcoa (EastAlco) site as a cited example of a proposed 600+ acre reserve in partnership with the University of Maryland; the advisory group noted no work has yet begun and said outcomes remain to be seen. Staff flagged these points for inclusion in plan mapping and recommendations; no formal decisions or zoning changes were made at the meeting.
