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For quick access, click on a title here and jump to that article, below:
VPO Special Tax Rate Ordinance
County Property Tax Increase for SCHOOLS!
City Charter Review Update
City Westside
City Workshop: More Growth & Affordable Housing
City: Major Development Update
East Street Corridor, Form Based Code, & Community Character
City Planning Commission — Absence Policies
Data Center Developments
Solar Farms
CRG is Looking for Volunteers
Upcoming Meetings & Events
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VPO Special Tax Rate Ordinance
By
a majority vote at its May 16th public meeting, the Mayor and BOA
imposed and levied taxes on all habitually vacant properties pursuant to
Section 8-14 of the City Code. This tax is the "enforcement hammer" of
the 100% resident-driven Vacant Property Ordinance
approved unanimously by the BOA in December 2020. It is the third step
in the 4-step process of addressing the scourge of long-term vacant
properties in the City.
Steps 1 and 2 required said properties to first be registered and then
during the second year be inspected for safety concerns. Moreover, it is
important to note the City will have the option to continue to raise
taxes up to 5 times the normal rate or institute step 4, which would
take the property into receivership.
CRG would like to thank the NAC 11 volunteers who worked diligently for
over 2 years to craft this legislation. If properly pursued by the City,
the legislation will provide a disincentive to recalcitrant
landlords who have been letting properties sit idle for well over 20
years to the detriment of the residents and businesses alike.
The bottom line? The City can no longer continually push this problem
down the road. Residents have provided the City the tools to finally do
something about this significant detriment to Frederick. Reluctance to
step up would be inexcusable after all the effort residents have put
into this process. We have waited long enough!
County Property Tax Increase for SCHOOLS!
The
County Council just adopted a 4.7% increase in property taxes to be
used solely for school construction. CRG applauds this increase and the
County Executive for this bold decision as many schools are currently at
or near capacity and, over the next few years, many will be
significantly over the state-mandated capacity of 120%.
Additionally, the County’s 2024 surplus of $52 million was earmarked for
schools, a major unidentified sum that has severely reduced the funding
shortfall for the coming year. Let’s keep school construction,
increasing numbers of seats, and funding for education as top priorities
for this and future administrations!
City Charter Review Update
CRG
held the first public meeting on the proposed Charter Review Committee
over a year ago. The Committee, comprised of dedicated and respected
local residents, worked diligently for 11 months on a comprehensive
and definitive list of recommendations presented to the Board of
Aldermen (BOA) on December 1, 2023. The BOA has held biweekly review
sessions since mid-February and several updates have been reported by
the FNP and in our CRG newsletters.
It is concerning that the best timing residents can expect the BOA to
vote on the deeply vetted, well documented recommendations is
"sometime in the fall”. CRG urges the Mayor and City staff to
prioritize more rapid progress and provide the legislative branch with
everything needed to guarantee inclusion of recommended Charter
revisions on the agenda for a mid-September hearing, at the latest. The
public and the volunteer committee members deserve a prompt resolution. A
final point: the seemingly uncertain discussion processes and slow walk
to decision-making noted in the Frederick News Post were among the key
issues the Charter Review Committee recommendations were designed to
address. Let’s move forward!
City Westside
At
a May 15th specially scheduled Workshop to allow for more public
participation, the City reviewed a presentation by the County on the
proposed library for the Westside as part of their feasibility study for
the Hillcrest Park site. The County has determined that the site is
appropriate including multiple options for a 15,000 sq. ft. facility
which features a modern interactive library with particular attention to
accessibility, parking, and the surrounding neighborhood.
Having this long overdue and critically needed library in a location
within walking distance of those who will utilize its amenities was
paramount to all as was protecting the privacy and character of the
established community. In that regard, plans focused on adding trees,
providing green space, and positioning the building in the least
intrusive way possible.
CRG respects the concerns of all involved regarding this change to a
park they have long enjoyed. At the same time, we applaud the County for
doing their best to mitigate those concerns and provide a first class,
modern public library that will provide long and substantial benefits
for many local residents. We encourage the City to act quickly and
approve the needed land transfer to the County plus the required
rezoning to ensure the project moves forward without delay.
City Workshop: More Growth & Affordable Housing
At its May 13th workshop, the Planning Commission discussed multiple developments including:
- An
odd-shaped lot for development (Wormans Mill Court Apts.) of 315
residential units across Rte. 26 from Clemson Corner, all affordable
housing. Unfortunately, the developer is seeking rezoning of the
property, not permitted under the current Land Management Code. CRG
hopes some compromise can be worked out to allow the construction of the
badly needed housing.
- A
112-unit apartment project on Hayward Road. It does not include
affordable housing units but would require (under the recently revised
Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit [MPDU] ordinance) that the developer pay
fees in-lieu (FIL) >$400,000 for the City’s MPDU reserve, a
substantial increase for the City’s pool for future affordable housing
construction.
- And
third, a discussion of the Final Plat for a 274-unit development off
Rocky Springs Road. The developer will need to address MPDUs (34 units)
in the future. School capacity concerns were not discussed.
CRG
continues to plead for housing for our lower income residents. Please
help by providing e-comments, written opinions, or oral presentations
for the next PC meeting.
City: Major Development Update
On
May 23rd, the City’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) received
comment concerning 2 projects — the B&O Buildings (near the MARC
Train station) and the Odd Fellows campus (Banner School site on N.
Market).
- At
the B&O site, the developer seeks to build five 4-story modern
townhomes behind the 5 previously renovated historic buildings near
Carroll Creek. The design depicts townhouses taller than the historic
buildings with 2-bay garages and balconies unlike any other residences
in that area. Staff and 3 of the 4 commissioners had reservations on
height, design, roof lines, and setbacks (a staggered side-by-side
design). The developer’s team seemed uninterested in substantial
modifications to their design but will return with other/another design
in June.
- HPC
members suggested multiple revisions to the design for the Odd Fellows
property at 1730 N. Market and the developer appeared amenable to the
suggestions. Brick would be a major component of the new buildings
rather than the same white sideboard on the adjacent Canterbury Station
units, with 2–4 story single family homes, townhomes, and apartments.
Other than reducing the mass and length of the 4-story apartment
buildings, the developer had listened to previous comment and had
adjusted the site’s plans accordingly. CRG offers ‘kudos’ to the
developer, City staff, and the HPC for what appears to be a reasonable
design for the >215 units that will be built on the historic
property!
East Street Corridor, Form Based Code, & Community Character
CRG
members recently met with City Planning staff to discuss a number of
issues specific to the East Street Corridor including proposed possible
road redesigns for the 4th to 8th Street section of East Street,
rails-to-trails for bike and pedestrian use, and status of the revised
form based code (FBC) prepared by an outside consultant approximately a
year ago. Staff indicated that a third version of the FBC is in draft
currently with distribution scheduled in the fall for public comment.
What’s uncertain are: 1) consistency with the 2017 East Street Small
Area Plan, 2) the roles of residents in developing a checklist of
requirements that a developer must meet to concur with the FBC, and 3)
how the FBC will be merged with the City’s Land Management Code (LMC).
CRG anticipates considerable continuing dialog with Planning staff to
better understand and identify specific resident options for direct
participation in the future development of the Corridor.
In a related short discussion, CRG emphasized that Community Character —
Chapter 6 of the 2020 Comprehensive Plan, and important to how the City
is perceived by residents and visitors — should be codified as part of
the City’s LMC, thereby requiring Planning staff to include design for
any development relative to how the proposed building(s) will complement
the architecture of the surrounding neighborhood. Currently there are
no such considerations and hence Planning staff only consider whether a
building/buildings meet specific local, state, and federal codes
independent of architecture.
City Planning Commission — Absence Policies
As
the most important City body guiding future development in Frederick,
an active and informed Planning Commission must be maintained and
guaranteed through member, alternate, and liaison preparation for and
participation in each meeting. In recent months, one of the most active
and always-prepared members was not reappointed, a major loss to a
functioning and admired Commission.
In addition to this loss has been spotty participation by members, the
alternate, and the City liaison from the Board of Aldermen, with tardy
arrivals, some attending with no familiarity with scheduled project
applications, early and unannounced departures, and votes without
justification. With the City’s future design in the hands of this group
of individuals, absences or tardiness should be a rare occurrence
following notification to the chair, as thorough review of all
applications must be assured, and open discussions of all applications,
applicants, residents, and staff must involve all members, any
alternates, and the liaison. CRG urges a recommitment from all three
Commission groups to fulfill these requirements; if not possible,
resignation should occur or fellow Commissioners should use Section 2.6
of its Rules and Procedures to remove non-active members or alternates
while requesting full meeting participation by the City liaison.
Data Center Developments
Quantum
Loophole (QL), the owners of the 2100-acre data center campus near
Adamstown, continues to violate local and state regulations regarding
contamination of local waterways and its floodplains, with STOP WORK
orders placed on the company once again. These violations are difficult
to understand as QL has repeatedly promised increasing oversight of its
contractors conducting the horizontal drilling to bring fiber cable from
Northern Virginia to the Eastalco site.
In other news, the Rowan Corporation has purchased 150 acres of the site
for 3 data center buildings it will construct and then lease/sell to
data center corporations. Rowan staff provided company feedback to
interested attendees at a public open house on May 23rd in Adamstown.
Staff expressed their commitment to environmentally-responsible
construction and operations. As well, the initial QL client, Aligned
Corporation, has just indicated they will return to their previously
purchased portion of the site to resume center construction, a decision
made possible by Governor Moore’s removal of state restrictions on
backup diesel generator use (168 diesel generators) for the company’s
campus.
In addition to anticipated noise and CO2
generation from these backup units, residents and organizations are
also concerned about identifying the source of continuous power for the
centers; water demand and treatment for cooling data center equipment;
quantities and quality of stormwater runoff from the huge areas of
impervious surface; requirements and funding for remediation of spillage
of toxic center materials (e.g., diesel fuel, non-aqueous coolant);
corporation responsibilities for County water treatment upgrades and
repairing damage to adjacent properties from center-induced flooding
from extreme events; and construction of water coolant recycling
infrastructure from the site to the Ballenger-McKinney treatment plant. A
huge worry is access to power for existing and future residents,
businesses, and industries as regional power companies have stated that
currently and for several years into the future there is neither enough
power nor transmission lines to meet projected demand. Then what? Who
gets it, who pays for it, and how is it allocated?
Solar Farms
One
May 21st, Councilwoman M.C. Keegan-Ayer led a first reading of solar
design criteria for Agricultural Land. A long-anticipated policy has now
moved forward and CRG strongly supports resident and industry
examination of the proposed legislation as increasing local solar
installations enables increased renewable energy production, while
simultaneously maintaining agricultural production (e.g., sheep can
graze beneath raised solar panels). Solar power is mandatory if we are
to reduce emission of greenhouse gases that drive the extreme weather
events of our area, i.e., those that jeopardize public health, induce
major flooding, cause substantial property damage, promote invasive
plant and animal proliferations, induce growth of toxin-producing
‘algae’ in local waterways, and reduce agricultural production. That
loud thunder you hear in the background is CRG clapping for this initial
important step to reduce the drivers of climate change in our area!
CRG is seeking volunteers!
The
CRG team is currently putting together a website, built in Wix, and
we're looking for volunteers: 1) to help keep the site up to date (once
or twice a week), and 2) to take photos of developments or other issues
we're following. If you have experience with Wix or you're interested in
taking photos occasionally, please use the button, 'REPLY TO EMAIL
AUTHORS' at the bottom of this email. Thank you for considering!
Upcoming Meetings & Events
City HPC Meeting, June 10, 6 PM, City Hall: Review of B&O and Odd Fellows developments
Urban Native Plant Garden Tour, Saturday, June 15 in City of Frederick: see Wild Ones website for registration details (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wild-ones-native-plant-garden-tour-tickets-892135841317)
County PC Meeting, June 18, 7 PM, Winchester Hall: Design Criteria for Commercial Solar
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