VOL. 1, NO. 6 | NOVEMBER 1, 2022
Frederick City and County News of Interest
- East Street Corridor Redevelopment through Form-based Code
- City and County Commitments to Minimizing Future Climate Threats
- Affordable/Workforce/
Moderately Priced Dwelling Units - County APFO on Traffic
- Sugarloaf Mountain Plan
- What has been accomplished
- Street Safety
- Update on N. Market Street
- Upcoming Meetings of Import
- N. Market Fountain and Park:
- West Side Library:
- County Liquor Board Meeting:
- City and County Delegation Meetings:
- VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!
Citizens
for Responsible Growth (CRG) is a grassroots coalition of Frederick
residents who strongly favor development to accommodate the projected
increase in the County’s and City’s population, but want to ensure it is
undertaken in a way that considers the cumulative impact on our
infrastructure, i.e., housing (market-driven and affordable/workforce),
green space, schools, traffic, and the environment. Current practice is
to consider each project as it — alone — affects its immediate
surroundings. We contend that each project must be considered as an
integral part of multiple land uses that work together to protect public
safety, provide accommodation, minimize congestion, and guarantee easy
access to a functional natural environment that surrounds our built and
arable lands.
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East Street Corridor Redevelopment through Form-based Code
Consultants
recently provided 2 summaries to the City (Planning Commission, Board
of Aldermen and Mayor Workshop) regarding progress toward completing a
report on resident and business input on the future design possibilities
for the East Street Corridor derived from late September open meetings
(charrettes). Input highlighted walkability as the primary concern, but
other topics raised included street and sidewalk widths, lanes, parking,
and crosswalks, with an emphasis on a tree-lined corridor.
The overall conclusion from the CRG observers was that the City must commit to traffic patterns throughout the corridor, i.e., number of lanes, widths, etc. in specific sections of East Street, BEFORE any adoption of building designs in the corridor’s form-based code. Without deciding on which sections of East Street are 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-lane, with and without bike lanes, builders will not know what can be constructed at the curb’s edge and hence, no form-based code for any portion of the corridor is possible. Be prepared to weigh in by e-mailing Arash Ghahramani (aghahramani@
City and County Commitments to Minimizing Future Climate Threats
In
2020, the City and County requested and, after 15 months, received a
comprehensive list of recommendations each should implement to reduce
local greenhouse gas emissions and increase resiliency in public and
private properties and infrastructure (see https://www.mobilizefrederick.
In the City, a new Police Headquarters is in the design
stage now. If the City administration would consider solar panel
installation for building energy needs, public funds for installation
would be recovered within 8–9 yrs, AND the City could sell energy back
to the grid for enhancing City revenue in the future. Similarly, the new
rental registry and inspection program (XI.8 in https://cityoffrederick.
In the County, recent adoption of revised Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit ordinances (https://frederickcountymd.
Affordable/Workforce/
As
noted above, the County Council has passed three revisions to the
County Code to increase actual building of moderately priced dwelling
units (MPDUs, (https://frederickcountymd.
County APFO on Traffic
The McKay-Hagen bill (22-17, https://frederickcountymd.gov/
Sugarloaf Mountain Plan
In
the ongoing County Council discussions of preserving Sugarloaf Mountain
through adoption of a small area plan, on Tuesday, October 25, the
County Council discussed and rejected Council Member Kai Hagen’s
compromise amendment to address the major landowner’s (Stronghold)
threat to close Sugarloaf mountain to the public, while still protecting
the most endangered land adjacent to I-270, including the Natelli
Cutoff intended for a large Amazon data center. The amendment failed 3–4
with members Hagen, McKay, and Donald voting in favor, and members
Keegan-Ayer, Fitzwater, Blue, and Dacey voting against. County Executive
Gardner spoke against the amendment prior to the vote.
Council Member Fitzwater proposed an amendment eliminating the Overlay
language (zoning specifics) from the Sugarloaf Plan. This amendment
passed 4–3 with members Fitzwater, Keegan-Ayers, Blue, and Dacey
supporting the proposal and members Hagen, McKay, and Donald opposing.
The Plan, without the Overlay language, shifts to an aspirational
measure, or as Council Member Steve McKay said, “just a pretty book.”
Council member Fitzwater then moved to adopt the Sugarloaf Plan without
the Overlay language. The motion passed with all members in favor, as
those believing the Plan, even absent the Overlay, at least indicates a
commitment to preservation and conservation in the treasured area, a
good starting place for the new County Executive and Council members
that will be elected on November 8.
The Zoning Overlay has thus been remanded (returned) back to the
Planning Commission. The new County officials will be free to revise the
Plan and Zoning Overlay in any manner, including ignoring any plan, but
free to approve any development proposals. Council member Jessica
Fitzwater said if she is elected County Executive, she will push for a
Zoning Overlay that considers preservation and property rights.
What has been accomplished
The passed version of the Sugarloaf Plan maintains the I-270 boundary.
The Sugarloaf Alliance has organized to advocate for preservation and is
continuing its objections to any Sugarloaf Plan that does not focus on
preservation and conservation of this area. The failure to pass the Overlay means that the work of citizens to preserve the area must continue.
Currently, the Alliance is seeking, through Maryland Public Information
Act (MPIA) requests, details of developer meetings with state officials
as well as details of local County meeting communications on the
boundary cut-outs in the 2021 version of the Plan and the closed
meetings with Amazon Web Services. Little has been received and the
Alliance is now in court to secure these materials (the Alliance has
retained MPIA and land-use attorneys). Any information is important for
deliberations by the new County Executive and Council members.
Beyond Sugarloaf, it is useful to recognize that the Sugarloaf Plan is the first of ten small area plans identified in Livable Frederick.
The same issues will arise with potential removal of any “teeth” to
guarantee that preservation/conservation are at the forefront of
negotiations on new growth areas.
For more information, please go to the Sugarloaf Alliance website sugarloaf-alliance.org.
Street Safety
The
Engineering Department presented residents in NAC 6/9 with a plan to
paint street lane markings in an attempt to calm traffic. They are going
to be starting this project soon. The Street Safety Gang (SSG)
acknowledges this as a good start and is grateful that we are able to
continue the conversation. If you'd like more information, email Gayle
Petersen at streetsafetygangfrederickmd@
Related to street safety, the Traffic Engineering staff explained to NAC
11 members the types of traffic calming currently used and planned for
the City as well as benefits of/challenges to each option. CRG is seeking to obtain a copy of the Traffic Engineering presentation.
Update on N. Market Street
Last
Saturday night/early Sunday morning (October 22–23), another violent
attack occurred on North Market with a triple stabbing on the 100 block.
For those who dismissed the summer shootings and related incidents as a
problem for those “farther North,” this is a rude awakening that no
place Downtown is immune from violence. Hence, it is important to
examine the factors contributing to angry, or inebriated, and/or out of
control individuals who feel they can cause whatever problems they wish
because nobody cares or will do anything to stop them.
The most obvious and prevalent issue is the level of alcohol abuse in
the licensed alcohol venues and BYOB establishments along Market and
feeder streets. As most incidents happen between 2:00 and 5:00 AM,
public and private security needs to be re-examined, re-established, and
prioritized, including reconsideration of hours of operation.
Additionally, owners need to be held responsible for over serving their
patrons and must practice responsible in-house service practices.
Although the Frederick Police Department officers have been working
overtime, these public servants must respond to multiple, often distant,
late-night locations to deal with one altercation after another.
A less obvious but important factor is the message the City sends by not
taking control of the environment on the street, fostering acceptance
of "blocks that don’t matter." Poorly maintained sidewalks from the
corner of N. Market and Third Street north with tree stumps remaining in
the middle of the walkway for more than a month and multiple vacant
properties suggest that no one cares and nobody is watching. Together
with the decades’ long issues with the Carmack-Jay parking lot as an
after-hours congregation area for bar patrons, drug dealers, and
prostitution, it is clear why people perceive that Downtown ends at the
corner of Third Street and Market. Finally, allowing cars and trucks to
treat our street as a raceway, speeding light to light with little
regard for pedestrian safety, often at excessive noise levels, only
further adds to the message of ‘anything goes’ in these N. Market Street blocks.
Until these issues are addressed and this part of our “Main Street” is
treated with the same attention given to what is considered the “core”
of downtown, nothing will change, and both lives and opportunities will
continue to be lost.
Each of these are correctable problems if the City has the political will.
The more the residents of the impacted neighborhoods continue to voice
their concerns, the better chance we have to create a safer City for
all. Effective action begins with your continued input into City
meetings about N. Market, ranging from the just-awarded Streetscape
Study funds to your participation in the 7th Street – N. Market Art
Design Public Meeting at 7 PM on November 9th at the Bernard Brown
Community Center, 629 N. Market Street. If
we work to change the environment on N. Market Street, we can reduce
the perception of the neighborhood as an ignored, depreciated portion of
downtown with late night meeting/party locales that sometimes result in
inebriated and violent patrons causing havoc in our streets.
Upcoming Meetings of Import
N. Market Fountain and Park:
The Downtown Frederick Partnership is hosting a public art design
meeting on November 9, 2022 at the Bernard Brown Community Center, 629
N. Market Street, at 7 PM. The Partnership is seeking public input on
the small park’s sculpture that will be part of the fountain and gardens
planned for the site, often viewed as the northern end of the tourist
downtown area.
West Side Library: A public
meeting will be held at 6 PM, November 16 at the Hillcrest Elementary
School to discuss multiple options for a new public library on the west
side of Frederick. County and City officials have a suite of options, so
voice your opinion!
County Liquor Board Meeting:
The Board of Licensed Commissioners (Liquor Board) for Frederick County
will be hosting the 7th Annual Public Alcohol Forum, on Monday, November
14, 2022, at approximately 9:00 AM (after the public hearing). The
forum will be held at Winchester Hall located at 12 E. Church Street in
Frederick. The forum is designed to take input and solicit ideas for the
2023 Legislative Session, as changes to local laws must be done through
the state legislature. If you cannot attend the forum, we encourage you
to share your ideas by sending an email to LiquorBoard@
City and County Delegation Meetings: As in
previous years, Frederick County state representatives will hold
meetings with City and County officials in December to identify
priorities our representatives should pursue in the legislature to
improve conditions locally. Besides the liquor regulations noted above
(e.g., focusing on hours of operation for BYOB establishments), other
topics of interest to the CRG include expanding use of speed cameras
beyond the current state regulation for deployment only within 0.5 mi of
a school, installation of speed bumps, increasing state funds to
complement low income housing tax credits (LIHTCs) provided by the
federal government to spur affordable housing construction, and allowing
local jurisdictions the power to install solar panels on schools at
their discretion. If you identify other issues that must be changed at
the state level, please notify your County Council or City Board of
Aldermen or mayor of the topic.
VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!
The
election is here (November 8) so make sure to vote through mail-in
ballots or walk-in! This is a critical election for governor and our
state legislature but very importantly, County Executive and members of
the County Council and Board of Education. The first two will determine
growth and development in the County, including suburban developments,
digital centers, Livable Frederick-identified growth areas
(most immediate is Sugarloaf Mountain), salaries and fringe benefits for
staff and service members, health and safety policies, and amounts and
allocations of collected taxes. Board of Election members will determine
what is taught in our public schools. DO NOT ABDICATE THIS RESPONSIBILITY — VOTE!
Contributors: P. Gallagher, R. Huber, S. Jakubczyk, E. Law, G. Petersen, R. Robey, M. Rosensweig, K. Sellner
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Many
Frederick residents want to know — but cannot find — information about
how to participate in discussions of important local issues. The City
and County generally hold meetings from 3–10 p.m., making it impossible
for most of us to attend meetings or weigh in on issues of interest. Our
mission with this monthly newsletter is to highlight City and County
activities so you can learn more and, with your limited time, weigh in
on areas of growth and development, City and County policies, and other
local activities. Occasionally, opinions or longer stories will be
offered by knowledgeable experts/readers. We welcome suggestions for
articles focused on specific topics. Contact Kevin Sellner (kgsellner@gmail.com), Marge Rosensweig (marjorierosensweig@gmail.com)
