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The Frederick County Council next week will begin debating land-use and conservation zoning encompassing the 3,400-acre Sugarloaf Mountain and 16,000 acres to the east. It’s a large-scale once-in-a-generation proposal. This is the Council’s second go at what’s called the Sugarloaf Rural Heritage Overlay Zone. The Council passed the companion Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan last fall but balked at the overlay zoning amid opposition from developers and Stronghold Inc. (the owners of Sugarloaf Mountain). The Frederick County Planning Commission was tasked this year with a reanalysis of the zoning proposal. After making only minor changes, the Commission strongly urged the Council to pass the Overlay plan, saying it was the right thing to do for the future of the entire area. We agree. The measure is well crafted, with essential natural resource protections that address critical threats. The zoning restrictions will prevent inappropriate development, help mitigate the affects of climate change, and protect farms and rural communities. Without it, the Treasured Landscape Management Plan has no enforcement mechanism. If you want to see Sugarloaf Mountain and the surrounding rural communities preserved and protected from commercial development, it’s time—again—to let the Council know. Because the land at issue borders Montgomery County’s Ag Reserve, and because residents of the entire D.C. region frequent the mountain, the Council has been attentive to letters, emails and testimony from all area citizens. You can read SCA’s latest update on the proposal here. It will give you the context you need. The proposed zoning ordinance section of the Sugarloaf Plan is here. Our ask today: Please email or call the seven Frederick County Council members to urge them to pass the Rural Heritage Overlay zone as approved by the Planning Commission last month, including the I-270 boundary. It’s best if you contact Council members individually, and in your own voice. You can email the Council as a group at councilmembers@frederickcountymd.gov Here’s contact info: - Jerry Donald – JDonald@frederickcountymd.gov, 301-600-2336
- Steve McKay – SMcKay@frederickcountymd.gov, 301-600-1034
- M.C. Keegan-Ayer – MCKeegan-Ayer@frederickcountymd.gov, 301-600-1045
- Kavonte Duckett – kduckett@frederickcountymd.gov, 301-600-2336
- Mason Carter – mcarter@frederickcountymd.gov, 301-600-1034
- Brad Young – byoung@frederickcountymd.gov, 301-600-1101
- Renee Knapp – rknapp@frederickcountymd.gov, 301-600-2336 The Council is required to have three public ‘readings’ and one public hearing before a final vote. We’ll keep you updated. Should you want to attend the first Council discussion on the proposal, it’s at Winchester Hall, 12 East Church Street in Frederick on Tuesday Nov. 14, starting at 5:30pm. Remote viewing and participation options are detailed at the Council’s website here. Thanks for engaging in this citizen advocacy. This is local government; Council members are listening to community perspectives. Your support of this proposal will absolutely make a difference.
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