Some outstanding issues connected with the Frederick County 2012 Comprehensive Plan were hashed out on Thursday afternoon during a Commissioners' worksession.

The document outlines how the county will grow over the next several years.

One of the issues had to do with the location of an arterial highway. The plan's map listed an extension of Route 80 from Route 85, past New Design Road, into the former Eastalco property, through Ballenger Creek Pike and ending at Route 15. The alignment will take it through several farms that are in agricultural preservation.

One of those properties belongs to Marietta Stup. "I live at 4713 Mountville Road. You have a proposed highway going through my farm. I do not like it. I do not want this arterial road going through my farm," she told the Commissioners.

Board member David Gray is against the new alignment as well. "As you look at Buckeystown, it has a lot of agricultural preservation around it. You kind of wonder why you need a high traffic road. I don't think Buckeystown downtown is going to turn into anything industrial," he said.

But Jim Gugel, Planning Manager for the County's Community Development Division, said this line on a map is only conceptual and could change in the future.

The Commissioners voted in favor of the new alignment, with Gray against and Board Members Blaine Young, Billy Shreve and Kirby Delauter in favor.  Commissioners' Vice President Paul Smith was not present.

But Commissioner Smith's vote will be needed on another issue having to do with Walkersville's Community Growth Area. These are parcels outside of a municipality's limits which the town or city may annex one day so they can be developed. Walkersville wants its Community Growth area to be extended to include "Ultimate Growth Limits" as shown on the town's 2011 Comp Plan in order to keep those affected parcels in agriculture.

Gugel says the county nixed that idea. "Somebody looking at our map, seeing a Community Growth Area boundary, would assume 'oh, this area outside of Walkersville is going to be developed.'  And to be consistent with that, we would probably recommend removing the Priority Preservation Area designation," he said.

Commissioner Gray called that "a bad idea."

The Commissioners voted 2-2 to go along with their staff's recommendation regarding Walkersville's use of the Community Development Area boundary. Board members Young and Gray voted against, and Commissioners Billy Shreve and Kirby Delauther were in favor. They need Commissioner Smith to return and break the tie.

But Gugel noted that the County's Comp Plan doesn't prevent a city or town from annexing a property to keep it in agriculture.

The Commissioners are expected to vote on their Comp Plan on Sept. 13th.

Before he was  elected,  Commissioner Young  promised to reverse the decision of the previous board regarding the 2010 Comprehensive Plan, which limited growth. Young said these landowners were robbed for their property rights.

If this plan goes forward, it could lead to the construction of more than 12,000 new homes on 9.000 acres over the next several years.