[Archived from the old WFMD.com]
On Saturday, Frederick’s Forum first reported that the County Executive had instructed the County Attorney to stop defending Developer Rights and Responsibility Agreements in court that are being challenged legally by local organizations like Friends of Frederick County. These DRRAs are signed with developers as a means to “vest” the developers’ rights to develop property under current zoning, in return for acceptance by the developers of responsibilities and conditions in the manner in which the property is developed. Dave Schmidt from Frederick’s Forum was able to confirm from anonymous sources that the parties involved in these legal challenges were informed of this decision. Those developers involved can still continue to be represented in court by their own attorneys. It was also confirmed that on December 3rd, during oral arguments regarding “Landsdale DRRA” case in Annapolis, there was no representation from the county present.
Council President Bud Otis, and Council Member Jessica Fitzwater, both guests on the show Saturday, were asked whether or not they had been informed by the County Executive of this decision. Neither had been told.
County Executive Gardner has been asked for comment. As of this posting, she has not responded.
We will continue to watch as this situation unfolds and will present any new information that we can find.
Accountability requires transparency.
~ Dave Schmidt