It’s part of the Livable Frederick plan approved last year by the County Council
Frederick, Md (KM) A small area plan will be put together for the Sugarloaf Mountain area and its surrounding farmland. That announcement was made on Monday by Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner during her public information briefing.
She noted the mountain, which is 1200 feet above sea level, is a registered national landmark with a rich history. “The area around the mountain has certainly been under pressure for development,” says Gardner. “In recent years, community members and area residents have turned out to oppose several proposals, including a proposed gun and a wedding venue. They argued that new uses should be the right size and the right scale for this special place.”
Sugarloaf Mountain and its trails are privately owned by Stronghold, Inc., which is dedicated to preserving the mountain’s resources.
This small area plan is part of the Livable Frederick Plan approved last year by the County Council. Instead of relying on population estimates and prior growth patterns, Gardner says Livable Frederick looks into the future to determine what kind of county residents want.
A Stakeholders Advisory Group has been formed to guide the development of a Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Area Plan. Principle Planner Tim Goodfellow is leading the outreach area. “Through sound policies, wise recommendations and actions, the Sugarloaf Area Plan can protect and enhance the natural and cultural assets and overall health of the Sugarloaf Planning Area as we proceed through the 21st Century,” he says.
Planner Denis Supercyznski says there will be plenty of opportunities for citizens to offer their comments, ideas and suggestions. “Livable Frederick Planning process, from the very beginning, incorporated rich, deep and broad citizen, stakeholder outreach,” he says. “It was very important during the planning process that we heard from folks, that we listen to what they said and incorporated those ideas into the plan and this will be no different.”
Also, citizens can read through a briefing book on the Sugarloaf Mountain area, which contains a list of challenges and opportunities to the area. “One of the first things you’ll notice in the list of challenges and opportunities is that we have a big open ended question at the end of that list which is ‘we don’t everything. Tell us what you know. Share your stories. Share your ideas. Share your knowledge so we can make a better document,” says Supercyznski..
A copy of this briefing book is available at www.LivableFrederick.org.
Frederick County Government has also launched an account on the social media site Nextdoor so citizens can find out what’s happening. Visit www.nextdoor.com to register.
A community meeting on the Sugarloaf Area Plan is scheduled for Thursday evening, February 27th at the Urbana High School cafeteria beginning at 6:30
By Kevin McManus