Stronghold Inc., had threatened to close the mountain if a rural overlay was adopted.
Sugarloaf Mountain (Photo from Stronghold Inc.)
Frederick, Md (KM) It looks like Sugarloaf Mountain will remain open to the public. A statement issued by Stronghold Inc. says the decision by the Frederick County Council on Tuesday to remand the overlay part of the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan back to the Planning Commission “ensured that Gordon Strong’s Sugarloaf Mountain will be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.”
Gordon Strong established the Corporation which owns and operates Sugarloaf Mountain.
Stronghold had threatened to close the mountain to the public if the rural overlay was adopted. The overlay would have strictly controlled land uses for properties in the Sugarloaf Region which is about 20,000 acres from the Montgomery County line to the Monocacy National Battlefield.
“So better late than never, tonight’s {Tuesday’s} action to remand the overlay back to the Planning Commission comes after the Council began understanding and seeing the risks to our operation,” the statement from Stronghold said.
Also in its statement, Stronghold expressed frustration, feeling it was being ignored by the county.. “For years, we laid out our concerns to the county and the numerous organizations claiming to know what’s best for our private property, only to be ignored,” the statement says. “It didn’t take long to see that our own county government had no intention of working with us, but instead was singularly focused on their own desired result.”
“Stronghold has been the guardian of this land for eight decades, all while providing educational opportunities and natural beauty to millions of visitors to our property,” the statement continues. “We will work each day to uphold the trust that the County has placed in us to continue our longstanding track record of stewardship of Sugarloaf Mountain for the public to hike, learn and enjoy.” .
By Kevin McManus