Frederick Mayor and Board of Aldermen Workshop - March 20, 2024
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Frederick Mayor and Board of Aldermen Workshop - March 20, 2024
The Mayor and Board of Aldermen held a workshop on March 20, 2024, to discuss three agenda items: the 2023 Sustainability Annual Report, a deferral agreement for the construction of Lindley Road in the EastPark subdivision, and the fee in lieu of parkland dedication for The Woods townhouse development. No formal votes were taken, as the meeting was a workshop, but direction was provided to staff on several items.
Presentation and Discussion of the 2023 Sustainability Annual Report
- Staff presented highlights of the 2023 report, including the 10-year anniversary of the program. Key achievements: 8.3 acres of trees planted through Tree Frederick (sold out for the first time), nearly 1,000 residents participating in the residential compost pickup program diverting over 185 tons of compostable material, installation of 30 public EV charging stations, and two miles of stream restoration on track. The city's canopy remains at 20% (goal is 40% by 2030). Street lighting energy use decreased by 3% since 2013 despite adding more lights. The city's recycling rate is between 45-50% (2022 data). Total waste tipped decreased by 904 tons in 2023, but only 186 tons are attributable to the compost program. Future initiatives include low-impact landscaping code updates (April 3 workshop), bird city application, and air quality monitoring. No board action was taken; the report was received for information.
Discussion of an Agreement between SJP Monocacy Investors, LLC and the City for the Deferral of Lindley Road Construction
- Staff presented a request to defer the construction of a portion of Lindley Road (from East Parkway to the East Church subdivision) until development of Lot 7 in the EastPark subdivision. The planning commission approved a preliminary plat in 2022 and recommended the deferral. The draft agreement would require the road to be built upon the earliest of: recordation of final plat for Lot 7 or approval of a final site plan for Lot 7. Staff recommended adding a condition that the city could request completion at any time. The applicant opposed this condition, arguing it would defeat the purpose of deferral and create financial uncertainty. The applicant offered to tie the trigger to the development of Lot 7, which represents half the property value ($4 million). Public comments from two East Church residents (Margaret Percario and Lynn Mantello) opposed the road extension itself, citing safety and traffic concerns. Board members discussed the condition: some favored retaining the city's ability to call for the road, while others questioned the lack of public process if the city were to unilaterally request construction. Staff noted that deferral agreements typically allow administrative decisions. The board did not reach a final decision but directed staff to refine the language, possibly adding a time limit (e.g., 10 years) or requiring board approval to end the deferral. The consensus was to move forward with the deferral but with ongoing discussion on conditions.
Discussion of the Fee to be Paid in Lieu of Parkland Dedication for The Woods Townhouse Development
- Staff presented a request to set the fee in lieu of parkland dedication for an 11-unit townhouse project (The Woods) on Baughmans Lane. The required dedication is 0.12 acres, but the site is only 1.38 acres with no viable park space. The applicant provided an appraisal of $12,650 (about $2.30 per square foot) for the fee. Staff noted that the fee is used to acquire or improve parkland. Alderman Shackelford expressed frustration that the fee ($12,650 total for 11 units) is too low and that the city has accumulated millions in such fees without effectively spending them. Staff clarified that the fee could be used to pay off debt for Westside Regional Park. No vote was taken; the board will consider the fee at a future meeting. The developer did not offer additional comment.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Margaret Percario and Lynn Mantello (East Church residents) spoke against the Lindley Road extension, arguing it would increase traffic, endanger pedestrians and children, and contradict the original traffic-calming design of the East Church neighborhood. They stated the road is unnecessary and would prioritize convenience over safety. They urged the city to reconsider the comprehensive plan designation.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken; the workshop was for discussion and direction to staff.
- On the Lindley Road deferral, the board expressed general support for the deferral but asked staff to refine the trigger condition, potentially including a time limit or requiring board approval to lift the deferral. The matter will return to the board for further discussion.
- On the parkland fee, the board acknowledged the appraisal but raised concerns about the low fee amount and the overall effectiveness of the fee-in-lieu program. No decision was made; staff will continue to work on the matter.
- The 2023 Sustainability Annual Report was received and discussed; no action required.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to the Mayor and Board of Alderman Workshop for the 20th of March. We begin with the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible with liberty of justice for all. Alder Woman Kazemchak indicated earlier that she's a bit under weather today, so we do not expect to see her this afternoon at the workshop. Three items on the agenda today. Item number one is presentation and discussion of the 2023 sustainability annual report. Good afternoon, Mayor and Board. And it is printed because we're celebrating 10 years. So normally, of course, we wouldn't print things, but we are celebrating kind of a milestone. So I'll just go through section by section and give you some highlights. That's through Adopt a Road and Stream Cleanups. And we do track that information, and that gets reported to uh MDE as part of our MD NPDES permit requirements. So that data is very useful, and all of our volunteers are much appreciated for helping us accomplish that. We've also planted 8.3 acres of trees on residential land through Tree Frederick. I'll get to that when we get to the uh canopy section. Um had nearly so far we have nearly about a thousand residents participating in our residential compost pickup program, and that's diverted more than 185 tons of compostable materials away from the landfill since uh the program inception through the end of 2023. We installed 30 public electric vehicle charging chargers. Um we are on track to restore about two miles of stream, 1,250 uh linear feet are already complete. The rest is on schedule for construction very soon. And uh our street lights have decreased uh 3% by sector usage since 2013, despite adding a lot more street lights to the network. So that's a pretty significant adjustment down. So moving into canopy, I won't go too in depth in this because you all already had the canopy assessment report. Uh but I will note that you know, of course, we are holding steady at about 20 percent canopy, and of course, we need to increase to um 40 percent to meet our 20 thr 2030 goals. We cannot do it without residential and HOA help. That's very clear to us. Um, as far as the Tree Frederick numbers, we have sold out. We sold out last Friday, and um so that 8.3 acres I talked about, that is including the acreage that we have sold this year. So that's very exciting for that program. It's the first year we've sold out, and it's year five for that. So I'm really excited about that. And I really will credit Lauren for all those efforts to get the word out. It was a constant social media push, constant effort to get the word out going to um tabling events and that kind of stuff to really get folks to sign up for that program. Um moving on to water quality. Um we now have five years of stream temperature data, all showing that our streams are too warm, and we started this to really get a baseline of information to better understand where we were before we did um stream restorations and uh stormwater infrastructure upgrades. So now that we have that baseline of information, we're gonna continue taking that data. Uh but we know that you know our restorations are gonna help with that effort or help reduce those uh temperatures. Our stormwater facility upgrades will, you know, we're working on cooling that water before it reaches the stream. And of course, on site treatment would be, you know, we always appreciate that. Jenny, do you have slides that you wanted to uh sort of filter through? Sorry about that. Uh yes. That's the one we're on. Um you will note that there's uh two stream restoration projects on here. Uh both are very near completion for design, and those will go to construction soon. Um, hopefully in fiscal year 25. And uh the watershed continues to protect about 20% of the city's water supply, and also 23 threatened and endangered species. We added one last year.
openpublica.com