The City of Frederick Planning Commission held a workshop on April 17, 2023, at 2:00 PM at City Hall. The workshop covered seven agenda items originally from March and one new item, focusing on annexations, final site plans, and forest conservation plans. The commission heard presentations from applicants, received staff comments, and engaged in detailed discussions. No votes were taken; these items will proceed to formal public hearings.
Well, good afternoon. It is two o'clock, so we're gonna get started with the Planning Commission workshop for the month of April 2023. So our process is that we invite the applicants up to the front table here. And we start with the applicants walking us through their presentation. And for any of you who are new to our process, we ask you that you just don't say, are there any questions to the staff report? If you would actually walk us through uh that would be really helpful. And then we'll ask uh questions and make comments up here with the commissioners after we've sort of exhausted the conversation with with the applicant, we'll go to staff, and staff will add their comments. We'll have further questions and comments of staff. We may go back to the applicant. It's a lot more casual in our hearings, and then we'll ask for public comment. Um after public comment, if we feel we still have some questions and comments of the applicant or staff, we will go from there. So, really, the purpose of these workshops is to have as thorough of a conversation as we can on each item. So having said that, anyone here, staff, applicant, or a public that is going to testify in front of the planning commission. If you would stand and raise your right hand to be sworn in. Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the responses given in statements made in this hearing before the planning commission will be the whole truth and nothing but the truth? If so, answer I do. Okay. So our agenda this this morning. Our agenda today consists of six items that we were not able to get to from last month, and one new one. So we are gonna start with um the annexations. Um both Tom's and Mercer, uh, they are integrately um related, and they have a lot of similarities. So with that, I will call the numbers and then we'll turn it over to the applicants. Um the first is for the annexation of Tom's property. This is PC 221018, and the second is for the annexation of Mercer property, and this is PC 22-1017. So if the applicants can introduce themselves. Good afternoon, Bruce Dean with the law firm of McCurdy Dean and Gradator uh representing the clock the applicant, um, and to my left Joe Whitebread with the owner of the Tom's property and the contract purchaser of Mercer, and also we have with us uh Ray Goans, uh, Chris Mariga, Jody Walker, um, and my associate April Dixon. So we have a hopefully a lot of people here who can answer questions. Did Joe Caladure make it? Um our traffic engineer may be coming, Joe Caligaro. Um so with that, let me give a bit of background and um Commissioner Nicholas, you you made a point that I was going to, which is that these two annexations are um inextricably intertwined. Um but there are some differences. Uh the property owner, uh the tramel Crow Company, actually a subsidiary thereof, owns uh the Tom's farm. They purchased it, and they also purchased the two uh formerly residential lots on the north side of north side of Gas House Pike. You can see them sticking up like two teeth right there on the drawing above the two squares on the north side of gas house. Those properties um used to be single family homes. And when Chris Mergan and I were doing the annexation of what was then the wren farm, which was 387 acres on Gas Has Pike, those two houses were actually occupied as residences, and one of the conditions of that previous annexation was that we had to provide buffer areas around those as long as they were residential. Well, um, you all approved a revised site plan for lot one on which is immediately to the north of those two houses last month, if I remember correctly. And um, and those two houses are either demolished or in the process of being demolished. Both houses have been demolished. They have been demolished. So by including those in that this annexation, though, we do oh thank you. By including those two lots in this annexation, we do get rid of the enclave that was there, and they will now be integrated into the overall development. And Tramil Crow is the developer of the Frederick Commerce Center, which is the three lots that you have approved the preliminary plan for and three site plans for now. I believe one of the buildings immediately to the east of Tom's is under roof and almost fully and almost fully constructed. And so when the opportunity that came to Tramil Crow to purchase Tom's, um that was very attractive to them because it is effectively surrounded by industrial development. It has the several hundred thousand square foot building being built immediately to the east of it by Tramel Crow and immediately to the west of it where you see the north-south arrow. That's actually the Aldi distribution center south of guest if I can point with my laser right there. That's where the Aldi distribution center is. And what Tramel Crow is developing at the Frederick Commerce Center is logistics and distribution. So that is effectively what the uses in the neighborhood are.