The City of Frederick Planning Commission held a workshop on March 18, 2024, at 2:00 PM in City Hall. The workshop covered six items: architectural review for Belle Air Farm, a final plat for Sycamore Springs (Addition to Barrick), a final site plan and forest conservation plan for 57 Thomas Johnson Drive Apartments (7615 Hayward Road), a final site plan for Rose Hill Carriage House, a final site plan and forest conservation plan for Patrick East Self Storage, and a presentation on a forthcoming text amendment to Section 721 (Forest Conservation). No formal votes were taken; the workshop was devoted to discussion by commissioners, staff, and applicants. No members of the public offered testimony.
This is um March. It is March 18th. Well, it is two o'clock. So good afternoon and welcome to the March workshop for the City of Frederick Planning Commission. So the way our workshop works, it's more casual in our hearing. We invite the applicants up to the table here. And we start off with the applicants presenting their presentation, their application to us. So we ask you not just to sit there and ask if you have any questions, but to uh take us through your item. We'll ask you questions, we'll make comments, we'll go back and forth. When that uh conversation has in some ways exhausted itself, we'll go to the staff. The staff will have a further comments, we'll have questions and comments there. And then we will ask if there's any public comment. If there is public comment, we'll certainly come back to the applicant. So uh without further ado, um, all the applicants and staff and anyone here for public comment that is going to testify today before the planning commission, if you would stand and raise your right hand. Do you saw solemnly swear or affirm that the responses given and the statements made in this hearing before the planning commission will be the whole truth and nothing but the truth? If so, say I do. Okay. Uh first item on our docket is PC one four-six four oh zero six. PND. It's the architectural review for Bel Air Farm. How's everybody doing? Good. The glasses are Commissioner B your glasses are lacking. Everyone else has pretty intense closer glasses. Oh, I think that would be the women and the men. Yes. So if you could introduce yourself and tell us where you're from. So it adds a little bit of variation across them. There are four proposed units, the Myers, Bainbridge, Saxton and Taylor. All four floor plans have interchangeable front elevations to be approved in this package. And they're pretty consistent with the current architecture in terms of the floor plans and size. The reason for this submission for new architecture is for a two by six exterior wall to be updated with new code that should be adopted later this year. So it allows for more insulation, a better energy efficient home. There are two products, the Saxton and Taylor that have outdoor living incorporated into the footprint of the home. That is new, but it's something that we think works really well in Bel Air with a walking pass and its proximity to Baker Park. But yeah, if you have any questions. So all the architecture here is in line with what's previous previously approved. If you look at the front of this strip elevation, the stone veneer varies from to the bottom of the second floor windows up to the third floor windows. So that varying height is something that was missed in the first section, and it looks a little uniform, so this adds a little more variation. The other thing that we're adding and including is accented uh board and batten siding veneer. So instead of horizontal lap siding throughout the whole entire project, we have on the front facades a board and batten or vertical siding that's interchanged with horizontal. So again, adds a little more variation to the front facades. Um these are all accessible front entry homes with canopies and then rear load and take all garages uh consistent with this phase of Bel Air. Okay. Um could you show us the outdoor spaces? Sir, if you scroll down to the rear elevations, I think it's probably closer to page 13 or 14 house right there. Yep. And if you zoom in on the right rear elevation, I don't know if you're able to something that just some product feedback we've had with these rear load townhomes. There's not a lot of privacy. You have people that want decks over top of their driveways, but they're stacked side by side with neighbors.