Frederick Planning Commission Meeting - February 10, 2025
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Frederick Planning Commission Meeting - February 10, 2025
The Frederick City Planning Commission held its regular meeting on February 10, 2025, at 6:00 PM at City Hall, 101 North Court Street. The meeting included approval of previous meeting minutes, updates to the Planning Commission's Rules of Procedure, approval of a final site plan and forest conservation plan for the Frederick Subaru Service Center expansion, and first hearings on the High Glen annexation and a zoning map amendment for the Faith Reformed Presbyterian Church. No public comments were received on any agenda item.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the January 13, 2025 Planning Commission hearing, the January 21, 2025 workshop, and the February 7, 2025 pre-planning meeting.
Discussion Items
- Rules of Procedure Update: Deputy Director Gabrielle Collard presented updates to the Rules of Procedure, primarily clarifying recusal procedures (Section 4.3) and the order of agenda items for forest conservation plans. Commissioner Strawson proposed amending Section 4.2 to require reviewing meeting recordings (if available) rather than only minutes for absent members, and simplifying the language in Section 4.3 regarding recusal due to bias. The commission approved the rules with these amendments.
- PC24-762FSI – Frederick Subaru Service Center Final Site Plan: The applicant (represented by Mary Patton, Fox and Associates) seeks approval for a 34,300-square-foot addition to the car dealership at 1417 W. Patrick Street, including a new service center and car wash. Three modifications were requested: (1) elimination of level one landscape screening along GC and PRK lot lines; (2) allowance for light spillover (less than one foot-candle) along three lot lines; (3) reduction of interior parking lot landscaping from 10% to 0% for a new 44-space lot. Staff recommended approval with conditions, including planting three additional shade trees along the new lot. The commission voted unanimously to approve all three modifications and the final site plan.
- PC24-763FSCB – Combined Forest Stand Delineation and Preliminary Forest Conservation Plan: Staff recommended approval of the forest plan for the Subaru site, which retains 0.36 acres of existing forest and plants 1.42 acres on-site, meeting the required 1.78 acres. The commission approved the plan unanimously.
- PC24-664ANX – Annexation, High Glen (Great Southern): First hearing for the annexation of approximately 71.7 acres (five parcels) north of Christophers Crossing and west of Yellow Springs Road, with a request for R4 (Low Density Residential) zoning. Staff presented conditions including restricted access to Yellow Springs Road, a contribution of $8,000 per residential unit toward regional road improvements (with CPI escalation), and a water tank contribution. The applicant (Bruce Dean, attorney) noted the property is Tier 2 under the Comprehensive Plan and may not be developed for 15+ years. The commission deferred action to a second hearing.
- PC24-665ZMA – Zoning Map Amendment, Faith Reformed Presbyterian Church: First hearing for a zoning map amendment to apply the Institutional (IST) floating zone to approximately 4.08 acres of the High Glen annexation, reflecting the existing church use. Staff noted the church is currently a non-conforming use under R4 zoning. The applicant requested the change to permit future improvements. The commission deferred action to a second hearing.
Key Outcomes
- Rules of Procedure: Approved with amendments to Section 4.2 (review of meeting recordings preferred) and Section 4.3 (simplified recusal language).
- Frederick Subaru Service Center: Approved modifications (unanimous votes):
- Modification to Section 605 D2 (lot line screening) – approved.
- Modification to Section 607 E2 (light spillover) – approved.
- Modification to Section 605 G (parking lot landscaping) – approved, with added condition of three additional shade trees.
- Final Site Plan (PC24-762FSI) – approved with conditions: resolve stormwater concerns, plant three shade trees, update note 18.
- Forest Conservation Plan: Approved (PC24-763FSCB) – unanimous.
- High Glen Annexation and Zoning Map Amendment: First hearings held; no vote taken. Continued to a subsequent meeting for further discussion and a second public hearing.
Meeting Transcript
Meeting to order, and I would like to welcome everybody to the February 10th, 2025 meeting of the Frederick's City of Frederick Planning Commission. Before I begin tonight's proceedings, I would like to give a little bit of background on the planning commission and the procedures that we'll be following this evening. Members of the Planning Commission are all residents of the city and are all volunteers appointed by the mayor and the board of Alderman. The commission is made up of five regular members and one alternate. Its powers and duties are assigned by the charter. By the fix that one too. By the charter of the city of Council and described in section 202 of the land management code. All of tonight's cases have been appropriately advertised pursuant to section 301 of the land management code, and cases will be presented tonight to the planning commission in the following format. We will start with an introduction of the case, followed by the presentation and initial initial recommendation by staff. Then we will have the commission questioning of the staff, followed by the applicant or authorized agents' remarks regarding the case, followed by the commission's questioning of the applicant. After that, we will have public comment, and if appropriate, we will allow the commission to ask questions of the public commenters. Following that, we will give the applicant a chance to respond to public comment. We will conclude with commission discussion and questions and finally commission action. So in support of the planning commission, members, um staff members from the city's planning, engineering, and legal departments are in attendance, and everybody, anyone who wants to speak publicly tonight regarding any application tonight, including members of the public, um applicants and city staff must be sworn in. So anybody who's gonna give a plan to speak tonight should stand and raise your right hand. And do you solemnly swear or affirm that the responses given and the statements made in this hearing before the planning commission are the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Welcome and introduce everybody to our new planning commission member. This is Elaine Llewellyn. And this is her first meeting, so we all need to be gentle on her. Sorry, I was looking for something totally distracted. Thank you. Next Tuesday, Monday is the city holiday. Next Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. Uh, and the workshop is where we discuss projects that have been through the administrative portions of the review process and are going to be moving forward to a hearing coming months. Uh and that agenda will be posted online uh hopefully later tomorrow afternoon. And then that same evening at 6 p.m. We have our citywide planning department community outreach, which is just an informational meeting for the public and anyone who's interested to see kind of a preview of the most recent applications that have been submitted to our department. Uh these are things that haven't even gotten through the administrative portion of the review process, kind of the latest and the greatest. So encourage people to check that out on that is um streamed online on channel 99 as well. Thank you. Thank you. All right, so the first item on our agenda is approval of the minutes from past meetings. And we have meetings from the January or minutes from the January 13th, 2025 Planning Commission meeting, minutes from the January 21st, 2025 Planning Commission workshop, and approval minutes from the February 7th pre-planning commission meeting. So at this point, I will take a motion for the Commission hearing, January Commission hearing. I move for the approval of the January 13, 2025 planning commission meeting minutes. Second. So that is a motion by Commissioner Manellas, a second by Commissioner Valencia. All in favor. That's unanimous. Now a motion on the workshop minutes. I move for the approval of the January 21st, 2025 Planning Commission workshop minutes. So that is a motion by Commissioner Valencia, a second by Commissioner Minellis. All in favor? That is unanimous. And finally, the meet um the minutes from the February 7th pre-planning meeting. I move for the approval of the February 7th pre-planning commission meeting minutes. Second. That is a motion by Commissioner Lee, a second by Commissioner Valencia. All in favor. Aye.
openpublica.com