OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City of Frederick Planning Commission Meeting - August 8, 2026

Planning CommissionSaturday, August 8, 2026
BodyFrederick, Maryland
SessionPlanning Commission
DateSaturday, August 8, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 58:40
Transcript — Verbatim
0:31

Good evening.

0:32

Welcome to the May 11th, 2026 meeting of the City of Fredericks Planning Commission.

0:38

Before beginning tonight's proceedings, I'd like to give a little background of the Planning Commission and the procedures that we will follow this evening.

0:44

Members of the Planning Commission are all residents of the city and are volunteers appointed by the mayor and uh council.

0:51

The commission is made up of five regular members and one alternate.

0:55

Its powers and duties are assigned by the charter of the city of Frederick and described in section 202 of the land management code.

1:01

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 following the following format.

1:13

Introduction of the case, presentation of the case, and initial recommendation by staff, commission questioning of staff, applicant or authorized agent remarks regarding the case, commission questioning of the applicant, public comment, applicant response to public comment, commission discussion and questions, and finally commission action.

1:32

In support of the planning commission, staff members from the city's planning, engineering, and legal department are all in attendance, and anyone wishing to speak publicly tonight regarding any application, including members of the public, must be sworn in prior to giving their comments.

1:46

All speakers must begin their comments by providing their name and general address for the record, and members of the public will have three minutes to give comments, and anyone representing a group will have 10 minutes to give their comments.

1:57

The timer clock will show you your remaining time.

2:00

At this time, everyone planning to give testimony tonight, please stand and raise your right hand to be sworn in.

2:07

Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the responses given in the statements made in this hearing before the planning commission will be the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

2:15

If so, answer I do.

2:17

I do.

2:18

Thank you.

2:19

Before we start the review of our cases this evening, we do have several administrative items to take care of.

2:25

Um so we'll start with any announcements from the planning department.

2:29

Thank you and good evening.

2:31

There are two announcements.

2:50

So if you'd like to review that, you may thank you.

2:56

All right.

2:57

Um we're gonna go ahead and get started.

2:59

We um next our agenda we have approval of some minutes.

3:02

So I'll be looking for a motion for approval of the April 13th, 2026 Planning Commission minutes.

3:16

Okay, that is a motion by Commissioner Temple and a second by Commissioner Roby.

3:22

All those in favor?

3:23

Aye.

3:24

Aye.

3:25

That is four to zero approval.

3:28

Uh next, I'm looking for a motion for approval of the April 20th Planning Commission workshop minutes.

3:35

Motion to approve the April 20th, 2026 Planning Commission workshop minutes.

3:39

I second.

3:41

Okay, that is a motion by Commissioner Temple and uh second by Commissioner Montes.

3:46

All those in favor?

3:48

Aye.

3:49

That's four to zero approving those minutes.

3:51

And lastly, I will be looking for a motion for approval of the May 8th, 2026 pre-planning commission meeting minutes.

3:59

And motion approved the May 8th, 2026 pre-planning commission minutes.

4:05

Okay, that is a motion by Commissioner Temple, a second by Commissioner Roby.

4:09

All those in favor?

4:11

Aye.

4:11

That's four to zero for approval.

4:13

Thank you.

4:14

Uh next, we would have had public hearing consent items, which we have none.

4:18

We have no continuances.

4:20

So we'll move on to the first item under miscellaneous, which is Oxford Monocasey, PC 22-743 FSI final site plan, where the applicant is requesting an 18-month extension of the approved final site plan at 1400 use Ford Road, and I will turn that over to staff.

4:38

Thank you.

4:40

The applicant is requesting an 18-month extension of the final site plan in accordance with section 309 of the land management code.

4:47

The original plan for laboratory manufacturing and processing was approved by the planning commission December 12, 2022.

4:56

With the plan being valid for three years, making the expiration date December 12th, 2025.

5:02

A staff level six-month extension was granted, making the expiration date June 12th, 2026.

5:09

Adequate public facilities for waterline, sewer line, and road capacity were approved with the site plan, and those certificates remain valid for five years with an expiration date of December 12, 2027.

5:20

It should be noted that an 18-month extension for the final site plan will mirror the expiration date of the adequate public facilities.

5:27

Per section 309 of the LMC, the three-year validity is to have building permits issued.

5:33

Improvement plans have been received, however, building permits have not been pulled.

5:37

The extension is being requested due to market conditions, shifts in capital available, and tenant demand.

5:43

Staff acknowledges that financial difficulties due to economic conditions have been an adequate reason to request an extension over the past year, and that an 18-month extension would be consistent with previous extensions granted by the planning commission.

5:56

The commission has one action.

5:58

Approval of the 18-month extension of final site plan PC 22-743 FSI for Oxford monoclissy, finding that after unconditional unconditional approvement, the applicant has filed and received approval for improvement plans, but has not applied for building permits.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use████████████████████████████28%
Site Plan Approval███████████████████████23%
Procedural████████████12%
Affordable Housing████████████12%
Land Use Planning██████████10%
Public Engagement████4%
Public Comment████4%
Transportation Infrastructure███3%
Public Works███3%
Summary of Proceedings

City of Frederick Planning Commission Meeting - August 8, 2026

The Planning Commission met on August 8, 2026 (though the meeting transcript begins with "May 11, 2026" – a date discrepancy noted per instructions). The Commission approved previous meeting minutes, heard from City Council liaison Council Member Atkins and a public commenter, and unanimously approved updates to its rules of procedure.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes Approval: The Commission approved three sets of minutes unanimously (4-0):
    • April 13, 2026 regular meeting minutes (motion by Commissioner Temple, second by Commissioner Roby)
    • April 20, 2026 workshop minutes (motion by Commissioner Temple, second by Commissioner Montes)
    • May 8, 2026 pre-planning commission meeting minutes (motion by Commissioner Temple, second by Commissioner Roby)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Adam Apostoli (public commenter): Expressed support for affordable housing but urged careful placement to ensure quality of life, especially near noisy developments like distribution centers. He also cautioned against efficiency measures that might deny the public's right to comment and scrutiny.

Discussion Items

  • City Council Liaison Update (Council Member Atkins): Provided an overview of the City Council's discussions on updating the Land Management Code (last updated in 2005). He emphasized the importance of public input and offered to assist with filling commission vacancies.
  • Updates to Planning Commission Rules of Procedure: Staff presented draft updates resulting from prior workshop discussions. The Commission clarified that it has the authority to approve its own rules without further council action. After no public comment, the motion to approve the updates was made by Commissioner Montes, seconded by Commissioner Temple, and passed 4-0.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved minutes of April 13, April 20 workshop, and May 8 pre-planning meeting (all 4-0).
  • Approved updates to the Planning Commission Rules of Procedure as drafted (4-0).
  • Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Welcome to the May 11th, 2026 meeting of the City of Fredericks Planning Commission. Before beginning tonight's proceedings, I'd like to give a little background of the Planning Commission and the procedures that we will follow this evening. Members of the Planning Commission are all residents of the city and are volunteers appointed by the mayor and uh council. The commission is made up of five regular members and one alternate. Its powers and duties are assigned by the charter of the city of Frederick 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 following the following format. Introduction of the case, presentation of the case, and initial recommendation by staff, commission questioning of staff, applicant or authorized agent remarks regarding the case, commission questioning of the applicant, public comment, applicant response to public comment, commission discussion and questions, and finally commission action. In support of the planning commission, staff members from the city's planning, engineering, and legal department are all in attendance, and anyone wishing to speak publicly tonight regarding any application, including members of the public, must be sworn in prior to giving their comments. All speakers must begin their comments by providing their name and general address for the record, and members of the public will have three minutes to give comments, and anyone representing a group will have 10 minutes to give their comments. The timer clock will show you your remaining time. At this time, everyone planning to give testimony tonight, please stand and raise your right hand to be sworn in. Do you solemnly swear or affirm that the responses given in the statements made in this hearing before the planning commission will be the whole truth and nothing but the truth? If so, answer I do. I do. Thank you. Before we start the review of our cases this evening, we do have several administrative items to take care of. Um so we'll start with any announcements from the planning department. Thank you and good evening. There are two announcements. So if you'd like to review that, you may thank you. All right. Um we're gonna go ahead and get started. We um next our agenda we have approval of some minutes. So I'll be looking for a motion for approval of the April 13th, 2026 Planning Commission minutes. Okay, that is a motion by Commissioner Temple and a second by Commissioner Roby. All those in favor? Aye. Aye. That is four to zero approval. Uh next, I'm looking for a motion for approval of the April 20th Planning Commission workshop minutes. Motion to approve the April 20th, 2026 Planning Commission workshop minutes. I second. Okay, that is a motion by Commissioner Temple and uh second by Commissioner Montes. All those in favor? Aye. That's four to zero approving those minutes. And lastly, I will be looking for a motion for approval of the May 8th, 2026 pre-planning commission meeting minutes. And motion approved the May 8th, 2026 pre-planning commission minutes. Okay, that is a motion by Commissioner Temple, a second by Commissioner Roby. All those in favor? Aye. That's four to zero for approval. Thank you. Uh next, we would have had public hearing consent items, which we have none. We have no continuances. So we'll move on to the first item under miscellaneous, which is Oxford Monocasey, PC 22-743 FSI final site plan, where the applicant is requesting an 18-month extension of the approved final site plan at 1400 use Ford Road, and I will turn that over to staff. Thank you. The applicant is requesting an 18-month extension of the final site plan in accordance with section 309 of the land management code. The original plan for laboratory manufacturing and processing was approved by the planning commission December 12, 2022.

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