City wrong on annexation scuffle
Lack of proper planning should give pause to residents
http://www.gazette.net/stories/10082009/frededi144224_32521.shtml

Gazette
Editorial
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009

The City of Frederick made several critical mistakes in the annexation agreements signed with developers, and the reaction of its elected leaders to being called out by county commissioners on those errors is both anti-democratic and juvenile.

The dustup stems from the city’s approval of three annexations — the Crumland and Thatcher farms, on U.S. Route 15, and the Summers Farm on Alternate U.S. 40 — that could bring more than 1,000 new homes and millions of square feet of office space to Frederick.

Municipal annexations are common in Maryland, and if enacted properly can bring economic benefits, such as an expanded tax base. The Crumland property alone could net $66 million over a 20-year period for the city, according to revenue projections.

But these annexations are not proper. The agreements fail to take into account the impact of such large-scale growth on several key services, including schools and fire and rescue services.

While both the city and the county have adequate public facilities ordinances, they differ in how they test whether services will be able to support new growth, and the city’s provides more room for developers to maneuver.

The county pays for schools and fire and rescue services, so the city’s failure to consider them within the agreements demonstrates a callous disregard for the financial limits of the county, which is already struggling with tight budgets.

While Mayor W. Jeff Holtzinger has argued that the county’s concerns about rapid growth are addressed in the agreements, his position doesn’t hold much water.

First, there’s no mention in any of the agreements of ensuring adequate fire and rescue service. Second, while the city does propose developers provide some land for schools, the proposals ignore the hefty construction expenses — elementary schools in Frederick County cost roughly $20 million to build — plus annual operating costs (the operating budget is nearly $500 million for the county’s 63 schools).

A third point of contention relates to traffic. While this is the arena in which the city has guaranteed the most protection (placing limits on the use of newly constructed homes and offices until roads are improved), the agreements leave unclear who would pay for a badly needed $80 million interchange at Route 15 and Biggs Ford Road.

In response to the county’s efforts to delay the annexations, Holtzinger and aldermen Alan Imhoff, Marcia Hall and C. Paul Smith endorsed a letter to all registered voters in the city, asking them to not sign a petition that would bring the annexations to referendum.

The owners and developers of the properties paid for the mailing, a fact that was conspicuously missing from the letters. At best, this city merely failed to provide full disclosure of its efforts; at worst, this suggests a closer relationship between city officials and developers than is proper.

This is where the anti-democratic sentiment comes in. The letter states: “We are respectfully asking you not to sign these petitions.”

In other words, a lame-duck mayor has asked his constituents to abandon what is clearly a deep-rooted civic power (there does seem to be something about petitioning the government for a redress of grievances in the Bill of Rights).

What’s most disturbing about these annexations is how rapidly communication between the city and county deteriorated.

By taking a “stay out of our business” attitude, the city seemed to suggest that its decisions have no impact on the county. Not to mention the obvious point that the City of Frederick lies within the county’s limits, so pushing through annexations that might financially damage the county would eventually trickle down to the city.

In this case, the county was asking for definitive assurances that growth would not be detrimental to other residents; that’s not an unreasonable position, and it’s one that city leaders were shortsighted to ignore.

The code states: “The Mayor and Board of Aldermen will not accept or introduce a petition for annexation during the period of time beginning six (6) months prior to The City of Frederick general election and ending three (3) months after said general election.” While this code applies to the acceptance or introduction of an annexation petition (which occurred just before the deadline), the point is to prevent this important public process from being rushed or unduly affected by politics, in the waning days of an administration and during an election.

• The City of Frederick should focus on it’s VERY substantial pipeline of already approved residential, commercial and office development. The city should get that done first, get it done right, and evaluate the impacts before additional and dramatic expansion to the north.

Most people don’t realize it, in no small part because they don’t see it as they drive past the empty fields and lots, but the City of Frederick already has more than 3,500 housing units and millions of square feet of commercial and office development that is on the way, but not yet built. This pipeline includes major projects, such as the Brick Works (high density mixed development near the historic district), Northgate (a retail center at the intersection of Route 15 and Christopher’s Crossing), Clemson Corner (a large retail center with a Wegmans, a Lowes and many other retailers), Market Square (a mixed use development along Route 26), the Ballenger Creek Center and 327 Ballenger Center Drive, the SAIC-Frederick/NCI facility, considerably more in the established Riverside Research Park, and many more. For a more complete list of commercial projects in the City of Frederick: http://www.businessinfrederick.com/site_selection/development.htm

• Already inadequate and highly congested, and doing double duty as a local road for Frederick residents, Route 15 is one of the most dangerous roads in Maryland.

The State Highway Administration “strongly recommended” that the cost of planning, design and construction of the Biggs Ford Road interchange “be included in the requirements for annexation.” But the annexation agreements state that “…nothing herein shall obligate Petitioners to fund any portion of the U.S.15/Biggs Ford Road interchange.” This is unfortunate, by itself, but the broader issue is not the proposed interchange at Route 15 and Biggs Ford Road (which we do not need, right now), but rather that the $70-80 million interchange at Monocacy Boulevard is not even funded yet, and that simply making it easier for more vehicles to get onto Route 15 will only make congestion and safety worse on the road through Frederick (until that section of Route 15 is widened and all the bridges and overpasses are replaced). And already approved developments are going to make the situation worse. Adding 12-20,000 new vehicle trips a day is not a problem that would be solved by a new interchange at Biggs Ford Road.

• Together, the Crumland Farm, Thatcher/COPT and Summers Farm annexations will add more than 500 acres, more than 1,500 housing units and approximately 2.5 million square feet of office and retail space to the city’s already expansive pipeline.

And all of this will be greenfield development, requiring all new infrastructure and placing a substantial additional burden on existing infrastructure that is not addressed at all, at the expanse of city and county taxpayers, our quality of life and the environment. If the annexations are reversed on referendum, future mayors and boards will be able to evaluate the options for these properties, after the current pipeline has been diminished, and the effects understood, in a process that isn’t rushed and inadequate. The Crumland farm, Thatcher farm and Summers farm are the  sixth, seventh and eighth annexations approved by this mayor and board in the last year or so.

• The annexation agreements for Crumland Farm and Thatcher/COPT do not adequately address sewer, schools and fire and rescue services.

The agreements note that the county will provide sewer, schools, and fire/EMS services, but the city did not work with the county to develop a plan or agreements to provide those facilities and services. These are essential services and expensive public investments that should not be dismissed as a responsibility of (and problem for) future elected officials in the city and county.

The Frederick Board of County Commissioners today posted a new webpage on the Frederick County Government website — http://www.co.frederick.md.us/annexations. The new page provides public information materials related to the recent annexations of the Crumland Farm and Thatcher properties by City of Frederick elected officials.

The webpage includes comments from Board President Jan Gardner, a link to the recent City of Frederick letter to registered voters, the Board’s letter in opposition to the annexations, links to the actual annexations, letters from the State Highway Administration and Division of Fire & Rescue Services, links to a recent broadcast of WFMD’s Frederick Forum, information on locations to sign a citizen petition regarding the annexations and a sample petition. Additional links will be added in the coming weeks.

The main link for the new page will be on the Board’s webpage at http://www.co.frederick.md.us/bocc, and a homepage “newsflash” will provide easy access to the site. In addition, the link will be periodically referenced on the county’s Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/FrederickCoMD) and Facebook (http://www.co.frederick.md.us/facebook) pages.

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This media advisory is also distributed to the following: Frederick Board of County Commissioners, Board of Education, Frederick County Congressional Delegation, Frederick County State Delegation, municipal officials and staff, those listed on the Frederick County Government organizational chart, BOCC Executive Assistants, County Manager’s Office and others who are interested in county issues.

*All county employee e-mail*

Robin Santangelo
Public Information Officer
Frederick County Government
12 East Church Street
Frederick, MD 21701
301-600-2590, FAX 301-600-1050

Last Saturday, on WFMD‘s “Frederick’s Forum,” host Katherine Heerbrandt discussed the controversial northern annexations with Jim Racheff and county commissioners Jan Gardner and Kai Hagen.

The entire two hours (considerably less, actually, without the news breaks and ads) can be heard online, in two separate audio streams or podcasts.

First hour: http://tinyurl.com/nbppvc

Second hour: http://tinyurl.com/lk3jkc

The conversation was lively, with callers such as Mayor Holtzinger and Alderman Alan Imhoff (both supporters of the annexations).

Katherine Heerbrandt

“It’s up to us”
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=95379

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Frederick News Post
September 18, 2009
by Katherine Heerbrandt

Heating up
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=95395

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Frederick News Post
Letter to the Editor
September 13, 2009

Test of wills
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?StoryID=95165

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Frederick News Post
Editorial
September 11, 2009

Grass-roots democracy
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=95098

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Gazette
Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

Commissioner helping to ready for referendum
Aldermen vote to annex more than 500 acres into city limits
http://www.gazette.net/stories/09102009/frednew155752_32524.shtml

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Frederick News Post
September 9, 2009

Annexation opponents getting organized
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=94987

Please bookmark or subscribe to the blog, and return regularly for new information, images and maps, links to news articles, columns and letters to the editor, updates on the petition drive, and opportunities to help in this important, but daunting, effort.

If the massive signature-gathering effort is successful, there will be a period for campaigning (by both sides) before a vote (to be scheduled) in the city, and this blog will continue to provide information through the campaign and the referendum vote.

City to grow by more than 500 acres
Aldermen vote Thursday to annex three properties
http://www.gazette.net/stories/09042009/

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Frederick News Post
September 04, 2009

City approves annexations
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=94804

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Frederick News Post
September 02, 2009

Mayor defends annexations against county officials
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=94697

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Frederick News Post
August 31, 2009

City Notes — Reaching the 11th hour
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=94471

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Frederick News Post
August 30, 2009

Proposed city annexations ill-conceived, irresponsible
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=94524

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Frederick News Post
Letter to the Editor
August 28, 2009

Annexation angst
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_lte.htm?StoryID=94438

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Frederick News Post
Letter to the Editor
August 27, 2009

Still a chance to thwart sprawl
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=94374

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Frederick News Post
August 26, 2009

Commissioners united against city annexations
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=94329

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Gazette
Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009

Commissioner challenges private meetings on annexations
Aldermen say they have clear conscience; no campaign benefits from closed-door talks
http://www.gazette.net/stories/08202009/frednew132502_32533.shtml

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Frederick News Post
August 20, 2009

Final annexation approval imminent
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=94089

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Frederick News Post
August 17, 2009

City Notes — Down on the farm
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=93889

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Gazette
Thursday, July 9, 2009
by Paul Gordon

Annexation should wait until city resolves ignored problems
http://www.gazette.net/stories/07092009/fredcol153940_32522.shtml

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Gazette
Thursday, July 2, 2009

Frederick leaders defend proposed annexations
Mayor, aldermen say growth is part of city’s plan, destiny
http://www.gazette.net/stories/07022009/frednew143448_32526.shtml

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Frederick News Post
June 29, 2009

City Notes — No help in sight
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/reporters_notebooks_display.htm?StoryID=91995

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Frederick News Post
June 24, 2009

County seeks more control over city annexations
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=91825

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Frederick News Post
June 09, 2009

City of Frederick’s planning commission recommends major additions to city limits
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=91222

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Frederick News Post
May 06, 2009

Frederick City annexations raise concerns about environment
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=89881