Myers
annexation drops 350 houses from plan
By James Rada Jr.
News Editor
THURMONT,
Md. – After announcing a revision to his original annexation
request for the Myers Farm north of Thurmont, developer Tom
Hudson has submitted his revised annexation request to the Town
of Thurmont.
“The
proposal is the same proposal I presented in November but
without the residential,” Hudson said.
Though 188 acres is still being requested for annexation,
only 50.5 acres would be developed as commercial space.
“It’s
a moving target for the actual square footage, but it won’t
be anymore than 445,000 square feet, probably less,”
Hudson said.
The revised proposal
points out that although some people are asking for firm answers
to certain questions, they are “Answers to which are
typically provided after a rigorous civil engineering review
that is integral part of the Town’s subdivision entitlement
process. Additionally, this same entitlement process is also
a key component of determining whether or not a proposed project
complies with the Town’s Adequate Public Facilities
Ordinance (“APFO”). It is critical to remember
that this is only the first step in a long approval process
– not the last.”
Without the houses
in the proposal, the town won’t receive the millions
of dollars in impact fees and additional fees that were based
on house construction.
The project would
still include:
* A wastewater treatment plant built to Maryland’s enhanced
nutrient removal standards.
* Its own water capacity or up to $500,000 for the purchase
of water capacity.
* $45,000 to the Thurmont Lions Club for its trolley trail
rehabilitation project.
* Up to $50,000 to reimburse the town its costs associated
with review and approval of the annexation.
* $50,000 for the planning related to an industrial parkway
north of Thurmont.
“We will
still have to build a treatment plant, but it will be a more-expensive
proposition,” Hudson said.
This is because
the 350 houses in the original project accounted for 70 percent
of the plant’s capacity.
“Just because
we need only one-third of the capacity doesn’t mean
we can scale it back to one third. There are certain fixed
costs we will still have for it, but maybe it won’t
be quite as big a hurdle,” Hudson said.
Participation
in the industrial bypass is a new element to the proposal
as well. The proposal states, “The ultimate build out
of this proposed annexation project coupled with the potential
construction of the Industrial Parkway may require another
Route 15 interchange. The applicant is wiling to dedicate
the land necessary for an interchange at this property (which
accounts for a significant portion of the total cost of an
interchange) and is willing to work with the State, County,
and Town to do whatever possible to ensure that an interchange
is built.”
Hudson said he
wanted to participate in the parkway because “It has
been coming up consistently that people want to get the truck
traffic out of town.”
With
the revised plan in hand, the town commissioners and planning
and zoning commission can reconsider the potential annexation.
At this point, the project is not on the agenda for either
group.
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