Sugarloaf Alliance

Sugarloaf Alliance Comments to Frederick Co., Planning Commission

on the

"Investing in Workers and Workplaces" (IW2) Plan

Submitted July 4, 2025

 

Where is the analysis?

​

This planning effort was initiated in May of 2024 with the first meeting of the advisory committee composed primarily of land developers and other real estate interests.  Most of the group’s  discussion was based on the presumption that the County has inadequate land for commercial/ industrial (C/I) development. Real estate interests suggested that the County C/I assessable base is only 22% and that it should be at least 28%. Where was the unbiased analysis? The committee’s majority consensus (not unanimous) was that the only effective way to increase the C/I tax base share is to rezone 8,000 to 10,000 greenfield acres to C/I zoning. Where was the analysis?  

​

Over 100 pages of Power Point presentations were shared with the committee on economic development, tax based analysis, work force development, demographics, housing, construction permitting, agricultural preservation, public water and sewer availability and mapping of targeted areas.  But in 6 meetings over the next 2 months the presumed shortage of C/I land was the main focus of the advisory committee. 

​

The draft of the IW2 Plan presented to the Planning Commission on June 18 included no obvious reference to the 100 pages of information (available on the County’s website) presented to the advisory group.  Although the Planning Commission members (and later, County Council members) can access that background information, the June 18 presentation did not include this context which is essential to their decisions:

​

C/I land analysis

1. How much C/I land exists in the County?

2. How much C/I land is currently in use, how much remains, what is the vacancy rate?

3. What is the rate of consumption of C/I land?

 

How is the C/I land being used, and do these uses correspond with the County’s economic development goals?

1. To what degree will the land involved in “municipal reconciliation” address the County’s economic development needs and goals?

 

CDI overlay impact

1. What is the impact of the addition of the “Eastalco” overlay zone with its initial predicted development of 16 million square feet of data centers (Sage)? This could double to 32 million square feet with the projected overlay zone expansion.

2. Will the “Eastalco” project dominate the County economy? Will it make Frederick County the “data center capital of the State of Maryland”?

 

Work force analysis

1. What is the size of the County workforce?

2. What is the participation rate, do we have sufficient additional workers to expand C/I development?

3. What is the quality of the workforce to match future economic development?

4. Do we need new training/educational programs to match our economic development objectives?

 

Housing, transportation, and school analysis

1. Do we have sufficient housing for the County’s future workforce?

2. Where and how does the transportation system need to be modified to accommodate future economic development?

3. How will proposed increases in the County’s resident workforce affect school capacity?

 

Fiscal considerations

1. As noted in the Data Center Work Group report, should the County impose a business personal property tax on data centers in order to stay competitive with surrounding jurisdictions and provide relief to residential and other business tax payers?

2. Would the additional business personal property tax revenue from the data centers negate the IW2 assertion of the need to rezone the 8,000 to 10,000 acres of greenfields to C/I?

3. Are the County and State providing tax reductions, grants and other business attraction incentives to data centers and other C/I developments that will reduce potential added tax revenues?