FREDERICK, Md. – Frederick County leaders voted down a landscape management plan that would have governed Sugarloaf Mountain and the surrounding area.
People on both sides of this debate want the same thing – to protect Frederick County’s natural resources. They just disagree on how to go about it.
The owners of Sugarloaf Mountain had threatened to close their property to the public if Frederick County insisted on including them in this plan.
The initial goal of the Sugarloaf area plan was to limit harmful land uses, like mega churches, multi-day festivals and commercial logging in this sensitive area.
Advocates of the plan argued that zoning laws are necessary for preservation.
Opponents say the initial boundaries expanded too far and that the proposed “Overlay District” encroaches on their property rights. They note that the land is already zoned “Resource Conservation” – the most restrictive.
Two councilmembers were ready to approve the plan. Others wanted to …