The 2023 annual Planning Commission report was approved at the May Commission meeting. The report is prepared pursuant to the requirements of Land Use Article of the Annotated code of Maryland. It provides a summary of all the projects done by the Planning Commission, Board of Appeals and Town staff. It documents all development activity last year and coincides with the Thurmont Master Plan. Town Planner Kelly Duty said that the report is required to be done every year. However, 2023 was the first time Thurmont has done one since 2015.
According to Duty, "It takes a retrospective look at development activity in town and a look at whether it is or isn't consistent to adopted plans. It shows the strengths and weaknesses of the Planning program."
The report shows all the concept plans, preliminary plans, improvement plans, final plans and administrative review plans the Commission performed in 2023. These include the 184 zoning certificates that were issued, including 32 new single-family residences and one commercial building.
The municipal water system shows that the Town survives on five wells, three elevated water storage tanks and one in ground storage tank totaling 580,000 gallons. Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) currently allows 806,000 gallons to be withdrawn per day. The Town has 981 Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU)’s available after considering all existing, currently under development and approved constructions are factored in. One EDU is equal to the amount of water used by one single-family residence. This number also reflects capacity analysis and is in accordance with MDE guidelines.
The wastewater plant is currently operating at 67% of its capacity and when including existing, currently under development and approved constructions it will be operating at 69%. The Town is hoping to increase the wastewater treatment plants' capacity by completing inflow and infiltration projects.
The Town Park system has also made many improvements. East End Park added a new softball field with stadium lighting, pavilion, four dugouts and installed two water fountains in the dog park. The acquisition of Mountain Gate Park was achieved, and the Mountain Gate trail was created. Community Park installed a public address system, security cameras, new sidewalks and fencing and hosted a community tree planting project. Carroll Street Park expanded the parking lot and hosted a community tree planting project.
The Commission discussed focusing on suggested improvements for the Town from the 2022 Master Plan. These included reviewing adequate public facilities, zoning and subdivision ordinances to be compatible with the Master Plan, considering reviewing housing lot requirements for affordable housing options (examples include duplexes and muti family dwellings) and conducting housing and/or traffic studies to understand existing traffic conditions and needs when development proposals are presented. The Commission also considered putting a focus on the development of a downtown development district list of standards to aid the influx of investors in the downtown area.
The report was approved and will be sent to The Maryland Department of Planning for their review.
