Preservation Maryland

Draft Sugarloaf Area Plan Available for Public Comment

08/12/2021
By Elly Colmers Cowan

The Livable Frederick Planning and Design Office recently announced that the Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan First Draft is available for public review. The Plan seeks to preserve rural character and scenic features, protect environmental resources, and improve landscape quality in the Sugarloaf Mountain area. This area plan is an aspect of the County’s Livable Frederick Master Plan, in which, through our Smart Growth Maryland program, Preservation Maryland worked to ensure the inclusion of preservation and smart growth priorities. Livable Frederick is a blueprint for how and where the county will grow, conserve, and preserve in the coming decades. The county will host two virtual open houses to present the draft plan and to invite public comments and questions.

As one of the fastest-growing counties in Maryland, Frederick County loses hundreds of farmland and forest acres to development each year, so responsibly directing growth is crucial to fostering a sustainable future. Smart Growth Maryland played an active role advocating for smart growth and preservation priorities to be included in Livable Frederick, and through our work leading the Smarter Growth Alliance of Frederick County, we helped to ensure that preserving the past is part of Frederick County’s future. The Sugarloaf Treasured Landscape Management Plan reflects the county’s long-range vision for the Sugarloaf area and anticipates actions, both public and private, to achieve that vision.