Frederick County leaders vote down Sugarloaf Mountain zoning rules

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 see a smaller area subject to protection, to have flexibility for the future. 

Members of the Sugarloaf Alliance say there have been ideas floated to explore data centers in parts of the overlay area. 

They were disappointed that council also failed to pass an amendment that would ban data centers in the Sugarloaf area. 

The owner of Sugarloaf Mountain, Stronghold Incorporated, had fought to be excluded from county zoning plans. Stronghold argued it has preserved the mountain and made it accessible to the Public for decades without county funds and said they wanted to work to conserve the land free from government intrusion. 

For now, the Sugarloaf plan as a vision for preservation of the area remains, but it does not have any zoning law to back it up. 

Frederick County has a data center working group that will eventually offer recommendations on their development and placement in the county.