Miller’s Farm Development Proposal (51 new homes at 9579 & 9617 Frederick Rd)
Meeting Info: Monday, July 7 at 6:00 PM Miller Branch Library, Avalon Room As many of you know, a developer is proposing to build 51 single-family homes on the land at 9579 and 9617 Frederick Road, right next to our neighborhood. There will be a pre-submission community meeting on Monday, July 7 at 6:00 PM at Miller Branch Library. This meeting may be the first and only chance the community has to directly ask the developer questions before they formally submit plans to Howard County.
Some things to consider raising at this meeting:
How large will the lots be? Are they consistent with R-20 zoning (2 units/acre)?
Will this lead to a push for higher density? Could the developer (or county) request zoning changes or special exceptions down the line?
What will the entrance/exit points be? Will there be direct access to Frederick Road?
Will it impact traffic? Will the added traffic volume trigger a need for a traffic light or road expansion on Frederick Road?
Will stormwater run-off increase? How will the development handle drainage and protect nearby streams and properties from flooding?
What kind of green space is planned? Will there be usable parks, walking paths, or just buffer zones?
School zoning impacts? Will this increase enrollment pressure on already crowded schools?
Is the developer asking for any modifications or waivers to zoning requirements, such as setbacks or lot size minimums?
Again, this is our opportunity to ask for transparency and ensure the developer hears community priorities before filing anything official with the County.
Please consider bringing a friend or neighbor from other nearby communities. Although Gray Rock Farm borders the property, we are not the only ones affected! A strong turnout shows that our community is informed and engaged.
Hey Brian -
Thanks for doing some of the dirty work here! Sounds like a careful conversation from their point of view, but I think you got a lot of very useful information. Schools: As you mention, NES is full CLES is even more over, so I'm not sure where the elementary and middle school kids are going to go. See this post - https://www.clespta.org/advocacy. DMS and BMMS are also both significantly over and will be for awhile if existing boundaries stay. See page 68 and 74, and of the "2025 Educational Facilities Master Plan" https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/files/DHRPKW64EFD9/$file/06%2026%202025%20EFMP%20ACTION%20BR.pdf. Oddly, the same doc shows declining attendance for CHS. These numbers seem a little out of sync with DPZ numbers, and I believe the school's re-zoning proposal will be out in July. I'm not sure which numbers to trust (probably neither). More to come here, I bet.
Connections: Also encouraged that the county appears to want to limit the number of intersections on Frederick road. I think this is probably the best we can hope for. If they don't want a dead end intersection for a new development, it seems unlikely a cut through from Dairy Valley to Frederick Road would be viable either. I am not sure what this means for the intersection of Gray Rock and Frederick roads, as it that seems like it would put even more pressure on it. As much as I don't love the options for increasing the capacity for that intersection, that left turn out of GRF will become even more treacherous with 51 more people trying to get in and out each day. Developers: In general, I agree - this land will be developed one way or another, and it sounds like some of the early signs are that this is going as well as it could in terms of a developer who wants to build house similar to the existing neighborhood. I would love to see them use all those trees they planted where the corn used to be to populate the front yards of a neighborhood (which was maybe a clever plan from the start).
Hope to see folks
Thanks,
Dan