FREDERICK, Md. — Preservationists predicted a flood of controversial development projects in coming years near the scenic Sugarloaf Mountain in Frederick County, Maryland after the County Council voted 5-2 Tuesday to reject an additional zoning overlay. The regulatory tool would have restricted specific types of development, including data centers.
But a number of council members pointed our that current zoning is already protecting the area, and a workgroup studying data centers for the county has not completed its analysis.
Councilmember MC Keegan-Ayer said the community around Sugarloaf doesn’t need more restrictions.
"Growth is what keeps Frederick County vibrant, energized alive and dynamic," Keegan-Ayer said before casting her vote. "It's what keeps us going."
Preservationist Steve Black, president of the Sugarloaf Alliance, issued a warning in the wake of the vote.
"The county council had an opportunity to put out this fire while it was still just smoldering out, it's going to turn into a bonfire of development, and the community is going to have to be constantly fighting this for years to come to try to keep that bonfire under control," Black said.
The proposed restrictions would have created a special zoning overlay on 20,000 acres around the 3,000-acre mountain preserve that dominates views in the region.
Black is already fighting a 2,100-acre proposed data center project in the shadow of the mountain. He pointed out opponents have beaten back ideas for everything from a gun range to a mega church, as developers sought zoning exemptions.
But councilmembers who rejected more restrictions said zoning around Sugarloaf, updated in 2022, is already the most restrictive in the county.
Stronghold Incorporated, the private nonprofit that owns the mountain preserve, also opposed more restrictions, because they said it might have impacted the property’s operations and maintenance.
“Stronghold Incorporated is grateful to the five county council members who voted the right way on the Sugarloaf Overlay," the organization said in a written statement. "This will allow us to continue our mission of preservation of Sugarloaf Mountain as Gordon Strong originally intended."