Mega Church Appeal Hearing January 20th, 1pm!

Montgomery County Loses over 900 acres of farm and forest land each year!

 

 

To All: 

The Frederick County Board of Appeals has determined to hold a special hearing on case B-09-16  on Wednesday,  January 20^th starting at 1PM on the 1^st  Floor Hearing Room at 12 E. Church St. [Winchester Hall] in Frederick.  The special hearing will continue to 11PM.   If additional time for testimony is needed the case will be resumed as determined by the Board. 

   Groups wishing to be   recognized   should   submit   to the Zoning Administrator by December 28, 2009 a notarized copy of its bylaws and officers.  Groups and individuals  wishing to speak must signup on the list to be provided outside the hearing room on January 20th.   Comments for the Board’s consideration in this case should be forwarded  by December 28, 2009 for inclusion in the Board’s information packet to Rick Brace at Frederick County Zoning Administration, 12 E. Church St. Frederick MD 21701 or rbrace@frederickcountymd.gov , including in the subject line “  B-09-16”. Comments will be received as well at the hearing.  The Board of Appeals will require reasonable time limits on presentations in order to efficiently review all applications; public comments will be limited to four (4) minutes  for individuals and ten (10) minutes for bonafide organizations.  The Chairman may extend these time limits upon good cause shown.   Presentations and exhibits used in the hearing become  items the County will retain; no digital presentations [i.e.  PowerPoint]  may be used, only foam-core or cardboard mounted graphics may be used.   

Those wishing to have transcripts  made will need to make their own arrangements.  Persons requiring special accommodations for the public hearing are requested to contact the County Manager’s Office at 301-600-1100 (TTY: Use Maryland Relay) to make arrangements no later than three (3) business days prior to the meeting.

For more information on the Board of Appeals please visit at :    http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/index.aspx?NID=176 

Videos of the Board’s past hearings may be viewed at:      http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/media/

For more information please call at 301-600-2940.

Rick Brace
Principal Planner
(v) 301-600-2940

  Note new email:    rbrace@FrederickCountyMD.gov  

Global Mission has filed their appeal to the Frederick County Board of Zoning Appeals. 

(Take Note:   GMC proposes to use a residence it owns on Dr. Perry Road to satisfy access issues.  This is an outrageous notion that results  in another crossing through wooodland,  over floodplain and Little Bennett!  Is there no end to the insult to the community and the environment from GMC?)

 

With regard to their appeal, GMC’s approach seems to be to complain about every aspect of the Planning Board  Process and the manner in which the Health Department and Fire and Safety staff made their decisions regarding the mega project.  Their filing is not available from the Board of Appeals electronically – However, we can email it to you – contact:  info@mocoalliance.org . 

 

 Hearing Location:

Winchester Hall
12 E Church St.
Frederick, MD 21701

Ph: (301) 600-1138

Fax: (301) 600-2054

 

 We’ll need a good showing at the hearing and many letters in advance to be in the record.  The entire record from the Planning Board will be sent to the BOA – however, we are advised to treat this as square one. 

Action Items:

• sign up to speak at the Board of Zoning Appeals meeting  December 17th at 7pm, Winchester Hall  If you live adjacent to Global Mission Church’s property your testimony has tremendous value as you have “standing”.  Sample letters are available at http://www.stopthemegachurch.com/
• write a letter to the Board of Zoning Appeals RBrace@FrederickMD.gov, copy Planning Commission Chair Catherine Forrence PlanningandZoning@FrederickCountyMD.gov and BOCC President Jan Gardner  jgardner@FrederickCountyMD.gov (Please share a copy with MCA at info@mocoalliance.org
• write letters to the editor of the Gazette http://www.gazette.net/gazetteinfo/opinion.shtml or the Frederick News Post http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/customer_service/letters_to_the_editor.htm

Please write Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett as well:
ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov

And Copy  Montgomery County Council. 
They need to hear from us with regard to the lack of process (public hearings etc. in Montgomery).

Letter should be sent to the BOA as soon as possible regarding the relevant issues including:

Mega size and associated septic needs in excess of the restriction to 4999/gallons per day.  (Remember:  Global Mission tries to hide their daily attendance by saying ” no more than _____ people at any one time of the day.”)  That is not how septic capacity is calculated.  It is the total occupancy for the day.  Moreover, the 2 acre sand mound septic system sits very near steep slope with Little Bennett Creek below - and atop highly fractured geology created by extreme tectonic forces that resulted in greater probability of contamination to groundwater and watershed.

 Access to the property:  The property is ridiculously challenged topographically and with regard to it’s being surrounded by highly valued Little Bennett watershed.  The land upon which they would build the mega church and place a 2 acre septic system is 210 feet above Little Bennett Creek and wetlands and rustic Old Hundred Road.  The ability to access the site in case of emergency could be virtually impossible depending on the circumstances of the event.

Master Plans Under Fire:  This project (nearly 140,000 square feet) is an affront to both counties’ master plans calling for farmland and open space preservation.  It is a violation of the plans (5) that call for all or part of the parcel to be aquired for greenways inventory – parkland connecting both counties and protecting Little Bennett.  Ask that the property be aquired.  Ask that GMC be assisted in their establishing this huge, mega church in a properly zoned area within the water/sewer service area:  not on septic and not with well water drawing from the Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer!

Little Bennett deserves protection!

Mega Church = Mega Concerns 

*Impact of huge 85 ft tall structure on rural landscape, farm land and view from Sugarloaf *Increased traffic on rustic roads, congestion at I 270 Old Hundred Road interchange
*Unenforceable conditions such as septic capacity not to exceed 4,999 gallons per day 
*Lights intruding on night sky
*Huge impervious footprint
*Potential for considerable expansion on this parcel
*Loss of forested buffer and habitat 
*Degredation from road runoff and 2 acre septic system above steep slope and atop fractured geology on Little Bennett watershed and the Piedmont Sole Source Aquifer
*violation of MC Master Plan that calls for inclusion of the land in the Little Bennett greenways inventory.
*lack of comprehensive review of the project in Montgomery County
*lack of public process in Montgomery County
*landlocked nature of parcel and need for proper access for fire and rescue – first reponders are in  Montgomery County.

  

Sugarloaf Country Deserves Protection!

  

 What this is about:  Land use:  public health and safety, resource, environmental, public planning issues.

What this is not about:  Right to worship, freedom of religion, abridgement of property rights.

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Acres of mature forestland to be cleared and graded for entrance roadway and bridge. Sugarloaf Mountain Vista: Forever altered? 
Degradation to Little Bennett and the drinking water aquifer?   Click to enlarge Map… 

  
Action Needed:  The Stop the Mega Church coalition asks that residents and groups write to      

both Montgomery County           

Council and Frederick County

Board of Commissioners and

press for inclusion of this site in

the greenways (parkland)

inventory.  Ask them to make all

necessary adjustments to zoning

requirements in concert with the

 area master plans, to prevent

institutional uses of these mega

scale.  Frederick Co. should

move forward with a zoning text amendment that will limit the size

of institutional uses.  (Take Further Note:  A Large Mosque complex is in the early stages of pursuing a project on…OLD HUNDRED ROAD!  Nothing has beeen filed yet…but it shows that the zoning must support the master plan in Frederick- These institutional uses must be subject to size restrictions.  We will provide information as it becomes available.)

 

Montgomery County’s lack of public notice and partcipation in this case has been shameful.  Montgomery County residents should press that public hearings regarding the road and bridge and use be

conducted. 

 

 Click on these links for more:

Frederick Co. Staff Report:  Recommends Denial! 

 

Frederick Co. Board of Appeals:  Information 

 

 Background:

 

Global Mission Church, now on Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring, is proposing to build 3.5 miles from Sugarloaf Mountain on pristine watershed and productive farm land, a mega church, 138,000 sq ft., 85 ft tall, 2 acre sand mound septic on slope above high quality Little Bennett watershed, expansive parking lot, 1,160 seat sanctuary and 500 seat dining hall, and multi-purpose hall. This phase 1 building complex has capacity for nearly 6000 people. Access is only from Montgomery County off of Old Hundred Rd, a designated Rustic Road.  The Clarksburg Master Plan calls for the property to be included in the Little Bennett greenways inventory!  Why were there no public hearings in Montgomery County?  How does this plan comply with Montgomery’s and Frederick’s master plans calling for this area to be preserved farmland and open space?

See Frederick Co. Planning Board site  for more information, including information of their master plan process. 

  

  

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Please let us know if you can help with research regarding the current Global Mission facility in Silver Spring as well as the history of the parcel upon which they plan to build in Montgomery/Frederick.  A strong, fact based opposition is an excellent defense against a lawsuit from the applicant, or offense if we file suit.

 

Sugarloaf Citizens’ Association                 
Friends of Frederick County
Sierra Club of Montgomery County
Montgomery Countryside Alliance
Friends of Little Bennett
Audubon Naturalist Society
Sugarloaf Regional Trails
Town of Barnesville
Sugarloaf Conservancy
Stronghold Foundation
Town of Dickerson
Boyds Civic Association
Thurston – 109 Regional Citizens Coalition

Residents of Dr. Perry Road
Catoctin Sierra Club
Montgomery County League of Women Voters
For A Rural Montgomery

 

Thank you so much for your action!

Stop The Mega Church Coalition 

 

 

 

Gaithersburg West Density: Unreasonable

Two residents ask for reasonable limits to the scale of the Gaithersburg West proposed “Science City” and answer the oft lodged charge that those in opposition are “NIMBYS.”

See: 

http://www.gazette.net/stories/09302009/montlet173118_32528.shtml

County’s recycling program expanded

 

Great News from Montgomery County!!

Effective September 21, 2009, Montgomery County’s recycling program expanded to accept a number of additional items!!

Commingled Materials (these are the materials which go into your blue bin)

 

 Tupperware™ or Rubbermaid™-type durable reusable plastic containers and lids

• Non-hazardous aerosol cans (whipped topping; spray cooking oil; deodorant; hair spray; shaving cream) and caps – note: aerosol cans must be emptied before recycling

 

Mixed Paper Items (include the following paper materials in your wheeled mixed paper recycling cart, or place into a small paper bag or a small cardboard box with a secure lid, or bundle)

• Milk and juice cartons (remove plastic caps from milk and juice cartons)
• Frozen food boxes (frozen vegetables and meals)
• Cardboard ice cream containers and lids
• Paper coffee and beverage cups
• Fruit and produce boxes (wax-coated)
• Juice and drink boxes

For More Information see:

 

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/
News/Blog/solidwasteBlog.asp?blogID=2&blogItemID=479

 

 

Also:  Mark Your Calendars!

 

FALL WORKSHOP SERIES:  Greening Your Home & Yard

 

Audubon Naturalist Society (ANS) and the Green Building Institute (GBI) have teamed up to create a five-part workshop series that will be offered at the ANS headquarters in Chevy Chase, MD, this fall. The workshops, listed below, will take place on Wednesday evenings from 7-9 p.m. beginning October 7 and ending November 4.

 

October 7   Ten New Ways to Green Your Home - Instructor – Green Architect Stan Sersen

October 14   Intro to Green Building Materials and Products – Instructor – Jason Holstine, Owner, Amicus Green Building Center

October 21   Creating Your Own Year-Round Vegetable Garden – Instructor – Kit Gage, President, Takoma Park Horticultural Society

October 28   Harvesting and Harnessing Rainwater at Home – Instructor – Paul Bassett, Sustainability Director, Water Management Inc.

November 4   How to Build a Rain Garden – Instructors – Diane Cameron, ANS Conservation Program Director and Jenny Reed, Owner, Natural Resources Design Inc.

 

The first workshop, “Ten New Ways to Green Your Home,” will be taught by noted green architect and GBI founder Stanley Sersen. The workshop’s opening night on October 7 will feature a reception from 6-7 p.m., which will be open to the public. Councilmember Roger Berliner, who represents District 1 (Bethesda/Chevy Chase/Potomac) will speak about home energy conservation rebates and other environmental and energy initiatives. Workshop presenter Stan Sersen will also speak briefly at the reception about his vision for a regenerative green economy. Refreshments will include a birthday cake for Stan!

 

Workshop fees are very reasonable! A single workshop costs only $40 for members of either GBI or ASN, while a non-member pays $55. Members of either GBI or ANS will pay $160 for the entire series, and non-members pay $200.

 

Registration form is available at . If you have questions, call GBI’s Lisa McDowell at 443-733-1234. Or contact ANS Conservation Director, Diane Cameron, at dcameron@audubonnaturalist.org or at 301-652-9188 x22.http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/

 

 

 

 

Science City or Sprawling Mess?

Science City or Sprawling Mess?

The National Institutes of Health in Bethesda is one of the largest employers in Montgomery County. It’s so big, it has its own Metro stop. County lawmakers are now reviewing planning and zoning changes that would allow a science-focused development on a similar scale in an area west of Gaithersburg – anchored by Johns Hopkins University. But the nearest Metro stop is four miles away. Matt Bush reports on how residents, politicians, planners and the school are battling over what some are calling an impending traffic nightmare.

See link for more:  http://wamu.org/programs/mc/09/09/25.php

 

 

Support HR 1912 the “Complete America’s Great Trails Act”

Contact your Representative and encourage them to support HR 1912, the “Complete America’s Great Trails Act” -

The Complete America’s Great Trails Act would provide a tax credit to private landowners who grant conservation easements to National Scenic Trails. Private landowners would have a new incentive to allow trail users to pass through their property, and establish a guaranteed corridor that protects the continuity of the trails.

During these challenging financial times, it is important to mention that HR 1912 requires no direct spending from the federal government, provides a significant tax break to land owners, and helps ensure that America continues to benefit from our incredible trail resources.

See link below for how you can help:

http://www.americantrails.org/NewsAction/Complete-America-Great-Trails-Act-2009.html

No Child Left Inside

With Children now back in school - Don’t forget the invaluable lessons learned from nature, outdoors.  See:

http://www.nwf.org/news/story.cfm?pageId=CA3BDF3E-5056-A868-A0A176C5FB74B49E