EMMITSBURG, Md. – Though residents haven’t
heard much about it of late, the Town of Emmitsburg is still
working toward establishing an adequate public facilities
ordinance.
The
draft of the town’s APFO was last changed in November,
but since then other planning items like the comprehensive
plan and the sign ordinance have taken front and center.
However, as those items get wrapped up, the town will get
back to working on an APFO.
“My
goal is to see Emmitsburg adopt an APFO,” Commissioner
Bill O’Neil said. “It’s going to be great
if we can do that this year.”
The
APFO is a growth management tool for the town that establishes
tests in various areas to make sure needed public services
and infrastructure are in place to handle new growth. The
way the APFO’s purpose is defined in the ordinance
is “with the intent that new residential, industrial
and other development take place in accordance with the
Town of Emmitsburg Comprehensive Plan and the Capital Improvements
Program and to ensure that adequate public facilities and
services are available concurrent with new development so
that orderly development and growth can occur.”
“You
shouldn’t build new if you haven’t taken care
of the old,” O’Neil said.
Some
of the tests that are currently in the APFO include roads,
water supply, school capacity, sewerage disposal, recreational
facilities and emergency services.
“We’re
looking more at sewer, water, streets parks-some of our
major issues we have total control over,” Mayor Jim
Hoover said.
Frederick
County has an APFO and so do some other municipalities,
such as Thurmont. Frederick City is in the process of fine
tuning an APFO that will be adopted there.
Hoover,
who credits O’Neil with spearheading the effort to
create a town APFO said the town, “Bought into it
because recognize that the county is leaning in the direction
that they want all municipalities to have an APFO.”
He
said the big advantage is that it creates a uniform set
of policies and rules before growth ever comes. In this
way, developers know whether their projects can move forward
and what amount of improvement to the public infrastructure
they would have to make before it could move forward.
Hoover
cautions that the APFO needs to be carefully written to
balance the needs of the town and the developers. “If
not properly written, it could be very difficult to build,”
Hoover said.
“Growth
is going to happen,” O’Neil said. “My
thing is let’s keep it to 3 percent a year.”
