Acknowledgements This Plan was prepared by the Staff and Planning Commissioners of the Town of Smithsburg, Maryland and serves as an update to the 2008 Smithburg Comprehensive Plan. Information was also provided by Jakubiak and Associates, Inc. as part of the 2008 Comprehensive Plan update and incorporated into this document as needed. The input and comments of citizens, municipal officials, and other groups and organizations are gratefully acknowledged. Smithsburg Planning Commission Mayor and Council Gregory White, Chairperson Mildred Myers, Mayor Bob Davis, Member Donnie Sounders, Council Vice- President Paul Gyurisin, Member Shirley Aurand, Councilwoman Dee Hockensmith, Member Troy Jernigan, Councilman Jon Snyder, Member Tyler Lushbaugh, Councilman Jerome Martin, Ex-officio Jerome Martin, Councilman Town Staff Jill Baker, Town Planner Randy Dick, Development Administrator Betsy Martin, Town Clerk/Treasurer Nancy Walzl, Assistant Town Clerk/Treasurer Dedication This document is dedicated to Mr. Harold Boyer. His tireless efforts in this community as an educator, councilman, planning commissioner, volunteer, and friend will be sorely missed but never forgotten. Smithsburg Comprehensive Plan 2011 i Adopted February 7, 2012 Resolution of Adoption Smithsburg Comprehensive Plan 2011 ii Adopted February 7, 2012 Table of Contents Acknowledgements.............................................................................................................. i Resolution of Adoption....................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents...............................................................................................................iii Article 1 – Plan Introduction and Existing Conditions Chapter 1 – Plan Introduction......................................................................................1-1 Section 1.1 – Purpose of the 2011 Comprehensive Plan .........................................1-1 Section 1.2 – Legal Basis for the Comprehensive Plan...........................................1-1 Section 1.3 – Evolution of Smithsburg Town Planning ..........................................1-3 Section 1.4 – Plan Organization...............................................................................1-3 Section 1.5 – Location and Physical Characteristics ...............................................1-4 Section 1.6 – Town History .....................................................................................1-4 Chapter 2 – Existing Conditions and Background Data ..............................................2-1 Section 2.1 – Recent and Ongoing Plans and Projects ............................................2-1 Section 2.2 – Demographics and Economics...........................................................2-2 Section 2.3 – Housing Units ....................................................................................2-9 Section 2.4 – Natural Environment........................................................................2-10 Section 2.5 – Land Use ..........................................................................................2-14 Section 2.6 – Historic and Cultural Resources ......................................................2-16 Section 2.7 – Transportation and Circulation ........................................................2-18 Section 2.8 – Community Facilities.......................................................................2-22 Article 2 – Future Conditions Chapter 3 – Municipal Growth Element......................................................................3-1 Section 3.1 – Future Household and Population Growth ........................................3-1 Section 3.2 – Residential Development Capacity Analysis.....................................3-6 Section 3.3 – Non-Residential Development.........................................................3-11 Section 3.4 – Managing New Growth....................................................................3-12 Section 3.5 – Impact on Community Infrastructure and Resources ......................3-13 Section 3.6 – Impacts on Priority Funding Areas..................................................3-18 Chapter 4 – The Land Use Plan ...................................................................................4-1 Section 4.1 - Current Town Land Use .....................................................................4-1 Section 4.2 – Growth Trends ...................................................................................4-2 Section 4.3 – Development Opportunities and Constraints.....................................4-3 Section 4.4 – Future Land Use.................................................................................4-6 Chapter 5 – Water Resources Element ........................................................................5-1 Section 5.1 – Drinking Water ..................................................................................5-1 Section 5.2 – Wastewater Treatment .......................................................................5-6 Section 5.3 – Non-Point Source Analysis..............................................................5-12 Section 5.4 – Total Nutrient Loads and Assimilative Capacity.............................5-13 Article 3 – Plan Recommendations and Implementation Chapter 6 – Policies, Objectives and Actions..............................................................6-1 Section 6.1 – A Town That Values Environmental Preservation ............................6-2 Section 6.2 - A Town that is Formed by the Natural Landscape.............................6-4 Section 6.3 – A Town that has Preserved its Essential Character ...........................6-8 Section 6.4 – A Town that has Grown in Balance with its Community Facilities and Services..................................................................................................................6-12 Smithsburg Comprehensive Plan 2011 iii Adopted February 7, 2012 Section 6.5 – A Town that Plans in Concert with Regional Priorities...................6-15 Chapter 7 – Implementation of Recommendations .....................................................7-1 Section 7.1 - Objectives ...........................................................................................7-1 Section 7.2 – Implementation Timetables ...............................................................7-1 Smithsburg Comprehensive Plan 2011 iv Adopted February 7, 2012 Article 1 – Plan Introduction and Existing Conditions Chapter 1 – Plan Introduction Section 1.1 – Purpose of the 2011 Comprehensive Plan This 2011 Comprehensive Plan sets forth policies governing growth, development, and conservation in Smithsburg. This Plan is long-range, general, and comprehensive. Long-range: This plan is forward-looking. It addresses Smithsburg’s future needs through the year 2030. General: This plan does not focus on matters of detail, which can distract from important polices and proposals. To the extent possible, it focuses on the broad arrangements of land use, transportation, sensitive environmental areas, community facilities, and municipal growth. Comprehensive: This plan uncovers relationships between local and regional factors that impact development and conservation. It addresses major elements of the natural and built environments. This Comprehensive Plan expresses basic goals and acts as a guide for the future of Smithsburg. As a guide, this Comprehensive Plan allows Smithsburg to make day-to-day development decisions on the basis of reasoned and adopted policies rather than on the merits of individual proposals. This document—its text, maps, and illustrations—provide the basis for making changes to zoning, subdivision, and other regulations that govern land use and infrastructure development in Smithsburg. Section 1.2 – Legal Basis for the Comprehensive Plan This Plan was developed in accordance with Article 66B – “Planning and Zoning” of the Annotated Code of Maryland. According to Article 66B Section 3.05, “A Planning Commission shall make and approve a plan which the commission shall recommend to the local legislative body for adoption. The Plan shall: (i) Serve as a guide to public and private actions and decisions to insure the development of public and private property in appropriate relationships; and (ii) Include any areas outside of the boundaries of the Plan which, in the planning commission’s judgment, bear relation to the planning responsibilities of the commission.” In addition to the tenets of Article 66B, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation in 1992 known as the Maryland Economic Growth, Resource Protection, and Planning Act (aka “he Planning Act”) that established “visions” for land use development across the State. These “visions” have recently been amended by the “Smart, Green and Smithsburg Comprehensive Plan 2011 Adopted February 7, 2012 1-1 Growing” legislation passed by the MD General Assembly in 2009 (House Bill 294/Senate Bill 273). Under the Planning Act and its successive Smart, Green and Growing amendments, the State visions must be implemented when the Comprehensive Plan is developed. The most current State “visions” are as follows: 1. Quality of Life and Sustainability: A high quality of life is achieved through universal stewardship of the land, water, and air resulting in sustainable communities and protection of the environment; 2. Public Participation: Citizens are active partners in the planning and implementation of community initiatives