The County Council may approve or disapprove a request for rezoning of property to a Planned Development District if persuaded that granting the request is appropriate and serves the public interest. The approval or disapproval of a request for the application will be determined through evaluation of several criteria to establish whether the proposed project meets the purpose and intent of the zoning district. In addition to the requirements in § 1-19-3.110.4, the Planning Commission and County Council must find that the project adequately addresses the following criteria:
(A) The proposed development is compact, employing design principles that result in efficient consumption of land, efficient extension of public infrastructure, and efficient provision of public facilities;
(B) The proposed development design and building siting are in accordance with the County Comprehensive Plan, and any applicable community and corridor plans;
(C) The proposed development is compatible with existing or anticipated surrounding land uses with regard to size, building scale, intensity, setbacks, and landscaping, or the proposal provides for mitigation of differences in appearance or scale through such means as setbacks, screening, landscaping; or other design features in accordance with the County Comprehensive Plan, and any applicable community or corridor plans;
(D) The proposed development provides a safe and efficient arrangement of land use, buildings, infrastructure, and transportation circulation systems. Factors to be evaluated include: connections between existing and proposed community development patterns, extension of the street network; pedestrian connections to, from, and between buildings, parking areas, recreation, and open space;
(E) The transportation system is or will be made adequate to serve the proposed development in addition to existing and pipeline uses in the area. Factors to be evaluated include: roadway capacity, level of service and safety, on-street parking impacts, access requirements, neighborhood and natural resource impacts, projected construction schedule of planned improvements, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and results of travel demand modeling assessing the change in future daily travel volumes, with and without the proposed development;
(F) The proposed development provides design and building placement that optimizes walking, biking, and use of public transit. Factors to be evaluated include: extension of the street network; existing and proposed community development patterns; and pedestrian connections to, from, and between buildings, parking areas, recreation, and open space;
(G) Existing fire and emergency medical service facilities are or will be made adequate to serve the increased demand from the proposed development in addition to existing uses in the area. Factors to be evaluated include: response time, projected schedule of providing planned improvements, bridges, roads, and nature and type of available response apparatus;
(H) Natural features of the site have been adequately considered and protected in the design of the proposed development. Factors to be evaluated include: the relationship of existing natural features to man-made features both on-site and in the immediate vicinity, natural features connectivity, energy efficient site design, use of environmental site design or low impact development techniques in accordance with Chapter 1-15.2 of the Frederick County Code;
(I) The proposed mixture of land uses is consistent with the purpose and intent of the underlying County Comprehensive Plan land use designation(s), and any applicable community or corridor plans;
(J) Planned developments shall be served adequately by public facilities and services. Additionally, increased demand for public facilities, services, and utilities created by the proposed development (including without limitation water, sewer, transportation, parks and recreation, schools, fire and emergency services, libraries, and law enforcement) shall be evaluated as adequate or to be made adequate within established county standards;
(K) Sensitive environmental resources are protected to the maximum extent practicable; and
(L) All efforts have been made to promote the protection, preservation, and integration of historic resources into the planned development through reuse, adaptive use and rehabilitation.
(Ord. 10-26-561, 11-9-2010; Ord. 14-23-678, 11-13-2014; Bill No. 20-07, 8-4-2020)