Failed Septic or Development
Next week, Robert and Mary Shoemaker’s lot on Devilbiss Bridge Road will be before the Frederick County Planning Commission. The Frederick County Division of Community Development will be requesting, on behalf of the Shoemakers, a change in sewer service designation. The Frederick County Health Department “indicated that a connection to the public sewer system is warranted due to the existence of shallow depth to limestone bedrock, multiple rock outcroppings, and insufficient space for a replacement septic system on the property.”
Currently designated as Planned Service, they request a change to S3 – Preliminary Design Phase. The S3 designation provides three years for plans to connect to the sewer to be approved.
The Division of Community Development already has a plan to connect to the sewer. According to their report to the Planning Commission, “an existing 8-inch County sewer service line is present in Sandstone Drive, directly south of the subject property and will be extended to serve the dwelling.”
The 0.91 acres lot, which abuts the Town of Walkersville, is currently zoned Agricultural, but Frederick County’s Comprehensive Plan identifies it as Low Density Residential. The property is adjacent to the small piece of land on which former County Commissioner David Gray lives and developed not so long ago.
A single house occupies the lot which is about eighty feet wide and three-hundred fifty feet deep. Mr. and Mrs. Shoemaker do not live on the property; according to tax records it is not a primary residence.
Last year, the property sold for $25,000 to the Shoemakers. The property was advertised as “being sold as a building lot. The property is perc approved and has an existing well. We are researching the availability of public water and natural gas hook-up. Seller is willing to demo the old tenant house with an acceptable offer.”
While the submission to the Planning Commission makes no reference to a planned development, the property’s designation and its advertised purpose provide for opportunity to develop the property. With the Low Density Residential designation, the property could be re-zoned to allow up to three homes on the property.
