(11/5) At the November 1st town meeting, leaders of Evasion Thurmont, a group formed following the Thurmont Town Council’s September vote to annex 16.7 acres of farmland into town limits and rezone it high-density residential development, submitted a petition with 1,253 signatures, to the Town Council, all opposed to the annexation.
In accordance to the town charter, Thurmont must put to vote any decision by the Town Council when a petition against the council decision receives signatures of at least 20 percent of registered voters.
As of the town's latest election in 2021, Thurmont has almost 4,529 registered voters, meaning the group needed 905 signatures to meet the 20% criteria. The 1,253 signatures, if all valid represents 27% of Thurmont’s registered voters, providing a sufficient cushion if some of the signatures are deemed invalid.
In collecting more then the mandatory 20%, Evasion Thurmont took no chance for a repeat of the failed efforts of Taneytown residents who, in response to the Taneytown City Council’s vote on July 11 in support of the Sewell Farm annexation, started a petition drive to force a public referendum vote on the annexation. However that group ceased collecting signatures when they gathered approximately 1,000 signatures, the mandatory 20%, however, they did not account for the fact that some of the signers where not registered to vote in the town or duplicates. As a result, when the signatures where validated, a sufficient number of names where thrown out, resulting in that petition failing to meet the required 20%, allowing the annexation to stand and that development to move forward.
Following the submission of the Evasion Thurmont petition, town staff began the process of validating the 1,253 names on it by matching them against the town voter registry. If the final tally of signatures exceeds the 20% minimum, then the annexation will be placed before the residents of Thurmont on special referendum at a future date.
If the petition drive falls short, the development will move forward. The next step in the process will be for the developer to receive approval from the county for the necessary zoning change and only then will the Thurmont Planning and Zoning Commission finalize development plans.
The farmland property owned by Patricia Simmers is located southeast of Apples Church Road, Roddy Road, and Elyer Road intersection. It borders Graceham Road and consists of approximately 24.5 acres. Seven acres are located in town and currently zoned R-5, while the other 17 acres lie in the county and are agriculturally zoned. Thurmont’s 2022 Master Plan has the property identified in its future growth area as high density residential.
Developer Daniel Cross worked with the town for years to finalize the annexation agreement. Cross looks to build a residential community on the Simmers property with at least 172 residential units, as well as an assisted-living facility and a day care center.
Thurmont’s Town Council narrowly voted in favor of the annexation and zoning change back in September. Commissioners Bill Blakeslee and Wes Hamrick opposed the resolution, with Commissioners Bill Buehrer and Wayne Hooper in support with Mayor John Kinnaird breaking the tie in favor of the motion.
Prior to the approval of the annexation by the Town Council, resident Louise Schafer had presented a petition to the council with allegedly over 300 signatures in opposition of the development. "I want to make it clear we are not opposed to the annexation, but we are opposed to the R-5 high density residential," she said.
