(12/20) A concept plan for the Mountain Gate Business Park was presented to the Planning Commission at their December meeting. The Plan included a proposed road east of the new Goodwill to be accessed via Thurmont Boulevard. The intention of the discussion was to give the applicant guidance on how the Commission wishes the project to proceed before submitting any final plans.
Two parcels make up the entirety of the Business Park property, one where the newly constructed Goodwill is located and another at an approximately 18-acre parcel beside it. The areas of concern are in the second parcel, which include a planned road connection to Thurmont Boulevard, a seven-acre forest retention area where no construction is allowed, a vacant lot zoned general business that borders the Sunoco, and residential lot "Oak Forest," a 36-unit townhouse development accessed via East Moser Road, all of which have been proposed since 2022. Currently, there is a stone road through the middle for power company access.
According to Town Planner Kelly Duty, the applicant's intent of putting the 30-foot-wide roadway in is to create direct access to the vacant lot that borders the Sunoco, allowing for future development. The access road would also act as a second access to the Goodwill store and has the potential to be a truck entrance for the Sunoco, if they desire it to be.
When the roadway was originally drawn in the plans, it followed a much more direct route. However, as was discovered during the construction of the Goodwill, the initial path would destroy sensitive wetlands. A decision was made to shift the path of the road to the north to minimize the impact on the wetlands, but unfortunately it will still cross over two streams on its new path that will be rerouted through large culvert pipes.
Brennan said that the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) suggested the road be moved to completely avoid the wetland area, but if that was done, then the intersection at Thurmont Boulevard would be offset. This option did not appeal to Town staff, as they wished for a square intersection. As a compromise, the roadway’s path was edited.
When Duty asked if the developer would consider extending the road as far as Oak Forest, property owner Craig McCleaf explained that the Mountain Gate Plaza Truck Stop was for sale and had two interested buyers. One was interested in buying the entire corner, to include the Goodwill, the Mountain Gate Shopping Center and the other parcels. The second buyer, who is a better fit for the Town according to McCleaf, is a smaller developer. The projected cost of the road is $250,000, but even with McCleaf’s offer to split the cost with the developer, "This developer is starting to teeter totter," he said.
This is not the first time the Commission has requested the road be extended to Oak Forest. Previous Commission Chair Randy Cubbage requested a second means of access to the development, specifically for emergency services. While the smaller developer is willing to make this happen, the financial implications may prove too difficult to overcome.
Another request by Town staff was to include a sidewalk on at least one side of the road to accommodate foot traffic associated with either the current or future retail shops. According to McCleaf, it's a possibility to extend Goodwill's sidewalk in the future.
After many attempts by Town staff to encourage the interested developer to look into extending the road, McCleaf said, "I’m basically telling you to not get your hopes up. This property will be sold no matter what. I could sell the property for the same amount to a different developer and not build the road at all."
With the Town staff’s comments in hand, McCleaf and Brennan will be reviewing the Concept Plan before presenting a final plan to the Commission at a future meeting.
