The mission of the Department of Community and Economic Development, and thus the Planning and Code Administration Division, is to enhance the economy, image and quality of life in Hagerstown. The Planning Office strives to achieve that mission through its principle functions of developing and implementing the City’s Comprehensive Plan, coordinating the City’s development review process, administering the City’s Land Management Code, processing annexations of unincorporated land into the City of Hagerstown, initiating heritage planning projects and programs for the City, and providing planning and GIS assistance to the other operations in the Department of Community and Economic Development.

PLANNING STAFF:
Kathleen A. Maher, Planning Director –

Debbie Calhoun, Secretary –

Stephen Bockmiller, Development Planner/Zoning Administrator –

Alex Rohrbaugh, Planner –

MAIL ADDRESS:
City Hall, One E. Franklin Street, Room 400, Hagerstown, MD 21740-4987

PHONE:
301-739-8577, ext. 138
between 8am and 4:30pm, M-F (eastern standard time)

E-MAIL: Planning Office -


PLANNING FUNCTIONS:

The Comprehensive Plan is a 20 year vision for the development of the city and the provision of services to the community, that is updated every six years as prescribed by State law. The City is in the process of implementing the 2008 Comprehensive Plan, as amended in 2009 and 2010. Planning Office staff work with various City departments and divisions, the City Planning Commission, and the Mayor and City Council as we develop policies, ordinances, and programs to implement the Plan’s recommendations. Planning staff participate in the process to develop the City’s Capital Improvement Program to ensure consistency with the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Recent Plan implementation activities include comprehensive rezoning of the entire city and a comprehensive update of the City’s Land Management Code. Image enhancement recommendations in the Plan are implemented with the assistance of the City’s Beautification Advisory Committee.

Any new land development in the City of Hagerstown goes through the Planning Office for review and approval. Planning staff coordinate the review process with various City and County agencies and present the review agencies’ recommendations for approval by the City Planning Commission. Planning staff also coordinate the review process for any exterior changes to properties in the City’s four historic districts, with final approval by the City’s Historic District Commission. As part of the development review process, Planing staff administer the City’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance and Sewer Capacity Allocation Program. The intent of these activities is to ensure that any new land alteration activities in the city and any modifications in the City’s historic districts enhance and do not detract from the city’s economy, image and quality of life.

The manner in which land may be used in the City of Hagerstown is codified in the City’s Land Management Code (LMC). The LMC contains the zoning ordinance, subdivision and land development ordinance, forest conservation ordinance, and floodplain ordinance. Planning staff administer the various ordinances in the LMC, in particular the zoning ordinance, with the assistance of the City’s Board of Zoning Appeals and the inspectors in the Code Administration Office. The intent of these administrative activities is to ensure that land use activities in the city enhance and do not detract from the city’s economy, image and quality of life.

Annexation of unincorporated land into the city is a means for the City to capture economic development occurring on our borders, grow the City tax base without negatively impacting the tax rate of existing property owners, and enhance the economic vitality of Hagerstown. The Planning Office is the lead entity for the City’s annexation activities. Staff administer the City’s Annexation Policy when requests for City water and/or wastewater service are made by owners of land outside the city. We process annexation applications to bring unincorporated land into the municipal boundaries. And we explore strategic annexation opportunities for the City.

Hagerstown has a rich history with many stories to tell and historic resources to celebrate. Heritage tourism is a lucrative industry for communities as this type of tourist tends to stay longer and spend more money in a community than other types of tourists. It behooves a community to make its heritage as accessible to the public as possible, if heritage tourism is to become an important part of the local economy. The Planning Office is the lead heritage planning agency for the City. Staff develop interpretive documents and plaques to make our multi-faceted heritage real for the general public. We work to protect our community’s historic buildings and open space features to enhance the quality of life of present and future generations in Hagerstown and to enhance our heritage tourism image for visitors to our community. And we participate on the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area steering committee and the City’s Sesquicentennial of the Civil War planning committee. Heritage planning initiatives are implemented with the assistance of the City’s Historic District Commission.

The City’s Planning operations are located in the recently formed Department of Community and Economic Development. Planning staff provide planning and GIS assistance to the other operations in this new department: Economic Development, Community Resources, Public Relations and Marketing, and Code Administration. Strengthening the economic vitality of Hagerstown’s City Center is a particular focus for our department and Planning staff assist with demographic and other statistical analyses, development of new initiatives, recruitment of new prospects, preparation of grants, and administration of incentive programs. Planning staff also represent the City on various regional and county planning committees to ensure that City interests are expressed and promoted in plans that will affect Hagerstown.

The Planning Office’s activities are assisted by four citizen boards: the Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Historic District Commission, and the Beautification Advisory Committee. If you have an interest in serving on one of these citizen boards, please contact the City Clerk.