town of mount airy - Maryland Department of Planning

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Topography Topography, the shape and lay of the land, is a major factor in controlling and guiding the density, type and direction development is to take place in any area. Severely sloping terrain, if not retained and protected in an undeveloped state, is suitable only for lowdensity residential use or forestation, while land, which is moderately sloped or rolling, can be appropriate for low, medium, and high-density residential development. In addition, it is the level areas, which are most easily adaptable for industrial and commercial land use. Mount Airy's Main Street, for the most part, runs atop Parrs Ridge in a NE-SW direction with elevations ranging between 800-850+ feet, which descend in two directions roughly perpendicular to the ridge's spine. Numerous valleys that extend outward toward the east and west from this ridge cause the unusually hilly topography. The present downtown area is located in one of the more pronounced of these valleys and this funnel-like location causes many challenges with regard to development and road network. Although this rough, sloping terrain adds character and creates diversity throughout the Town, the most severe slopes are avoided in order to reduce hazard and eliminate risk in future development. Mount Airy straddles the division of two major drainage basins; the land on the west side of Parrs Ridge drains into the Potomac via Bens Branch and tributaries of Bush Creek and Woodville Branch. The east side drains into the Chesapeake Bay via tributaries of Middle Run, the South Branch of the Patapsco, and the Patuxent Rivers. Natural tree cover in the older residential neighborhoods is an environmental benefit while in other sections of town; trees have been preserved in their original stands or removed for development purposes. The trees are hardwoods composed primarily of ash, oak and poplar. 34
Geology Geologic formations that underlie an area can be vital to the type of future development the land may sustain. The quality, quantity, and accessibility of ground water is directly linked to the type of rock formation or aquifer involved. The depth of bedrock and the presence of rock outcroppings both have an effect on certain land uses and developmental patterns. Marburg Schist is found throughout the Mount Airy area with the exception of a N-S elongated strip of Sams Creek metabasalt just to the east and paralleling Main Street. The Marburg schist is mainly a bluish gray to green, fine-grained muscovite-chlorite schist, containing a considerable amount of quartzite. The Sams Creek formation is metamorphosed basalt and also contains large quantities of quartzite. Water The following discussion addresses the surface and groundwater sources of Mount Airy and their importance to the future development of the community. Groundwater The Marburg Schist is an important water-bearing geologic formation that furnishes a number of commercial, domestic and farm water supplies while Sams Creek Metabasalt is of minor importance as an aquifer. According to the Maryland Department of Water Resources 3, the Marburg Schist well yields and from 1 to 223 gpm and average about 17 gpm. Well depths average 87 feet. Except for limited areas along the crest of Parrs Ridge in the Ridgeville area, adequate supplies of ground water can be obtained from wells nearly anywhere within the schist area. Springheads are generally common is this schist formation, but are not a major source of water in the Mount Airy area. The closest springs, according to the Department of Water Resources, are near Watersville in Carroll County and just south of Woodville in Frederick County. Surface Water Because of its unique location at the perimeter of two major watersheds it is not surprising that Mount Airy does not have a large supply of surface water. The most important watershed is the South Branch of the Patapsco River that is located directly southeast of the Town limits. Other minor streams that affect Mount Airy are Bens 3 The Water Resources of Carroll and Frederick Counties, Department of Geology, Mines and Water, Baltimore, Maryland. 1958. 35
Page 1 and 2: TOWN OF MOUNT AIRY MASTER PLAN 2003
Page 3 and 4: MOUNT AIRY MASTER PLAN TABLE OF CON
Page 5 and 6: • Analysis of Town Structure 120
Page 7 and 8: in 1831. Locomotives and cars were
Page 9 and 10: Main Street Looking North, circa 19
Page 11 and 12: annexed in 1966 and was considered
Page 13 and 14: Regional Growth Patterns Growth wit
Page 15 and 16: Analysis of Surrounding Counties Gr
Page 17 and 18: Demographic Analysis of the Town Fo
Page 19 and 20: Mount Airy Population Projections t
Page 21 and 22: Overall, the number and type of job
Page 23 and 24: Policy Recommendations To better ma
Page 25 and 26: Introduction CHAPTER 2 MASTER PLAN
Page 27 and 28: Citizen involvement and participati
Page 29 and 30: 7. Adequate public facilities and i
Page 31 and 32: Goal- Mitigate the Impacts of Regio
Page 33: State Objectives CHAPTER 3 NATURAL
Page 37 and 38: classifications as follow: a) Chest
Page 39 and 40: tributaries; however, in calculatin
Page 41 and 42: is found in Mount Airy. b. Wellhead
Page 43 and 44: pumped well. The U. S. Environmenta
Page 45 and 46: necessary reporting requirements to
Page 47 and 48: CHAPTER 4 LAND USE AND ZONING Land
Page 49 and 50: semi-commercial uses are utilizing
Page 51 and 52: Housing Inventory and Housing Issue
Page 53 and 54: Housing Stock The first major alter
Page 55 and 56: R2- Low Density Residential: This z
Page 57 and 58: expansions. Commercial zoning locat
Page 59 and 60: oughly a five and half-year buildou
Page 61 and 62: The remaining properties are consid
Page 63 and 64: categorization of current zoning. H
Page 65 and 66: The existing RE- residential existi
Page 67 and 68: 8. Encourage the "master planning"
Page 69 and 70: established patterns of home-to-wor
Page 71 and 72: pressure for growth, while still en
Page 73 and 74: Staff Recommendation: The road shou
Page 75 and 76: Staff Recommendation: Minimize any
Page 77 and 78: taking its toll in several ways. Th
Page 79 and 80: Street Improvement Program/Capital
Page 81 and 82: Policy Recommendations: The overall
Page 83 and 84: (RESERVED) 83
Page 85 and 86:
provision of adequate services: tha
Page 87 and 88:
Town Water and Sewer System Town Wa
Page 89 and 90:
Available Land Development within t
Page 91 and 92:
Recent studies done by the Town’s
Page 93 and 94:
Water and Sewer Service Areas The W
Page 95 and 96:
Schools Both Carroll and Frederick
Page 97 and 98:
Twin Ridge Elementary School, Town
Page 99 and 100:
Parks and Recreation Park and recre
Page 101 and 102:
amphitheater, and public swimming p
Page 103 and 104:
(RESERVED) 103
Page 105 and 106:
Emergency Services Fire Department:
Page 107 and 108:
(RESERVED) 107
Page 109 and 110:
Police Protection Since 1975, the R
Page 111 and 112:
Solid Waste and Recycling The Town
Page 113 and 114:
5. Promote the coordination of the
Page 115 and 116:
(RESERVED) 115
Page 117 and 118:
emphasized in the retail area in or
Page 119 and 120:
Revitalization of the Downtown, the
Page 121 and 122:
of different building types has fos
Page 123 and 124:
Downtown Mount Airy, looking south-
Page 125 and 126:
walking and biking between neighbor
Page 127 and 128:
width (identifying parking and trav
Page 129 and 130:
- An establishment of a variety of
Page 131 and 132:
Policy Recommendations: 1. Reinforc
Page 133 and 134:
CHAPTER 8 IMPLEMENTATION The Compre
Page 135:
System wide regular evaluations of
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town of mount airy - Maryland Department of Planning

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