Developer Daniel Cross is returning to the Thurmont Planning Commission on Thursday to present a concept plan for a roughly 7.8-acre development on the Simmers property in Thurmont.
The meeting comes more than two months after Thurmont voters rejected annexing 16.7 acres of agricultural land for high-density development, sinking Frederick-based developer Cross and Co.’s original plans for a 24.5-acre mixed-use “intergenerational community.”
Cross’s new concept plan is for a swath of land between Apples Church Road and Graceham Road that is already within town limits and zoned for high-density development.
Currently, the plan includes 40 total units. Thirty are three-story townhouses and the other 10 are two-story villas, which Cross said were designed for senior independent living due to their first-floor bedrooms.
The development would also include garden space and recreation areas for the community.
Cross said his presentation on Thursday would be purely informational, serving as a chance for the public to provide comments and commission members to pose questions.
“We’re gonna take these bites of the apple one at a time,” Cross said. “Let’s see what the [planning commission] members have to say. Let’s see what the public … has to say, and then we’ll digest that and determine what we can incorporate.”
Cross said the new concept plan takes into account past criticisms of his original plans for the property, which is why condominiums with detached apartment units are no longer included.
After the concept plan was discussed, Cross said, he would return with an adjusted preliminary plan that would be more thoroughly analyzed by the town.
