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A Frederick County land preservation group is defending a flier its members distributed to 700 New Market residents two weeks ago, warning the town could annex and develop three properties to build hundreds of homes and increase commercial development.

Friends of Frederick County, which emerged in the 2006 election season to fight what it considers to be urban sprawl and poorly planned development, said Tuesday their flier was intended to inform residents that town officials are proposing to add the Smith/Cline, Delaplaine and Ganley farms to their 2005 growth planning document for future annexation and development.

The Smith/Cline property is located northwest of the town limits; the Delaplaine property is north of the town; and the Ganley property is east.

Friends contends the flier, titled "Annexation Plans Threaten New Market Neighborhoods," is not misleading — a charge made by Frederick County and New Market officials — just because the landowners have yet to ask the town to be annexed for development.

"Sure, they may not develop them for 20 years," said Janice Wiles, executive director of Friends of Frederick County and a Democratic candidate for the Frederick Board of County Commissioners. "Of course, it's not going to happen now, certainly with the economic downturn, but people need to know."

The flier states any annexation and development of the three properties would double the size of New Market and almost triple its population by adding 2,450 residents to the town.

Wiles said the flier was intended to inform residents of two meetings on the three properties. The first is a workshop on Sept. 20, with the Frederick Board of County Commissioners and town officials. The second is a public hearing on Sept. 29 before the New Market Planning Commission.

"What usually happens often times is that people get upset when they see the bulldozers, and it's too late," Wiles said. "We've always been told by planners ‘the time to comment is before that.' So here we are and now they're mad at us."

Wiles was referring to Eric Soter, the director of the Frederick County Division of Planning, who upon learning of the flier sent Wiles an e-mail asking they stop distributing it. Soter was upset the flier included two members of his staff as contact information.

"The [flier] was misleading," Soter said in an interview this week. "My concern was how the flier was presented. An annexation request has not been submitted."

Soter, who said his department only learned about the flier after fielding questions and calls from New Market residents, explained the town is formulating a "Municipal Growth Element," or an addition to its 2005 comprehensive plan, a document that outlines residential and commercial growth. In the amendment, the three properties are labeled as "annexation areas."

It states there is a potential for 925 homes on the Smith/Cline property and a mixture of commercial and industrial development is planned for the Delaplaine and Ganley properties.

But Soter contends that unless the property owners petition the town to be annexed, there will be no development.

New Market Mayor Winslow Burhans III agreed.

"This is only a plan," Burhans said. "They may not be annexed. We recognize they could impact the town, but we wanted it to be part of the plan. It may not come up. Currently, no one has petitioned the town. No one has contacted me."

But Frederick County Commissioners' President Jan H. Gardner (D) disagreed.

"While there is only one current pending annexation with the town, the inclusion of these properties within the town's municipal growth area is the first step toward annexation of these properties into the town," Gardner wrote in an e-mail. "Thus, citizen concern about future or proposed annexation is legitimate and this is the appropriate timing to share input with town officials before they finalize their plan."

The New Market Town Council is slated to adopt the new plan on Oct. 1.

Meanwhile, town officials are discussing a separate annexation of a little more than 10 acres of commercial property along Md. 144 east of Md. 75.

Gardner, who said she only learned about the flier and Soter's e-mail to Wiles on Sept. 2, said she supports efforts by Friends of Frederick County to inform residents.

"I support FOFC's objective to inform citizens in and around New Market of what the town is proposing, because the town's plan will dramatically change New Market and the potential for overcrowded schools, roads, and other infrastructure is significant," Gardner said. "I certainly support public interest and grass root efforts."

But Gardner said that the organization should have asked the county planning staff for permission to include their contact information on the flier.

"It should also be clear that the town drafted this new plan, not the county," she added. "The use of county staff names does suggest the county had a role in the creation and distribution of the fliers, which is not the case."

Wiles said she apologizes for putting the planning department's contact information on the flier, but said residents needed to know who to go to for information. "That is why we put their name down," she said. "People have no idea what this plan is. Nobody knows what is in this plan."

Residents are invited to comment on the possible annexation and development of the Smith/Cline, Delaplaine and Ganley properties into the Town of New Market.

-The first meeting will be 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at Winchester Hall, 12 E. Church St., Frederick.

-The second meeting will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 29 at New Market Town Hall, 39 W. Main St.

sgreenfield@gazette.net