Response

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

  March 22, 2007
  Clarksburg Town Center Advisory Committee, Inc. (CTCAC)
  Contact:  Amy Presley; 301-916-7969 or 301-526-7435

   

  CTCAC Response to Statement by Council President Praisner on Clarksburg Development District Report

  CTCAC appreciates Council President Praisner’s open recognition of the seriousness of the Development District Report delivered by CTCAC to the County Council on March 20, 2007, and the commitment to “carefully and seriously” reviewing and acting on the issues exposed.

  We are confident that once the Council has had the opportunity to review the Report, they will understand that the Report does not question whether developers should be “paying more for infrastructure improvements” in the emerging community of Clarksburg.  To the contrary, the Report discloses that the County answered that question long ago.  It did so with the adoption of the Clarksburg Master Plan and the subsequent approvals of Clarksburg development plans imposing developer obligations to provide infrastructure specified in those plan approvals.

  Increased infrastructure obligations were imposed on Clarksburg developers in accordance with State and County law and resulted in greater financial commitment than might otherwise have been applicable under standard approvals.  Accordingly, there is no longer an open question as to who should pay for such infrastructure obligations. 

  As our report details, the implementation of development districts in Clarksburg has been legally flawed since the time that development districts were first petitioned for in 2000, well after development approvals and associated infrastructure obligations were imposed on Clarksburg developers.

  CTCAC anticipates that upon full review of the Development District Report, Council will stop the process leading to improper transfer of developer obligations to Clarksburg taxpayers.