Building on the Community’s 2018 Vision

Carroll County is preparing an amendment to the 2018 Freedom Community Comprehensive Plan. The amendment will establish an Overlay Zoning District to ensure zoning aligns with the public’s vision.

The amendment and Overlay Zoning District are not a new comprehensive plan. Instead, they build on the 2018 vision and assess how well it still reflects today’s needs and priorities. The planning process will confirm which parts of the 2018 plan remain relevant and identify updates needed in response to changing economic conditions, development trends, and infrastructure.

Once the updated vision is in place, the county will create an Overlay Zoning District to help implement it through zoning regulations. The overlay will translate the plan’s big-picture goals into clear standards for future development within the Freedom area.

Getting Involved and Project Updates

Updates to the planning process and opportunities to get involved will be posted here. Please check back regularly for updates. If you have any questions, please feel free to email the consultant team at office@dtredevelopment.com.

Introducing the Planning Team

Carroll County has hired a consultant team to lead this planning effort:

Downtown Redevelopment Services (DRS)
KCI Technologies

Working closely with county staff, the consultant team will study the area’s existing conditions, gather input from the public and stakeholders, prepare and compare development scenarios, and develop recommendations for both the plan amendment and the Overlay Zoning District.

The Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Carroll County Commissioners will provide guidance and oversee the formal public review and consideration process. Freedom area residents, property owners, businesses, and other stakeholders will have multiple opportunities to review the team’s work and help shape the recommendations throughout the project.

About the Plan Amendment

The 2018 Freedom Community Comprehensive Plan established a long-term framework for land use, growth, transportation, infrastructure, economic development, and community character in the Freedom area. Since then, the area and the economic trends that shape it have continued to evolve.

This planning process will revisit the plan’s research and recommendations to assess whether they remain accurate and achievable. The county-hired consultant team will review current land-use patterns, market demand, development activity, transportation conditions, infrastructure capacity, redevelopment opportunities, and the public’s priorities.

The goal is to preserve the core vision so it continues to serve the Freedom area while making targeted updates as needed. The resulting small area plan amendment will provide an updated, realistic framework to guide the Freedom area’s future.

Connecting the Vision to Zoning

The Freedom Community Comprehensive Plan and this amendment process lay out the vision, but zoning regulations help determine how that vision is implemented when property is developed or redeveloped. After the Freedom area’s comprehensive plan is updated, the consultant team will develop recommendations for an Overlay Zoning District. An overlay district refines the zoning requirements to a defined geographic area while working alongside the existing zoning.

The proposed overlay district will help put the updated vision for the Freedom area into practice. It may establish guidelines for:

- The types and scale of development

- The design and placement of buildings, parking, and entrances

- Landscaping, signs, sidewalks, and connections between properties

- Public spaces and the overall look and feel of the area

The overlay’s boundaries and regulations have not yet been decided. The boundaries will be shaped by the consultant’s analysis, public input, conversations with property and business owners, and review by county officials and staff. The boundaries of the overlay will likely expand beyond the study area map shown above to ensure that commercial development is appropriately buffered from adjacent residential neighborhoods.

Together, the plan amendment and Overlay Zoning District will link the Freedom area’s long-term vision to practical standards for future development.