Photo by Sam Yu The hallway outside the first-floor hearing room at Winchester Hall was full of people looking at maps and signing up to speak Wednesday at the Frederick County Planning Commission meeting. Purchase this photo

The commission plans to deliberate on it through August before deciding on recommendations to send to the county commissioners.

More than 100 people signed up to testify Wednesday evening, prompting the commission to hold a second, and possibly third, hearing so everyone could speak. The plan describes how the county plans to grow over the next 20 years.

Mike and Heather Iager came to Tuesday's hearing with their 10- and 6-year-old daughters.

Mike Iager is a fifth-generation dairy farmer and hopes to continue farming on about 300 contiguous acres the family owns in Libertytown along Liberty Road, he said.

But one of their parcels, a 97-acre plot purchased last year, is proposed to have its designation changed from low-density residential to agricultural.

The Iagers want to keep farming, but they said the change would reduce the value of the property. Without that equity, they will not be able to continue farming, they said.

"As young farmers, we operate our farm dependent on the equity in the real estate assets," he said. "Our ability to farm is dependent on the potential future returns to get the long-term loans necessary in order to get this farm going."

Many of the speakers asked the planning commission to reverse proposed land use reductions.

Some, like the Iagers, said it was necessary for them to continue farming. Others are planning to develop their land and objected to the change.

For instance, attorney Tom Lynch spoke for Land Stewards, the owner of a substantial portion of undeveloped land in Lake Linganore .

After a recent county decision to reduce development potential, the land was considered less valuable and Land Stewards went into bankruptcy, Lynch said.

The plan proposes that an additional 58 acres in the Alpine section of Lake Linganore have its land use designation reduced. He objected to that change, saying it would exacerbate the problem further.

"Let it be developed as it was intended 40 years ago," Lynch said to the applause of those in the audience.

Several citizen groups praised the plan for its broad thinking and for recognizing resources.

William DeMartini, vice chairman of the Frederick County Historic Preservation Commission, said the commission was absolutely elated that the plan contained an entire chapter on historic preservation and preserving the county's heritage.

The plan recognizes the commission should be more involved in the planning process, in the hopes of maintaining historic structures, as well as scenic views and landscapes such as Braddock Mountain or the U.S. 15 corridor, he said.

"We could develop this entire county, much like Loudoun or even out west in California, but what makes Frederick County really Frederick County is the fact that it has 200- and 300-year-old structures on it," DeMartini said.