HAGERSTOWN – City officials are moving forward with three proposed annexations that would add over 182 acres within the city limits, including an existing veterinary clinic, a hospice care facility and almost 172 acres of mostly undeveloped industrial land.
At the work session the Hagerstown mayor and city council held on August 18, they reviewed the proposals with the goal of taking formal action on August 25. The properties are the Cumberland Valley Veterinary Clinic, located at 17747 Virginia Ave.; Doey’s House, located at 11370 Caring Pathway Lane; and two properties situated along Burkholder Lane and McDade Road.
The pre-annexation agreements that had been signed many years earlier will be put into effect when the veterinary clinic and the hospice are annexed, but the much larger Burkholder-McDade proposal was started by the property owners and caused the council to have an extended discussion on industrial development, traffic, road access and the future city water service.
Cumberland Valley Veterinary Clinic
The property of the Cumberland Valley Veterinary Clinic, located at 17747 Virginia Ave., covers 6.09 acres and was included within the city boundaries through a pre-annexation agreement concluded in 2015.
Washington County currently assigns the property a Business General zoning designation, and under the annexation proposal, it would receive Hagerstown’s Commercial General zoning classification. The property is already developed with a veterinary clinic and is located in Hagerstown’s Medium Range Growth Area, Washington County’s Urban Growth Area, and Maryland’s Priority Funding Area.
The city’s water supply currently serves the site, and Washington County provides wastewater services. The annexation would not transfer ownership of county- or state-maintained roads to Hagerstown. The Hagerstown Police Department and the Hagerstown Fire Department would take over public safety services, with Engine 5 attending the property and the Halfway Volunteer Fire Company, about a mile away, also responding to incidents.
The Hagerstown Planning Commission approved the annexation plan under the Commercial General zoning. City authorities said the property became contiguous with Hagerstown due to another nearby annexation, allowing the city to restart a procedure that had been on hold.
Staff informed the property owner that the annexation process is proceeding and that the owner will receive further notice before the public hearing. Council members also wanted to confirm that the veterinary clinic could continue operating under the proposed city zoning; staff said the use is allowed under the Commercial General designation.
Doey’s House annexation
The second annexation proposal refers to Doey’s House, a hospice care center located at 11370 Caring Pathway Lane.
The 4.39-acre site was incorporated into Hagerstown under an agreement signed in February 2016, before annexation. Currently, Washington County classifies the property as Office, Research and Industrial, and Hagerstown has proposed Industrial Mixed Use zoning. The property is situated in the city’s Medium Range Growth Area, the county’s Urban Growth Area, and Maryland’s Priority Funding Area.
Hagerstown currently provides both water and wastewater services to Doey’s House, unlike the veterinary clinic property. After annexation, the Hagerstown Police Department would provide police services, and the Hagerstown Fire Department Station 3 on Eastern Boulevard would provide fire protection. The county or the state would continue to keep the existing roads.
The Planning Commission approved the annexation based on Industrial Mixed Use zoning. The zoning plan raised questions with the council since Industrial Mixed Use is generally linked to warehouse and industrial development.
Nearly 172 acres proposed for annexation
The largest proposal involves properties held by Burkholder Lane Acquisitions LLC and McDade Road Acquisitions LLC. The properties at 12440 Burkholder Lane and 12660 McDade Road cover a total of 171.88 acres. Washington County has currently designated the land as Planned Industrial; however, if the annexation is approved, Hagerstown would like to propose Industrial Mixed Use zoning.
The package known as Parcel 13 is located in Hagerstown’s Medium Range Growth Area and in Washington County’s Urban Growth Area but is not within Maryland’s Priority Funding Area. Parcel 414 lies in the county’s Urban Growth Area but is situated outside both the city’s Medium Range Growth Area and the state’s Priority Funding Area.
The properties are situated in the middle of a much larger Planned Industrial district established by Washington County. According to city staff, the entire district covers about 1,668.58 acres, or roughly 2.6 square miles, and extends generally from Broadfording Road to McDade Road, U.S. 40, and Greencastle Pike.
The Burkholder-McDade annexation, in contrast to the proposals relating to the veterinary clinic and Doey’s House, is being initiated by the property owner and does not include a prior agreement between the parties.
City staff said the hospice is classified as an institutional or medical use rather than a conventional residential use, so it is allowed in the Industrial Mixed Use district. They added that offices, medical facilities and similar institutional uses are also permitted in that zoning district.
Council questions future industrial development
Because a large portion of the land is still undeveloped, council members asked staff what could eventually be constructed and how that future development would affect nearby roads.
Officials said Logistics Drive is currently at the southern boundary. After annexation, the road is expected to be extended onto the property and built to Hagerstown standards. Staff stated that the current conceptual drawings also show that Logistics Drive might one day be extended through the property toward additional land to the north as the larger industrial area develops.
Council members also asked whether the property could eventually connect to McDade Road. Staff referred to one connection as a “pipestem” about 25 feet wide, currently used as a residential driveway, and not wide enough to support a road for industrial truck traffic. This raised broader questions about whether future industrial development might add more truck traffic to roads not built to handle heavy commercial use.
Council members said they want more information from the property owner about their development intentions before making decisions later in the annexation process. The applicant must appear before the council on August 25th, when the annexation petition is officially submitted.
Water service becomes key issue
There was also a long discussion about the city’s water service as Parcel 414 is situated outside Hagerstown’s Medium Range Growth Area.
Parcel 13 would qualify for supply from the city water system, but Parcel 414 would not get city water unless the city altered its comprehensive plan so as to include the parcel in the Medium Range Growth Area. Washington County currently provides wastewater services in that area. Council asked whether that provision conflicts with Hagerstown’s long-established annexation policy, which usually links access to the city’s utility services with annexation.
Under the proposal, Parcel 414 could be included in Hagerstown while still being temporarily excluded from receiving city water. City staff said the distinction applies only to water, not all municipal services; after annexation, the property would receive city services such as police and fire protection, but it would remain outside the area designated for city water service until the growth boundary is altered.
Officials have said Hagerstown aims to adopt a new comprehensive plan by about mid-2028, and if the annexation takes effect in January 2027, staff anticipate that properties within the city boundaries will eventually be included in the Medium Range Growth Area as part of that process.
The council also proposed that the city consider changing its annexation policy to exempt properties annexed into Hagerstown but that remain outside the Medium Range Growth Area. The staff decided to look into the possibility.
Annexation timeline
The three annexations are due to be presented back to the council on August 25.
Annexation proposals are expected for both the veterinary clinic and Doey’s House properties, and the council is scheduled to consider approving the annexation plans.
The owners of the Burkholder-McDade property are also expected to make their annexation petition in a formal manner, along with introducing a resolution and discussing the annexation plan, all on the same evening.
If the proposals go ahead, public hearings are provisionally scheduled for October 27, with further council discussion in early November. The final votes on the annexation resolutions are due on November 24. If approved, the annexations would take effect on January 8, 2027.
