Please be advised! The Planning Commission has turned over a 'final draft' document of the revised County Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Regulations and Zoning Map (based on public comment submitted this summer) to the County Commissioners.
The Commissioners will hold two work sessions to review these changes and prepare to adopt a new Zoning Ordinance, new Zoning District Map, and new Subdivision Regulations. The first is Oct. 6 at 1:30 pm in the Government Office Bldg. in Snow Hill. The second work session will be Oct. 20 at 1:30pm, same location.
It is imperative concerned County citizens attend these work sessions to listen and be seen**. No further public comment can be made and these work sessions, while open to the public, will not be open to public comment.
Through Assateague Coastal Trust, ACT attorneys and I helped to draft our written comments earlier this summer and they were submitted to the County by ACT's President Jim Rapp on behalf of the ACT Board of Directors.
Many of our comments regarding identification of impaired waterways, incorporation of better TMDL protective language, a more protective zoning district for the Holly Grove Swamp, (which in turn will protect the water quality of Herring, Turville, Trappe and Ayers Creeks,) were indeed drafted into these new documents.
In addition, per our comments, improvements to various definitions regarding environmental resources and environment features were written into the code. However, despite our pressure the County chose not to address the abolishment of the Estate Zone, nor did it chose to deal with another progressive Comp. Plan program - Transfer of Development Rights - to keep commercial development in the commercial zones.
I have to admit I was greatly surprised by this. After all, there was a huge hullabaloo in June after the public comments were received by Permitting Dept. Director Ed Tudor and assistant Phyllis Wimbrow (yes, it was Permitting Staff writing the new Code, not Planning....go figure.) And then of course, just after the public comment period, the entire government structure was overthrown and Permitting became King, with Planning and Environmental Programs kicked out of the sandbox.
Wimbrow publically berated ACT, the Coastkeeper, Maryland Coastal Bays Program and even the Maryland Department of Planning (!) during the June Planning Commission meeting, accusing us of not knowing what we were talking about.
Well, I'll admit I don't have an undergraduate or post graduate degree in Planning....but wait, neither do those two!
Oh, but I digress. Let me get back on track.
So imagine how thrilled I was to find some of our suggested language drafted into the revised code and subdivision regs.
My issue at this point is new language in the revised draft of the Code that now specifically exempts Rural Cluster Subdivisions and Consolidated Development Rights Subdivisions from the previous requirement to contain all their wastewater treatment on-site.
Offsite septic waste disposal systems and off-site location for drain fields is not good! There are a number of these in the county already. If they aren't providing a great location for people to drive down the dirt access road into the woods to dump their garbage, these off-site systems are prone to lack of monitoring, inspection and maintenance. Which means pollution to our streams, creeks and groundwater.
Another problem with this new language in the Consolidated Development Rights Subdivisions is that if off-site sewage disposal is allowed, the lot size is allowed to be smaller, which can potentially increase the number of lots to the maximum of 20 allowed. If the septic sewage had to be treated on each lot, the lots are required to be larger, thus limiting the total number of houses built.
Look folks - if the land you want to put a housing development on cannot handle the waste generated by the occupants - then it should not be allowed to be developed into subdivisions!! End of story.
That's why we are supposed to have 'growth centers' - because there are PUBLIC SERVICES within these growth centers. That's why Worcester County's Comprehensive Plan specifically designated 'growth areas', and these were not in the middle of our rural woods and agricultural lands.
If you agree with me - call your County Commissioners. And don't let them tell you it's too late to comment..."the public comment period is closed," they love to use this cop out.
This specific language that gives an exemption for off-site sewage disposal for Rural Cluster Subdivisions and Consolidated Development Rights Subdivisions was not in the draft of the Code we, the public, were given. Therefore we were not able to comment on it. Tell them that.
And go to the meeting on Tuesday, October 6 at 1:30pm in Snow Hill at the Govt. Building behind the Courthouse. If our elected officials do not see their voting public out in the audience, who will they see?
(**and now the disclaimer - the Coastkeeper is out of the state on Oct. 6. But several representatives from Assateague Coastal Trust will be in attendence. I'll be back in time for the second work session.)
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while researching some summer '09 news articles for my Oct. 22 blog I came across an OC Today article that proves a statement I made in the above post was inaccurate. My apologies to Phyllis Wimbrow, who did receive a bachelors degree in planning some time ago.
ReplyDeleteThe article does not provide information on any continuing education studies in todays current and more progressive planning principles however.
The OC Today article did show that Ed Tudor does not have a degree in planning, but does have a degree in accounting, and the article goes on to say he has numerous building code certifications, served on the Building Code Board and served on the Planning Commission over 16 years ago.