First Round Listening Session - March 27, 2018
Regionalism and Regional Planning ♦ Concerns Over Previous Mandates ♦ Public Services ♦ Mapping Support and Data ♦ Demographics ♦ Concern over Growth Tier Map Requirements ♦ Economic Development ♦ Housing ♦ Infrastructure ♦ Training and Education ♦ Transportation ♦ Environment ♦ Community ♦ Funding ♦ Neighboring Jurisdictions ♦ What the County is Missing ♦ State Agencies ♦ Technical Assistance ♦ Planning ♦ General
The comments below represent the statements or points of view of one or more individuals who participated in the Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) “A Better Maryland” Development Plan Listening Sessions. These comments do not represent any official position or policy of MDP or any other State agency, nor do they represent any official position or policy of any local jurisdiction or local planning agency.
Regionalism and Regional Planning
A mixed response regarding a regional approach to planning; some voiced support, some were opposed.
Regional approach is only good if all the areas of a region look similar
A regional approach is needed, including Calvert, Anne Arundel, St. Mary’s, and Charles County
County staff is willing to help with this
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Concerns Over Previous Mandates
What will the Maryland Department of Planning (Planning) do to tailor PFA requirements for rural counties?
Calvert fought hard against PlanMaryland
It should be undone
A Better Maryland should not affect local planning and zoning
Critical Area requirements place a huge burden on County land owners
A periodic review is long overdue
Local stakeholder should be involved in any such review and should be able to meet with the Critical Area Commission
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Public Services
Investment in schools should be a part of A Better Maryland
Open space and a clean environment maintain property values, which in turn maintain schools and other public services
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Mapping Support and Data
State Data Center is doing a good job
A Better Maryland should take advantage of technology
Calvert County has excellent GIS staff and resources
County and local GIS staff could feed a state repository
Need for a more seamless statewide data sharing system which includes an interface for public use
Counties need better agricultural data from the State, but have noticed a focus on this recently
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Demographics
Younger people cannot afford to move back into the county because of high housing costs
Population growth since 1970
1970: 20,682 2010: 88,737
Significant growth in the 1990s
No County zoning until 1968
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Concern over Growth Tier Map Requirements
County hasn’t recorded any major subdivisions since the passing of Senate Bill 236
Septic tier law has influenced rural local jurisdictions
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Economic Development
Calvert just completed an economic development strategic plan update
The County desires to balance economic growth with preserving its rural character by directing new growth to the Town Centers, although these have not prospered
County wants controlled and guided economic development
Grow into it, not be overtaken by it
Economic development staff from Planning should come to these sessions
Economic development is restricted in areas where broadband access is limited (reiterated multiple times)
North Beach is struggling to mix small town charm with business development
Want to encourage State economic development staff to be a part of the development of A Better Maryland
Local employers have a difficult time finding trained technicians
Some have offered to volunteer their times to train individuals for such work in a vo-ag center
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Housing
Affordable housing is a problem (reiterated many times)
For example, teachers can’t afford to buy when starting out in their careers
Need at least $200,000 to get started
Where will restaurant workers live?
Schools can’t survive without appropriate housing for young families, and the County can’t be only for retirees
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Infrastructure
Infrastructure should precede development, not follow it. Need a mechanism to allow
jurisdictions to borrow money from the State to fund infrastructure and pay back later
Funding should be made available for inland sewer plant upgrades. They need this to attract development to Town Centers and other growth areas.
Quality of life depends on having good infrastructure – roads, schools etc.
More funding is needed to provide public access to waterfronts
Sewer infrastructure
Bay Restoration Fund went to major direct discharge facilities first
Would like to use some of the grant money on inland plants
County needs help paying infrastructure development costs for Town Centers
Could use State loans or grants to assist with this
This will allow Calvert to put density where it (and presumably the State) wants it
5G towers don’t work in the woods
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Training and Education
More investment in vo-tech education is needed, including apprenticeship programs
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Transportation
60% of workforce commutes out of the County
There is a lot of traffic on state roads, which have the worst congestion problems
67% of traffic in Calvert is flow through traffic (reiterated multiple times)
We need better ways to move traffic through
Concerned about replacement of the Thomas Johnson bridge
Need a study to determine where traffic is going and where it is coming from
Could potentially use technology such as Google Maps and Waze
Highway user revenues should be returned to local jurisdictions. The lack of them makes it hard to maintain roadways (reiterated multiple times)
There is an overemphasis on big transit projects, with insufficient focus on local roads
Bike infrastructure is a big need in the County
Happy about the new Nice Bridge, but also concerned with the increase in traffic it will bring
There is no support for a Bay crossing in Calvert County (reiterated multiple times)
Would have largest magnitude of impact on Calvert County compared to any other County
Already have trouble with existing State roads
Thank you for widening Route 2 through Prince Frederick
Preference for traffic circles over traffic lights
Need to focus on ingress and egress requirements, especially with left turns
It impacts emergency vehicles
Specific road concerns
Traffic moving on Routes 2/4 and 231 is heavy. State funding requested for widening of Routes 2/4, and for SHA to look at ways to move traffic through the county better.
Intersection of Cox Road and Route 4 is terrible
MD-4 the main north/south route, but don’t forget about MD-2
50 mph speed limit on MD-231, and 70 mph on MD-4 are too high
Traffic is atrocious on Md-261
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Environment
Is there a State goal for land preservation?
Calvert prides itself in being a rural community
What does the smallest (geographically) County in the State do to continue preserving land?
Any additional programs or loosened regulations to support preservation would be appreciated, like Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) programs
TDRs could put money back in both local and state government pockets
Count is concerned with WIP III
State loans should be provided to address future sewer problems and extensions to fix existing problems. Users are willing to pay however the money could be forward funded and paid back over time
The MS4 permits are coming at the end of April 2018 what is going to be the impact?
County needs a natural resources study
Open space must be preserved because once it is gone it is gone forever
Very Important to preserve County environment, but saving the planet should be number one
More solar panels would be good for both the County and the State
Lower energy bills and decreased CO2 emissions
Breezy Point
In late 2017, the BOCC removed a draft Breezy Point and Neeld Estate Flood Mitigation Plan due to a question from sourced data. This Plan is currently under review and in progress.
Nobody wants to help with this, not State, not local (concern was about shoreline erosion)
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Community
Calvert is unique because of its peninsula geography
County has less water access for the public compared to other counties with similar shorelines
Population is aging. Need to attract younger demographic segments to prevent further declining school populations and provide more youthful voices
Don’t want to be Manassas or Waldorf
Calvert’s relaxed character and clean environment offsets the craziness of the city
The local government is supposed to represent its citizens, but promises aren’t always kept
Need to listen more, demonstrate more transparency, and be more transparent
Citizens often need to help themselves
Some lack of faith with local planners
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Funding
The county voiced a request for funding for advertising and promoting economic development in Calvert County.
Need to fund programs that compensate landowners of agricultural lands. Their work benefits the larger community
Need funding to alleviate traffic issues between Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties
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Neighboring Jurisdictions
North Beach is working with County at a level not approached in decades. Let’s keep it going and hope to move forward as a team
The local municipalities and the County need to work together on relations and common planning issues
The Tri-County Council and the Agriculture Commission in Virginia are working on oyster replenishment, what about Maryland?
Charles County’s downzoning has affected Calvert
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What the County is Missing
People must leave the County to buy a lot of necessities
North Beach need affordable dining on the Bay. Mama Lucia’s is a good example
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State Agencies
The Critical Area Commission does not attend Board of Appeals meetings. It was expressed that the commission makes remote decisions without getting all the context of a case. A periodic review of critical area regulations is needed.
The DNR oyster program is great.
State needs to understand the specific needs of individual counties
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Technical Assistance
Could use help in local advertising, promotion, and economic development in County; specifically, in town centers
It would be great if the State would convene a focus group to discuss how the County could grow in appropriate areas and manner
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Planning
Focusing a 30-year growth strategy in Town Centers
Areas promoted for greater density include Chesapeake Beach and North Beach, Prince Frederick, Solomons, and Lusby
Overall, Calvert does not want higher density
County has double vision of preserving rural areas and allowing growth in town centers
The County is updating its Comprehensive Plan and has experienced steady growth
Small municipalities in the county want to retain their charm and yet provide for additional growth
Growth isn’t always negative. For farmers and businesses, it can be positive
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General
A Better Maryland should:
not take a “one size fits all” approach.
focus on common themes across Counties, not simply chase hypotheticals
analyze commonalities in comprehensive plans as part of overall review
establish some central override to prevent local favors to developers
An inter-jurisdictional Transfer-of-Development Rights would be useful
Believe those common themes will be infrastructure and transportation
Assets
People helping each other, working together
Rural character – land preservation
Decisions people have made to preserve land and rural character
Diversity – water lots, agriculture, rural nature
Water on three sides of the County
Fire department
Challenges
Growth – balancing good growth with preservation, keep growth sustainable
Over development and its negative impact on infrastructure, environment, water table
Lack of affordable housing
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