First Round Listening Session - February 15, 2018
Regionalism and Regional Planning ♦ Concerns Over Previous Mandates ♦ Mapping Support and Data ♦ Economic Development ♦ Youth ♦ Housing ♦ Infrastructure ♦ Community Engagement and Volunteerism ♦ 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
There is a local desire to open up and reconsider Priority Funding Areas (PFAs) for rural areas
Do they still make sense for our towns? Do existing PFAs still qualify?
Perhaps new considerations for what constitutes a PFA are needed, especially with nutrient load requirements, TMDL goals, septic tanks, or if considering public health and safety
State needs to look at regional implications of planning decisions and issues
Back to top
Concerns Over Previous Mandates
Renewable energy decisions, such as the Renewable Portfolio Standard, are all made at the State level. Concerned about Public Service Commission (PSC)
Worried that legislation that County put in place to cap the number of acres dedicated to renewable energy production will be overridden by State PSC
Dispersed energy generation may be a conflict over the next few years
We want to do our own local planning on this and other issues
For example, the Public Service Commission will deny one of our local plans, but then won’t offer any help to fix it
No unfunded mandates
Back to top
Mapping Support and Data
Locals need assistance accessing and using data
Funding needed for permit/GIS software. County can’t do what they need/want to do for analytical purposes. ESRI licenses are extra for add-ons. Consider piggy-backing on State license
Back to top
Economic Development
Ordinances and regulations can impede families from moving to the County, which impacts the recruitment of teachers and other professionals
Agriculture is the County’s number 1 employer
Ties into the beauty and community feel and provides open spaces
Once ag land turns into subdivisions, it is lost
The State allowed a manufacturing company to move to Delaware, which resulted in the loss of 50 jobs, in Federalsburg. Conducted no outreach to the company encouraging them to stay
We want jobs, but not at any cost (this was reiterated many times)
Too many empty buildings in the County
Encourage tourism of local history, beauty, and outdoor activities
The population of the Eastern Shore has grown, but the economy hasn’t grown to match it
People can’t afford to live on the Western Shore, and they can’t find good a job on the Eastern Shore
Government and private Investment in our Eastern Shore farms is needed
Create tax-free zones in and around our small towns with empty and unused warehouses. Make them available to businesses compatible for safe and pollution-free industries. Give land, in and around towns, a break from taxes so that they can invest in their infrastructure while utilizing empty stores. Bring back taxes after it is shown that these new businesses are budding enough to afford to invest back in the towns but make these new taxes fair
Expand the Salisbury Airport to accommodate international flights
Cambridge needs a deep water international harbor large enough to compete on a smaller scale with Norfolk and Baltimore
Back to top
Youth
90% of youth leave for jobs elsewhere
Back to top
Housing
Foreclosed homes are hard to do anything with. Can’t make the finances work on them. Banks are making improvements to properties
Back to top
Infrastructure
Caroline County is carrying the burden on running the Greensboro sewer line northward to the other small municipalities (This was strongly stated in both the staff and officials’ sessions)
It is moving so slowly and they could use some help accelerating the lines
Do this and Caroline will listen to Smart Growth
We are going to have to dig up the same holes again to connect to new sewer line
School construction
Every 5 years the County faces a $40,000,000 school construction project
Wage rates, however, are set based on standards from across the bridge
The Interagency Committee on School Construction (IAC) process and formulas should account for regional differences
Large influx of student growth moved to Preston for good school
Need Broadband or County is going to be left behind
We need to invest in our farms for building wind and solar power
Back to top
Community Engagement and Volunteerism
Community organizations are a big driver of positive change in Caroline
Examples such as Shore Rivers and Eastern Shore Land Conservancy
Back to top
Transportation
Many people in the County would be perfectly fine if the Bay Bridge disappeared
Roads can’t handle beach traffic
Need a new bay bridge with high speed train. We once had rail to Philly, very sad that is no longer
Easier access to jobs with mass transit
County has main streets with empty stores, pot holes in roads, traffic jams on throughways when drivers are trying to get to the ocean resorts
Need to consider connection the Western and Eastern Shores with tunnels in multiple locations
Back to top
Environment
Critical areas have expanded by 300 acres in Caroline
Most of the County’s Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) receiving areas are in Critical Area
Areas where they would like to put residential uses
Reduce inputs to Choptank River
Concern over powerplant project
Don’t want pipeline and pollution
Where is the pipeline spur going to go?
Concerned with the Conowingo Damn improvements and bay restorations
Support the moratorium on fracking
Oysters help filter the bay
Back to top
Community
Residents here choose to live in the rural environment
Open space keeps people here
Back to top
Funding
Funding for software, such as Geographic Information Systems and permits, is needed. Lack of local funding for this is a barrier
Or adjusting the state contract with software provider to allow for local licenses
A Better Maryland should address increased funding
Back to top
Neighboring Jurisdictions
State as facilitator
Could help facilitate conversations and issues between Counties and Towns
Model APFO ordinances for schools that would help with Town and County planning
Model ordinances for medical marijuana, solar, etc.
Good to have additional person at the table
Should have uniform plans for all municipalities, so plans do not conflict
Regional and inter-county transportation issues should be addressed
Conflicting driver’s license requirements
DCT bus won’t take passengers to destinations in Denton
Pollution from New York and Pennsylvania a problem
Coordinate crabbing industry and regulations with Virginia
Back to top
What the County is Missing
Staff resources are so limited. The Mayor’s currently do so much
Back to top
State Agencies
Need for more teamwork and collaboration at the state and local level
Sometimes the Maryland Historical Trust has been an obstacle
Need to get all State agencies on the same page
Significant amount of inefficiencies
Model ordinances would be very helpful, or even just templates
The current back and forth between state and localities is convoluted and inefficient
Examples
Surface mining, wind power, medical marijuana
Back to top
Technical Assistance
The Department of Housing and Community Development’s Circuit Rider Programs should be expanded
Town Manager
Big learning curve with a small town, and with the high turnover of a short-term position, the circuit rider is always learning
Lack of continuity is a problem
Small-town planner
10 municipalities in Caroline County less than 200 in population
The program helps both the municipalities and the County
Towns want to do good planning, don’t want to be taken advantage of by developers
Only a 2-year grant
Hard to recruit and hold on to people in such a short-term position and takes time for planner to build trust/longevity
Help with aligning goals and objectives with available funding sources
Look at TMDL issues, water and sewer planning, septic
No tax base for Comprehensive plans
Statewide Navigator position to help sorting through various State agency requirements and programs
Sustainable Communities designations and action plans
Need for a state directory of contact and other information where a locality would start when pursuing funding or other assistance
Assistance with broadband expansion, specifically small cell wireless technology
Don’t want the digital divide to get any bigger
Help with historic home restoration
Back to top
Planning
A Better Maryland
Should incorporate the top projects/objectives/actions from local comp plans
Regional impact of issues
Longer term view
Meta-analysis is under the State purview
Bring in examples from other places and best practices
Guidance on agri-hoods
Water and sewer planning
Ridgely issue
County is still paying for the Ridgely Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was constructed based on what the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) told them to build. Now MDE is telling them it is obsolete
The County collects no impact fees on multifamily housing built in the Towns
Maintenance of effort increasing many $100,000’s this year
The Caroline County Planning Department is one of the best and has been very proactive and responsive on issues ranging from mining to solar uses
Prefer controlled growth of the Outer Banks to what happened in Ocean City
Compromise must occur between tradition and growth, between the interests of farmers, hunters, history buffs, and ecology protection
Back to top
General
Code enforcers are hard to find and hire. County could use help with this
Perhaps a training program for code enforcers
It means a lot to Caroline County when representatives of the State visit
The only way to keep the Eastern Shore of Maryland secure for human habitation in the future is to ensure that it remains relevant to the Western Shore. Treated like an island, Eastern Shore towns and farms will die a slow and painful death
Assets
County Commissioners and Education Board collaborate regularly
For example, the Education Board gave money back to the County a few years ago when it was struggling
Natural beauty and resources
Outdoor activities
Low growth, small town feel
Quaint, tree lined streets
Small businesses
Great parks
Challenges
High local tax rate
Lack of local jobs, many have been lost
Diversifying the tax base
Empty business parks
Powerplant project
Don’t know how to voice concern
Back to top