Peter Lee, who had cited lack of county water service to the area as the prime reason not to encourage new development, maintained his "no" vote. Members Loring Hawes and David Clark, who had also voted against the project in February, were absent from the March meeting.

There only was one minor change in the site plan itself, but the developer and future residents of Dundee Condominiums must comply with new conditions.

The only change in the site plan is the planting of trees in the buffer zone to augment the stormwater drainage plan. Engineer Tom Davis of McCrone Inc., told the commission that the disturbed area of the property had actually gone inside the 100-foot shore buffer.

The tree plantings were one of the three new conditions for approval. Regrading the entire site to move the stormwater pond from the edge of the shore buffer would not improve the stormwater drainage plan, he said.

The two other conditions regard the possibility of future central water service to that region of state Route 18 east of Routes 18-552 intersection. The developer agreed to participate financially if and when a water line is extended eastward on Route 18. Condominium covenants will stipulate that future Dundee Condominium residents agree to hook up to central water whenever it becomes available.

As are other residences and businesses on that portion of Route 18, Dundee Condominiums will use public sewer service and private wells. County health officer John Nickerson said that each unit needs a separate well not only to comply with current county ordinances, but also to prevent legal problems involving shared use.

Lee, new vice chair of the planning commission, said that the Chester Community Plan and the Comprehensive Plan Update said that use of central water and sewer should be "encouraged" for new development. This was the reason for his "no" vote in February and March.

In this view he was supported by a nearby resident, Bob Simmons. "We can't ignore the Chester Plan. How is this plan to be enforced? We have to draw the line," he told the commission. Residents of Dundee Road who spoke in objection to the project during the February meeting were not present at the March meeting.

The possibility of water service to that region of Route 18 was also discussed. McCrone's Davis pointed out that despite the Chester Plan recommendations that this area is designated "no planned service." The nearest water extension is at Clayborne Woods, just south of the Routes 18-552 (Old Dominion Road) intersection.

He estimated that an extension of that service to Dundee Road - about 1w miles - would cost $469,000, which did not include right-of-way and easement costs. "This small eight-unit condominium project cannot support that amount of extra expense," he wrote in a letter to county development review chief J. Steven Cohoon.

Emphasizing the difference between large and small developments, Foster Homes paid for an eastward extension of a water line as well as a storage tanks so that firm could develop the 140-unit Clayborne Woods subdivision.

Centreville attorney Joe Stevens, who represents Waterman in this development, said that his client would be willing to forego the expense of drilling private wells "if the county was to extend the water line, say, in six months."

Health officer Nickerson pointed out that shallow wells into the Aquia aquifer are no longer permitted. Permits for deeper wells into the Magothy aquifer are permitted. And in a drought summer, such as the one predicted for this year, many of the shallow wells in western Queen Anne's County may not be deep enough to continue to draw water, he said.

While there is no time frame, it may be possible to extend water service in the future when construction starts on an expansion of the shopping center at the 18-552 intersection, according to various county officials.

The commission had already approved a shore buffer reduction for the 5.2-acre parcel.

When the county's 300-foot shore buffer encompasses more than 50 percent of a parcel, a 100-foot buffer can be granted so that development can proceed. The 100-foot buffer is the mandate of the state Critical Areas regulations. Queen Anne's County is the only Maryland jurisdiction with a 300-foot buffer.

As for the stormwater drainage plan itself, McCrone's Davis explained that the primary storage pond and two other "pocket ponds," required by new standards effective in 2001, allow potential polluted particles to sink before water is discharged - if the primary pond reaches the overflow level. 

©The Star Democrat 2002