Ellendale Farm LLC would develop the 90-acre property owned by Charles T. Breeding and Janet B. Yost. The property - located off state Route 8 between Thompson Creek Service Road and Kent Manor Drive - is located in the Stevensville growth area, one of the six designated growth areas in Queen Anne's County.

The county commissioners held a hearing April 16 (see Note from KIDL follow article) on the developer's growth allocation request for Ellendale Farm. Growth allocation is the process in which the county amends Critical Area maps to allow a more intense land use. Under a Maryland law approved in the mid-1980s, the area within 1,000 feet of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries is defined as the Critical Area. 

"We think the design is much improved over the original design," said Barry Griffith of Lane Engineering. He said the plan features a grid system of streets and alleys - and no cul-de-sacs. The buffer area along Thompson Creek was widened from 100 to 300 feet.

Under the revised plan, the development is concentrated on the southern part of the property to avoid interfering with the operation of the Bay Bridge Airport, said Griffith. Ellendale Farm would have 285 homes - 179 townhouses and 106 single-family homes.

The growth allocation request would redesignate 25.7 acres in the Critical Area from Resource Conservation Area to Intense Development Area. Griffith said another 28 acres on the site would keep the RCA designation. The county planning department recommended the commissioners approve the 25.7 acres of growth allocation.

Kent Island resident Roger Weller asked the commissioners to deny the growth allocation request. He said schools, roads and other infrastructure improvements need to be addressed first. Weller said Kent Island has "horrible traffic jams," even at 11 o'clock on a Wednesday morning.

"Kent Island faces a capacity issue," said Terry Babb of Kent Island. She said the problem is not caused by Ellendale alone, but a combination of all the development projects on the island.

Another Kent Island resident, Jack Broderick, said the Ellendale plan has shown a lot of positive changes, but "the issue is the overall direction ... the county has propelled Kent Island into."

Attorney Michael Foster, representing the Breeding family, said the land owners "are not money grubbing developers," but a family that has been part of the Kent Island farming community since the 1600s and owners of that property since the 1800s.

The three commissioners also spoke briefly about growth issues. Commission President George O'Donnell said county officials "can pretend growth won't happen" or they can try to prepare for it. He said it's not outrageous for farmers to pursue private property rights under the law to benefit their families. 
©The Star Democrat 2002