Queen Anne's County officials yesterday signed an agreement to help control sprawl on the Eastern Shore, a movement organizers said would follow the county's lead. 

The Board of County Commissioners became one of six county governments to sign the "Eastern Shore 2010: A Regional Vision" agreement, a promise to work together to find ways to control growth in the region. 

"I think (what Queen Anne's County has done to control growth) is terrific,"*** said Robert J. Etgen, executive director of the Queenstown-based organization dedicated to preserving local farmland and habitat. 

"You are ahead of the curve. We need to convince the rest of the Eastern Shore so we can get these types of programs everywhere." 

Mr. Etgen and Rep. Wayne Gilchrest, R-Kent, came to the commissioners meeting in Centreville yesterday as part of a tour of Cecil, Caroline, Dorchester, Kent and Talbot to convince the leaders of each county to sign the agreement. 

The three lower shore counties -- Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset -- are linked in a separate agreement. 

Goals in the 2010 plan urge the member counties to:

• Preserve land.
• Promote the local economy.
• Curb sprawl.
• Create guidelines for the design of new development.
• Ensure diverse and affordable housing.
• Improve regional transportation choices. 

"It's going to take a very vigorous commitment," he said. "The most difficult plan to do is land use." 

After getting as many of the counties as possible to sign the agreement, members of the conservancy group and the Futures Committee, a state planning group that includes Mr. Gilchrest and other government officials, will appoint county task forces. 

These groups will be made up of county officials and residents, national land-use planning experts and members of the conservancy group. 

Task force members will be asked to come up with planning and zoning mechanisms -- such as the ones already on the books in Queen Anne's County *** -- for implementing the goals of the agreement, which only offers a broad framework. 

County Commissioner John McQueeney, R-Stevensville, said the effort would draw positive attention to the county's efforts to control growth. 

"Maybe you can get the word out better than we do," he said. "While other counties are proud to have preserved 3 percent of their land, over here we've preserved 26 percent." 

Board President George O'Donnell, D-Queenstown, said that since 1997, the county, with the help of state land preservation money and the cooperation of county landowners, has preserved 12 acres of open space for every 1 acre that is developed. 

Over the past five years, 1,145 acres have been developed while 14,370 acres have been preserved, he said. 

While there has been very public opposition to the dramatic increase in development on Kent Island, Mr. O'Donnell said that area was designated for growth because it already has existing infrastructure such as sewer and water lines.

Published June 12, 2002, The Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Copyright © 2002 The Capital, Annapolis, Md.

***  NOTE from KIDL:   QAC has not done enough to control growth, and it does not have enough Planning & Zoning control mechanisms in place to effectively control growth.  These are some of the very reasons the Commissioners cited for implementing the moratorium.

mmohsberg@capitalgazette.com

Note:  Commissioners email:  qacc@qac.org

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