Kent Island Defense League

News

Just a thought . . .
we thought the 6-month moratorium recently enacted by the Commissioners
prohibited the processing of all new and pending major subdivisions . . .
if so, why is the Four Seasons DRRA being considered now?
See KIDL note following article

From the Bay Times

Four Seasons agreement under review
By: JACK SHAUM, Staff Writer, The Bay Times June 12, 2002

CENTREVILLE - The Queen Anne's County Planning Commission is now reviewing a proposed Developer's Rights and Responsibilities Agreement for the Four Seasons residential development planned for Kent Island.

"The commission may act on it at its July meeting," said Steve Cohoon, development review chief for the Planning Commission. It would then be up to
the county commissioners to hold a public hearing on the plan.

K. Hovnanian Companies, the Virginia firm that wants to build the age-restricted development, submitted the agreement to the county commissioners May 17, spelling out its obligations to the county in return for approval of more intensive development within 1,000 feet of the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

"It is the most comprehensive, exacting and costly agreement that K. Hovnanian has ever experienced in its 40 years of building homes in more than 10 states," wrote the company's Division President Mark D. Stemen.

"We have not made unreasonable demands," said County Commissioner Marlene F. Davis. "It looks as if they've answered the call."

Commissioner John T. McQueeney Jr. said, "If this project happens, we will have extracted more from them than any other developer to insure that everything's done right."

McQueeney and Davis said they hadn't looked at the proposal in detail, preferring to wait until the Planning Commission is finished with it. They could not say when the commissioners might hold a public hearing on the
agreement.

Efforts to reach Four Seasons executives were unsuccessful.

Four Seasons is a 562-acre development planned north of Route 50 on both sides of Cox Creek and Castle Marina Road. It would have 1,350 homes - some single-family and some townhouses.

Under the proposed agreement, the company will make improvements to off-site water facilities, including an upgrade of the Chesapeake Business Park water treatment plant, and a 500,000 gallon elevated water storage tank.

It also promises to improve Castle Marina Road from Route 18 to the entrance to Four Seasons; to construct a pedestrian crossing where the Cross Island Trail meets Castle Marina Road; to reconstruct the roundabout at Castle Marina Road and Route 18 and to build a right-hand turning lane on Piney Narrows Road.

Furthermore, the proposal calls for 6.5 acres of land to go to the county for the Cross Island Trail Park and the construction of parking space and restrooms. It would also pay for the acquisition of 27 acres of land to be used as parkland by the county. And it would build a pedestrian path along Castle Marina Road to connect the Bayside and Queen's Landing communities to the Cross Island Trail.

The company says it will make all the improvements at no cost to the county. It also pledges to make what it calls "above and beyond" payments to the county, including a $1 million "up front" payment and $12,349,800 in
association with the issuance of building permits.

"You can (use these funds) to build a school, library, youth facility, park or any other public facility or provide a public service to meet the needs of any or all County residents in any location." wrote Stemen.

In addition, Four Seasons would pay the county more than $8 million for sewer capacity, and would make a direct payment to the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department of $438,750. It would also establish "(at least) a $7 per month emergency fire and rescue service fee to be paid by each dwelling to the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department ($113,400 per year at the buildout, forever)."

County Administrator Mark K. Belton said, "We're fairly satisfied with what we see after an initial look at this." He added, "We want to see what the public says about it."

Joe Stevens, attorney for K. Hovnanian Companies, said the proposed payments and offsite improvements "are far above and beyond" what other development agreements have provided to Queen Anne's County or other jurisdictions.

He also said Hovnanian is looking forward to working with the county to get an agreement that is beneficial to both parties.

Konrad Surowiec also contributed to this article.
Copyright The Bay Times June 12, 2002

NOTE from KIDL: We are still reviewing the DRRA as presented to the County. The Commissioners are supposed to hold a public hearing before making their decision on the agreement. We will issue our opinion of the DRRA to you before the hearing, after we have carefully studied all its implications. As soon as we get notice of a hearing date from the County we will let you know. Please plan on attending.

The Voters Voice question in this week's Bay Times asks whether you "approve of the proposed Four Seasons developers agreement". We cannot answer that question honestly until we have studied the document further.

The next scheduled Planning Commission meeting is July 11 (Thursday) at 9 a.m. at the PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING ROOM, 160 COURSEVALL DR., CENTREVILLE. The article says the PC may act on their recommendation on the DRRA (to the Commissioners) then. The County SHOULD post the agenda for the meeting on their website at http://www.qac.org/pubinfo/plandocs/infopage2.htm before the meeting. If the DRRA is on the agenda and you are able to attend that meeting please do so.

Just a thought . . . we thought the 6-month moratorium recently enacted by the Commissioners prohibited the processing of all new and pending major subdivisions . . . if so, why is the Four Seasons DRRA being considered now?

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