The Queen Anne's County Commissioners heard comments from about 25 people who spoke about the proposed county zoning ordinance at a public hearing Tuesday evening, Oct. 8. The commissioners said they would accept written comments until Friday, Oct. 11.

The county planning staff and planning commission worked for several months to compile the draft comprehensive zoning ordinance. The draft document contains major revisions to Title 18 of the county code and to county zoning maps. Title 18 includes the county zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations and associated land use development regulations. The new ordinance would replace the county zoning ordinance adopted in 1994.

The planning staff did a "phenomenal job" in rewriting the zoning ordinance in a short time, but it's a lot of information to consider in a short time, said Stevensville resident Fitzhugh Turner. He suggested the public needs more time to review the ordinance. The commissioners maybe should extend the deadline another week for people to send comments, said Kent Island resident Ben Cassell.

Public information meetings on the draft ordinance should have been held because it's a "very large and complex document," said Winn Krozack of Chester. He asked the commissioners to change several land development regulations proposed in the ordinance, including ones that would reduce stream buffers and reduce reforestation standards.

"Overall, the ordinance in my opinion should move forward," said Grasonville area resident Joe Stevens, an attorney who represents two property owners seeking new zoning designations.

Richard Altman, a Queenstown area resident and chairman of the citizens group, Save Our County, read a statement critical of the draft ordinance. He urged the commissioners not to vote on it. Altman, an architect, has served as a consultant to residential and commercial developers, including the Rouse Co.

Altman said the county's comprehensive plan and proposed zoning ordinance and zoning maps make the county "vulnerable" to runaway development. He said the proposed ordinance has three major defects: it has too much of the county zoned for high density residential use; it lacks an effective mechanism for controlling the rate of growth; and it encourage "clusters of sprawl" in the rural areas.

"The plan, zoning map and the proposed ordinance thus give us the worst of both worlds - accelerated, intensive residential and commercial development in the southern part of the county, and sprawling residential development in the north and along the water's edge," said Altman.

The draft 2002 ordinance is a big improvement over the county's 1987 zoning ordinance, which was based on performance based zoning, said Christopher Drummond, attorney to the county planning commission. He said many of the calculations in the 1987 (and 1994) ordinance are hard for even planners and engineers to understand.

The proposed ordinance is a much better written and organized document and one that is easier to understand, said Drummond. He said the planning commission and planning department staff "have done a very good job in a very short period of time."

Two proposed zoning changes in the Queenstown area - the Queenstown Master Planned Residential District and the Queenstown Resort District - drew comments pro and con. Ryan Showalter, an attorney representing the Queenstown Town Commissioners, said his clients want the Queenstown MPRD adopted as part of the new zoning ordinance, but the town commissioners want the county commissioners to reject the QRD.

The Queenstown MPRD would consist of roughly 800 acres east of the Town of Queenstown - near U.S. Route 50, U.S. Route 301 and Bloomingdale and Greenspring roads. An area of roughly 50 acres located on the Queenstown Harbor Golf Links property - across Little Queenstown Creek from the town - is tagged for the QRD. The rezoning would allow construction of a hotel and conference center.

Kathy Magruder, representing the Queen Anne's County Economic Development Commission, said the EDC supports the new zoning district for a hotel resort. She said the project would create jobs and there are "very few sites" in the county near the required infrastructure where a hotel resort could be built.

Barry Griffith, a planner with Lane Engineering who represents the family that wants to build the hotel resort, said the rezoning lays the groundwork for the project, but "many, many" steps would have to follow before the development plan could be approved.

Attorney John C. Murphy, who represents Queenstown area residents opposed to the QRD, said the new zoning district could allow a hotel with 1,600 to 1,700 rooms - one four times as big as the Hyatt hotel resort in Cambridge.

In a letter to the commissioners , Murphy wrote that the QRD would allow intense development on land designated in the Resource Conservation Area under the state's Critical Area law.

"Given the potential size of a project in the Queenstown Resort District, it is probable that public facilities will have to be extended there," wrote Murphy. "... If adopted, it is easy to see that the entire undeveloped land surrounding Queenstown Creek and Little Queenstown Creek could be developed into hotels, clubs, recreational facilities, outdoor entertainment areas, piers, restaurants and bars."

Murphy also objected to a provision in the new zoning ordinance that would allow up to 10 homes on a private road. The maximum is five homes under the current ordinance. A Baltimore City resident, Murphy said his hometown could use some of the growth that is headed to Queen Anne's County.

The new ordinance has changes that "move in the wrong direction" when it comes to protecting the Chester River, said Eileen McLelland, representing the Chester River Association. McLelland, the group's riverkeeper, said shoreline buffers are reduced from 300 feet to 100 feet in the new ordinance.

Grasonville resident Karen Tolliver and Centreville area resident James Holley both said they support a provision in the proposed ordinance that requires developers to set aside a percentage of new homes for affordable housing.

"Everybody can't afford a $300,000 home, unfortunately," said Holley, president of the Queen Anne's County chapter of the NAACP.

Holley said he has nothing against out-of-county people moving to Queen Anne's County. The problem, he said, is that lifelong Queen Anne's residents are being forced to move away because they can't afford to live here. Holley said he is especially concerned about young people being able to afford to stay in Queen Anne's County. 

©The Star Democrat 2002