August Planning Commission Minutes were approved as presented

Transcription

1 QUEEN ANNE S COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES September The Queen Anne s County Planning Commission met on Thursday 2014 at 845 AM The following members were present Barry Waterman John Perkins Jeffrey Reiss Robert Priest Sharon Dobson and Bill Sylvester Also present were J Steven Cohoon Director Department of Planning and Zoning Helen Spinelli Principal Community Planner Nancy Scozzari Senior Planner Robert Gunter Community Planner Holly Tompkins Senior Planner Barbara Norrington Clerk Christopher F Drummond Esquire and Sharon H Brinster Esquire 1 Public Comment A Mr Jeff Horseman MidShore Riverkeeper spoke in opposition to the Wheatland request to waive the 5 year waiting period for the zoning change to become effective as he believes development of this site will be detrimental to the Wye River Mr Horseman provided a letter he asked be made part of the record 2 Meeting Minutes Review Upon motion made by Commissioner Priest seconded by Commissioner Dobson and passed by the August Planning Commission Minutes were approved as presented 3 Extension Requests A Bearing Construction Major Site Plan No longer necessary B James Kelbuagh Major Subdivision Amendment Ms Holly Tompkins Senior Planner provided the highlights of the applicant s request for a 6month extension to the conditionally approved Final Major Subdivision Mr Jack Kirby Kirby Associates said that next week Verizon is submitting request to the Board of Appeals for the tower and we are uncertain how long that process will take Commissioner Dobson seconded by Commissioner Sylvester and passed by RESOLVED that at the request of James Kelbaugh the conditionally approved Final Major Subdivision Amendment Department of Planning and Zoning File Amendment shall be and is hereby extended through and including the date of the 1

2 regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting on June C VJ Ventures Major Subdivision Ms Holly Tompkins Senior Planner provided the highlights of the applicant s request for a 30day extension to the conditionally approved Major Subdivision Mr Tom Davis DMS Associates said that the Public Works agreement has been executed water and sewer fees paid letters of credit have been secured and all that remains is to finalize the plats and have them signed He added that they changed the name of the subdivision to White Tail Crossing and one of the roads to Fawn Lane Commissioner Dobson seconded by Commissioner Reiss and passed by RESOLVED that at the request of VJ Ventures the conditionally approved Major Subdivision Department of Planning and Zoning File shall be and is hereby extended through and including the date of the regularly scheduled Planning Commission meeting on October D Vineyards of Queen Anne s Gardens of Queen Anne s Major Site Plan No longer necessary 4 UPDATES Legislation and Legal Matters Mr J Steven Cohoon Director provided the following updates A Kent Island Transportation Plan Open House style forum was held on Kent Island to present scope of the project to the public and receive public input Meeting can be viewed on QACTV7 B Merrick Sand and Gravel Pit On August the Board of Appeals granted approval with all conditions recommended by the Planning Commission with a few tweaks C Haven House Ministries Public Information Meeting held August 25 was well attended Public Comment was taken with those in opposition disliking the location Many spoke in favor of Haven House Ministries their current facility and operation Meeting can be viewed on QACTV7 D Southern Kent Island Comprehensive Water and Sewerage Plan County Commissioners had a presentation on August and held a Public Hearing on September E CO1403 Electronic Signs approved by the County Commissioners as applicant requested without the suggested change by the Planning Commission to message changing 3 times per day 2

3 F CO1412 Floodplain Management in QAC County Commissioners held a Public Hearing and no comments were received Approved September G Economic Development Commissioners H Kent Narrows Development Foundation presented Strategic Plan to the County presented Economic Impact Study on tourism and employment I Special Events Conditional Use the Department has received and approved application for Possum Point Application for Maria s Love Point Inn has been received and is under review Rights J CO1411 Impervious Surface and Transferable Development in the Suburban Industrial District County Commissioners held a public hearing and approved as requested by the applicant without any of the Planning Commission suggested changes as they felt more research and review should be given to those modifications The Planning Commission recessed for a short break at 10 05AM and reconvened at 10 16AM 5 Fisherman Village Hotel Conference Center Concept Plan C Mr J Steven Cohoon Director provided the highlights of the applicant s request for Concept Plan approval for the construction of an square foot Hotel and Conference Center with associated parking on two parcels 167 acres and 104 acres on Kent Narrows Way South in Grasonville Mr Joseph Stevens Stevens Palmer said the Adequate Public Facilities Study determined capacity of the intersection to be okay but indicated there are functional site line issues that need to and will be addressed as the project moves forward Mr Jody Schulz described the proposed Boat House location and the need to have that up and running prior to construction of the Hotel Conference Center Mr Tom Davis DMS and Associates stated that overall there will be a reduction of impervious surface and the current stormwater standards will have to be met He added that the current well will be utilized to service the Boat House and then they will hook up to main water line for Hotel and Conference Center Chairman Waterman asked if there were members of the public who wished to be heard at which time the following comments were received A Mr Nick Stoer Chester expressed concern about pedestrian and bicycle mobility as the County doesn t do a great job He suggested signalized crossing of Route 18 He concluded by saying this was a perfect opportunity to do something sophisticated to improve the busy intersection 3

4 B Mr Fred Kirsch Queenstown spoke in support of Fisherman Inn and added that the intersection is difficult now and ideally needs changes that will incorporate pedestrian safety C Mr Jim DiDonato Kent Narrows Foundation Board Member said the architecture is much improved over the original design and blends well with the area He said this is a large project that will increase jobs and tax revenue for the County Commissioner Dobson seconded by Commissioner Priest and passed by RESOLVED that the Planning Commission regarding the request by Fisherman Village Hotel Conference Center for Concept Plan approval for the construction of an square foot Hotel and Conference Center with associated parking on 2 parcels of land totaling 281 acres of land on Kent Narrows Way South in Grasonville and as more particular described in Department of Planning Zoning file Concept Plan C hereby grants approval Upon further review the Planning Commission reached consensus to send a letter to the Queen Anne s County Commissioners asking them to look into funding pedestrian linkages and trails in the Kent Narrows area Additionally the Planning Commission reached consensus that the architecture provided by Fisherman Inn Hotel and Conference Center is acceptable and granted the Planning Director authority to review and approve the Minor Site Plan for the boat building 6 Wheatlands Farm Prior to consideration of the request Chairman Waterman recused himself from the meeting Ms Helen Spinelli Principal Community Planner provided the highlight s of the applicant s request to grant a waiver of the County s existing Countryside zoning on the property in accordance with the Annotated Code of Maryland of the Local Government Article She said it was the Planning Commission job to determine whether or not the proposal is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan Ms Brynja Booth Cowdrey Thompson PC representing the Town of Queenstown said the annexation of the Wheatlands property has been in the Queenstown plan since 1988 and the major issue was the lack of wastewater 4

5 treatment capacity She stated that construction of the new wastewater treatment facility is underway and capacity will soon be sufficient to provide service to the site Ms Booth said it is the Town s intention to keep the open space as is and she believes legally they have to She added that the Queenstown Planning Commission looked hard at the property and discussed that the easement area remain open space Mr Joseph Stevens Stevens Palmer said the waiver is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan because the County and the Town have been working toward this for years He said the timing is correct as the Queenstown Commissioners would not consider this annexation without wastewater capacity and now that it is under construction they are moving forward Mr Mareen Waterman Waterman Family Partnership requested a favorable recommendation and provided a letter for the record outlining specific items in the Town and County plans detail the consistency Vice Chairman Perkins asked if there were members of the public who wished to be heard at which time the following comments were received A Mr Ed Modell Hickory Ridge provided a copy of a statement from the President of the Hickory Ridge Homeowners Association Mr Modell stated that it is not a matter of approving waiver now or in five years but the waiver could be granted at any time He expressed concern regarding the safety of residents particularly at the intersection of US Route 50 B Mr Nick Stoer Chester stated that the County Commissioners tabled consideration 2 days ago and there will be a Public Hearing for Queenstown residents on September 24 which may provide information that makes a determination today premature He said traffic and safety at this location is a big deal C Mr Bob Simmons Queen Anne s County Commissioner said he was speaking as an individual rather than Commissioner said the County and Town have worked together on this and the waiver can be granted at any time or will occur automatically in five years He opined that the Planning Commission should wait Commissioner Priest seconded by Commissioner Sylvester and passed by RESOLVED that the Planning Commission regarding Wheatland Farms finds the proposed change in zoning from existing County zoning of Countryside to the Town of Queenstown zone of Planned Regional Commercial floating zone is consistent with the most current Queen Anne s County Comprehensive Plan and hereby makes a 5

6 favorable recommendation to the Queen Anne s County Commissioners to grant a waiver to the County s existing zoning on the property Countryside in accordance with the Annotated Code of Maryland of the Local Government Article The Planning Commission recessed for lunch at AM and reconvened at PM 7 Critical Area Mapping Update Ms Nancy Scozzari Senior Planner provided an update to the Mapping of Critical Area She described the Mapping Regulations and Methodology used to create new map overlays Ms Scozzari said that Public Informational Meetings are scheduled for Wednesday October at the Percy Tomas Senior Center from600 PM to900 PM and Thursday October at the Department of Planning Zoning Conference Room from600 PM to900 PM She said the meetings will be conducted by Critical Area Commission staff and representatives from QAC GIS and Planning Staff will be available to answer questions and to assist property owners with viewing maps Mr Sam Stanton GIS provided a PowerPoint presentation detailing the problems in the past with Overlay Maps not matching aerial maps and the improvements being made to rectify the problem He said the new maps are available on the Critical Area website 8 Comprehensive Water Sewerage Plan Postponed 9 Miscellaneous Staff Items Mr Mike Watson Chief of Queen Anne s County Parks Recreation provided and update and overview of the County s parks natural resources Board of Education facilities and landings He said the department works hard to maintain the facilities while also planning for the needs of future populations 10 Public Comment None There being no further business to come before the Planning Commission the meeting was adjourned at 126 PM RESPECTF LY SUBMITTED J INA iir Reiss Secretary 6