HomeMy WebLinkAbout050620
June 20, 2005
Hagerstown, Maryland
A workshop meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of
Washington County, Maryland, was called to order at 9:00
a.m. by Vice President William J. Wivell, with the
following members present: Commissioners James F.
Kercheval, John C. Munson, and Doris J. Nipps.
Rural Area Zoning Workshop
Michael Thompson, Director of Planning, and Stephen
Goodrich, Chief Planner, provided a brief overview and
history of the comprehensive rezoning of the rural areas.
Mr. Thompson stated that the Comprehensive Plan was adopted
in 2002. The Commissioners created the Rural Area Zoning
Task Force in 2003 and held a public hearing on their
findings in June 2004. The Planning Commission also made
its recommendations in June 2004. In August and September
2004, the Commissioners considered individual requests for
review of proposed zoning. Public hearings were held in
September and October 2004 and revisions were made to the
document.
Mr. Thompson explained that the document being reviewed
today incorporates the changes that have been made to date.
The Comprehensive Plan map also reflects the changes to the
Land Use Plan. He also reviewed the proposed schedule to
hear Rural Business-New requests. Mr. Thompson stated that
the Planning staff is looking for the Commissioners’
direction to prepare the necessary ordinances and changes
to the map. The meeting was then opened for questions and
discussion.
Commissioner Wivell asked Mr. Goodrich to review the
proposed densities. Mr. Goodrich, using the land use map,
indicated that the residential development density for
Agricultural (light green) is a 1:5 acre ratio;
Environmental Conservation (dark green) is a 1:20 acre
ratio; Preservation zone has a 1:30 acre ratio for
residential development; and Rural Village (blue) depends
on the availability of public water and sewer, but is
generally a 1:1 acre ratio.
The Commissioners discussed possible incentive programs
such as transferable development rights (TDRs), installment
purchase agreements (IPAs), and workforce housing.
Commissioner Nipps asked if a reference should be made in
the document as a placeholder since nothing has been
adopted at this time. The Commissioners agreed that this
is a “living” document that would be changed as necessary
to address issues that arise. Mr. Thompson assured them
that there would be the flexibility to allow this to occur.
Mr. Thompson then reviewed the proposed exemptions for each
district. He stated that there is a 5-lot maximum as
determined at this point. He recommended that the date of
the moratorium, October 29, 2002, be used to calculate the
minimum lot size for the purpose of exemptions in the
ordinance. Mr. Thompson outlined the new State regulations
for sewer service and how may affect development.
The Commissioners reviewed the individual requests that
were made and the tentative decisions. They discussed
placing some type of incentives for new developments to
assure preservation of historic structures and agreed to
provide two additional lots if the developer agrees to
preserve a historic structure on the property.
The Commissioners agreed to minor revisions and deletions
in the text as recommended by the County Attorney. The
meeting was then opened for questions from those in
attendance.
Mr. Thompson indicated that he would advise the County
Attorney’s Office to make the revisions agreed upon today
and to prepare the ordinance for adoption at the July 12
meeting. Richard Douglas, County Attorney, stated that he
would have the draft ordinance placed on the County’s
website for the public to review.
The workshop was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
___________________________,
County Administrator
,
County Attorney
,
Clerk