The Easton Town Council delayed adoption of the town’s 2026 Comprehensive Plan on Monday night after several council members concluded the latest draft still does not provide a clear strategy for limiting residential growth to the council’s proposed 1 percent annual target.
The discussion, which followed more than three months of public hearings, made clear that while council members support the plan’s overall direction, they remain dissatisfied with how it proposes to manage future development.
“The language lacked some of the more specific controls and mechanisms that we had talked about before,” Councilmember Robert Rankin said. “It’s just getting more at the specifics of what we’d be looking for to trigger some of these actions.”
The sharpest criticism came from Councilmember David Montgomery, who said he was “very disappointed” with revisions prepared following earlier council direction.
“There is still too much vagueness about how we are going to achieve and enforce the one percent limit,” Montgomery said. “I still see here an unwillingness to grapple with the fact that we are already above one percent.”
Montgomery argued that projects already approved by the town will push Easton beyond the proposed annual growth rate, making it essential to establish legal mechanisms now rather than after the target has been exceeded.
Rev. Elmer Davis Jr. agreed, saying the proposal “puts the cart before the horse.”
“We need to put in some concrete mechanisms,” Davis said. “Not once we’re over fixing it; we need to fix it now.”
Council President Don Abbatiello echoed those concerns, saying the town needs procedures in place before additional large developments are approved.
“I think the council obviously has an idea of how they would slow growth,” Abbatiello said.
Residents also urged the council to strengthen the plan before adopting it.
Tom Ledvina told the council that Easton should establish enforceable growth controls before reaching the 1 percent threshold.
“Easton is not full yet, but you can see full from here,” Ledvina said. “Some things are hard to clean up. Excessive growth is one of them. You can’t walk it backwards.”
Tom Allspach, speaking on behalf of the Talbot Preservation Alliance, argued that the current draft reverses the proper sequence.
“You have to put in place the mechanisms to keep the growth rate at one percent,” Allspach said. “Not wait until we get there and then what do we do now.”
Town staff responded that many of the legal tools the council is seeking would require additional studies and future legislation before they could be implemented. Council members ultimately directed staff to strengthen the language before returning the Comprehensive Plan for another vote.
Housing Task Force Warns of Growing Senior Crisis
Earlier in the meeting, Nancy Andrew, director of the Office of Community Partnerships for Talbot County, presented preliminary findings from the Talbot County Senior Task Force, noting that housing insecurity among older adults is one of the county’s fastest-growing challenges.
The task force reported that nearly 30 percent of Talbot County residents are now age 60 or older, while waiting lists for senior housing range from one to seven years. St. Mark’s Village currently has a six- to seven-year waiting list.
Andrew said many vulnerable seniors are not homeless but are living on the edge of losing stable housing.
“We recognize that the most vulnerable seniors in our community right now may not be visibly homeless,” she said. “They could be at risk of being homeless, but they are not there yet.”
The report also noted that Talbot County has no low-barrier emergency shelter, forcing local organizations to spend nearly $110,000 last year placing residents in motel rooms during housing emergencies.
Easton Utilities Details Bay Street Pond Recovery
Easton Utilities officials reported that cleanup of February’s diesel spill into the Bay Street ponds has largely been completed.
Chief Operating Officer John Hines said the utility has replaced equipment that failed, excavated contaminated soil, installed monitoring systems, changed fuel-handling procedures, and hired an independent engineering firm to review operations over the next two years.
“We wanted to say, how can we make sure this never happens again?” Hines said.
Manager of External Affairs Kurt Foxx acknowledged that the utility’s initial response fell short but said the company has since taken significant steps to improve its environmental safeguards.
Council members praised the effort, with Abbatiello thanking Easton Utilities for “their commitment to improving on what happened and for cleaning it up.”
Senior Housing Grant Receives Unanimous Support
The council also unanimously approved support for a Maryland Community Development Block Grant application tied to a proposed 64-unit affordable senior housing development on Port Street.
Developer Brian Lopez of Osprey Property Company said the funding would help lower financing costs and preserve affordability for residents earning no more than 50 percent of the area’s median income under a 40-year affordability agreement.
Although Montgomery questioned whether the project comes at a time when Easton is already wrestling with rapid residential growth, he voted in favor of the grant application.
One Response
Yes we need more senior housing and single people can not afford 1900 or 2500 for rent on the salary they get in talbot county. The cost of living is expensive for everyone. It all about the mighty dollar.