While form-based zoning codes are becoming more popular with municipalities as a successful way to grow strategically, the Easton Planning Commission paused adoption of a form-based zoning code last week, choosing instead to keep the town’s comprehensive plan flexible while calling for further study of zoning reform.

Form-based zoning focuses on how buildings look and how they relate to streets, sidewalks, and public spaces, rather than on the land’s primary use. Local advocates believe this approach can create streets that are easier to walk on, set clearer guidelines for developers, and help new buildings better fit into the surrounding neighborhoods.

During the discussion, the commissioners, including president Philip Toussaint in our Spy highlight, noted that the idea has merit but warned against locking Easton into a single zoning model or a fixed timeline, with several members noting that adopting a form-based code could take years, require significant public education, and cost.

The commission ultimately decided not to include form-based zoning in the comprehensive plan and not to set an adoption deadline. Instead, the plan will call for studying zoning reform after adoption, leaving open the possibility of form-based, hybrid, or other approaches

This video highlight is approximately five minutes in length.

For those concerned about how some recent, large-scale housing developments secured local approval, the Easton Town Council is considering a critical step to increase transparency for the community.

The Council this week opened a public hearing on two proposed zoning ordinances aimed at clarifying existing rules and setting clearer review thresholds for development in the town’s Planned Redevelopment Overlay District. Ordinances 850 and 851, presented by Planning Director Lynn Thomas, were introduced for discussion and public comment, with no vote taken.

Ordinance 850 includes a series of primarily technical amendments to the zoning code, which staff describe as “housekeeping” updates. These include allowing automotive repair garages by special exception in the downtown commercial district, adding a definition for private spas, and updating lighting requirements for donation bins. Thomas said the changes address issues identified during earlier Council workshops and are intended to correct unintended effects of prior zoning revisions.

Ordinance 851 focuses on how redevelopment projects are reviewed, particularly residential projects. Under the proposal, developments with up to 20 dwelling units could be reviewed through the Planning Commission’s site plan process, while projects exceeding that threshold would require a different approval path, likely triggering a public hearing before the Town Council.

During public comment, the only speaker,  Joe Minarick of Easton, urged caution about building scale near historic neighborhoods and questioned whether access to the Rail Trail should count as permanent open space for family-oriented housing projects.

The Council will continue its review before taking any action on the ordinances later this year.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length.

It is hard to think of another Talbot County organization that does more for its community than the Neighborhood Service Center on Port Street. Since 1969, NSC has provided a broad range of services—housing and homelessness support, food assistance, emergency financial aid, youth and senior programs, and employment services—serving low-income families and elderly residents across the county.

In 2026, demand for the Neighborhood Service Center will be higher than ever. Major federal cutbacks to social programs, combined with Maryland’s projected $1.4 billion budget deficit and its ripple effects on county finances, are placing unprecedented pressure on organizations like NSC. The challenge now is whether the Center can continue to meet growing needs as long-standing government support erodes.

As part of its response, NSC has recently hired Andy Hollis, a widely respected nonprofit leader, as its new chief executive officer. Working with the Board of Directors, chaired by Chuck Callahan, Hollis is charged with helping the organization navigate this uncertain moment while staying true to its mission.

The Spy sat down with Andy and Chuck to discuss the future of the Neighborhood Service Center, the programs it hopes to sustain and expand, and why private community support will be essential as public funding continues to shrink.

This video is approximately seven minutes in length. To learn more about the Neighborhood Service Center or to make a donation, please go here.

Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill is credited with the line that “all politics is local,” but after listening to recent public comments on Ordinance 848 at the town’s Council meeting, which proposes updates to Easton’s parking rules, one might be tempted to go further and say that all local politics is parking.

That may be an exaggeration, but the pushback at Tuesday night’s packed Town Council meeting was unmistakable. Ordinance 848 would revise the application of parking time limits on certain streets, the use of municipal parking lots, and the management of parking permits. The proposal sets time limits from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on designated streets, with a three-hour daily maximum in free spaces, clarifies the council’s authority to set parking meter rates, and updates permit rules and enforcement, including permit revocation for unpaid tickets. If approved, the ordinance would take effect 20 days after the mayor signs it or after a veto override. Public comment on the measure remains open, with final approval expected early next year. The Spy has selected a range of representative voices from this week’s meeting for the highlight reel that follows.

The Spy has selected a range of representative voices from this week’s meeting for the highlight reel that follows.

This video is approximately 12 minutes in length.

If there were a need for proof that Talbot County Councilmembers do indeed listen to the community before voting on bills before them, last night’s action to kill the controversial short-term rental bill 1622 would be a good example.

The ongoing debate over the short-term rentals proposal took a surprising turn last night when the County Council effectively ended Bill 1622, a major proposal to overhaul the STR system. The bill would have created two classes of rental licenses, imposed new spacing limits on non-owner-occupied rentals, and tightened the review process by changing applications, hearings, renewals, and enforcement. Supporters said the reforms were needed to protect neighborhoods and address workforce housing pressures, while opponents argued the existing system was functioning well.

When the bill came up for action, both of its sponsors—Council Members Pete Lesher and Lynne Mielke—announced they were withdrawing their support. With no sponsors remaining, Council President Chuck Callahan confirmed that Bill 1622 would die, either immediately for lack of sponsorship or automatically on January 1 if left inactive. The move came after weeks of sharply divided testimony from residents, STR owners, and community groups.

Lesher said he concluded the bill failed to fully address concerns from either side and needed a deeper rethink. Mielke, while standing by the motivations for reform, argued that the county must go further, especially in the TR and TC zones where residents say STRs are affecting housing availability. She pointed to state-wide efforts to update STR laws. She emphasized the need to balance tourism benefits with the county’s housing needs before bringing any future legislation back through the Planning Commission.

Here are their comments in full.

This video is approximately five minutes in length.

For more than two decades, the Talbot Preservation Alliance has been a steady voice on growth and land-use issues in Talbot County. As Easton works through its 2025 Comprehensive Plan, the group has offered detailed feedback on how the town should manage future growth ahead of a meeting of the Easton Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday, December 9th.

In this interview, TPA board member Tom Alspach explains the key concerns raised in the Alliance’s recent letter to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The group supports much of the draft but questions proposed changes to growth rates, annexation policies, and long-term population targets.

Alspach argues that Easton should reaffirm its long-standing 1% growth rate, avoid new greenfield annexations for residential development over the next decade, and rethink the town’s “ultimate” build-out assumptions. He notes that Easton already has enough approved housing to meet projected demand.

This conversation highlights bigger questions about Easton’s identity and how fast it should grow. We sat down with Tom Alspach to walk through the Alliance’s perspective.

This video is approximately 8 minutes in length. To review the current Easton Comprehensive Plan, please go here.

The Easton Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Easton Town Office 14. S Harrison Street,

The Talbot Family Network (TFN), the county’s Local Management Board, presented an update to the Easton Town Council last night on how families in Talbot County are doing. TFN is one of Maryland’s 24 Local Management Boards, created by the state to track community needs, coordinate local services, and direct state and county funds toward programs that support children, youth, and families. The organization is led by a volunteer board of about 15. It produces regular data reports, including a community needs assessment that guides funding for nonprofits, schools, and county agencies.”ent, which helps shape funding decisions for nonprofits, schools, and county agencies.

Executive Director Nancy Andrew delivered this year’s assessment, and her message was blunt: Talbot County is making progress in some areas, but serious challenges are intensifying. The Spy is sharing Andrew’s full presentation along with Ward 3 Councilmember David Montgomery’s response below.

Andrew noted that 10.1% of Talbot households live below the poverty line, and nearly 40% are ALICE — families who are employed but still can’t afford basic expenses. She also pointed to a doubling of student homelessness in Talbot County Public Schools, with more than 280 students identified as homeless by the end of the 2025 school year. Youth mental health remains a major concern, especially for LGBTQ students, with surveys showing persistent sadness and hopelessness. Across income, housing, education, health, and justice, Andrew said the data show clear racial gaps that can’t be ignored.

Montgomery pushed back hard on TFN’s framing. He questioned the organization’s neutrality, criticizing what he saw as an emphasis on “race consciousness” and “intersectionality.” He asked why TFN programs — including “Conversations on Race” and a DEI book club — didn’t instead focus on what he called a central cause of poverty and poor outcomes for children: the absence of a father in the home. He also suggested TFN’s approach may reflect political influence from the current state administration in Annapolis.

Andrew kept her reply steady, saying Montgomery had raised “more than we can unpack tonight” and offering to continue the discussion later. She clarified that the practice of disaggregating data by race and ethnicity began under the previous Hogan administration, not the current one, and reminded the council that TFN’s work is guided by its full board, not by any single political viewpoint.

Talbot Family Network Nancy Andrews Presentation

David Montgomery’s remarks

There’s hardly a driver, cyclist, or pedestrian in Easton who doesn’t have a spot in town that drives them nuts — the slow lights at Five Corners, the sidewalk gaps on Port Street, or the nerve-wracking dash across Route 50 or the Parkway. Getting around town just isn’t as easy as it should be.

The good news, according to Town Engineer Rick Van Emburgh, is that many of these problem areas are finally on the fix-it list for 2026 and 2027. The work is being guided by Easton’s new Complete Streets Design Manual, a roadmap that tells the town to design streets for everyone — walkers, cyclists, wheelchair users, and drivers — not just fast-moving traffic.

In simple terms, the manual lays out how Easton’s streets should look and function going forward: where sidewalks go, how wide lanes should be, how crossings are marked, and how to make routes feel safer and more connected. It’s a shift toward treating people on foot and bike as full users of the road, not afterthoughts.

In our Spy interview with Rick, we talked about what this means on the ground — from long-awaited sidewalks on Washington and Port Streets to possible roundabouts at tricky intersections and better crossings along Route 50. If all goes as planned, some of Easton’s most frustrating pinch points could start looking a lot different by late 2026.

This video is approximately eight minutes in length.

It likely comes as no surprise to Spy readers following the ongoing debate before the Talbot County Council that opinions are sharply divided over the latest proposal to amend Chapter 190 of the zoning code governing short-term rentals (STRs) such as Airbnb and Vrbo.

The bill, introduced by Council Vice President Pete Lesher and Councilmember Lynne Mielke, would reshape how the Short-Term Rental Review Board operates. It adds new requirements for applications and renewals, expands the grounds for denial, and includes stricter rules on neighbor notifications, density caps, and transfer restrictions — all of which have stirred strong objections from many property owners.

A vocal group of speakers lined up to oppose Bill 1622. In our Spy highlight reel, Emma Brown of Flaneur Vacation Rentals pointed to the lack of quantitative evidence showing real harm from STRs and noted that the Planning Commission did not view most of the changes as necessary. Michelle Hoyle, owner of Tidewater Vacations, echoed those concerns, citing fewer than ten complaints in six years and stressing the millions in tax revenue and thousands of local jobs supported by STRs. Bryan Trautman of Eastern Shore Vacation Rentals went further, calling the bill a “solution in search of a problem,” saying it creates new bureaucracy without addressing any demonstrated need and appears driven more by politics than practicality.

Supporters of the bill, however, argued that STRs are disrupting residential neighborhoods and need tighter oversight. Longtime resident James Flood described losing the “quiet enjoyment” of his home because of the constant turnover and large groups drawn to an STR next door. Monica Otte, speaking for the Rio Vista Community Association, urged the Council to apply density limits to town residential zones as well, arguing these tightly knit neighborhoods face the same pressures as village districts. She emphasized the need to balance tourism with residents’ rights and protect the character of established communities.

The public record for written comments remains open until December 5th, and the bill will be eligible for a vote on December 9th.

This video is approximately 15 minutes in length.