Railroaded: {ast participle of “to railroad–to force something to happen or force someone to do something, especially quickly or unfairly,” according to the Oxford Dictionary.
Because of a false deadline being foisted on Talbot County, it appears the Talbot County Council is being railroaded into considering final legislation next Tuesday night, July 11th, that is designed to end any effort to restrict Lakeside, to once-and-for-all drive a stake through citizens’ efforts to “Fix Lakeside.” TIP believes the intent is to respond to a demand from the state to remap the Lakeside area, but to sidestep our Planning Commission in doing so.
In a Council work session with the County Attorney and the County Engineer last Tuesday, it appeared the Council was led to believe that the Maryland Department of Environment (“MDE”) invoked a legal deadline—the 24th of this very month–for the County to submit its final response to some or all of three directives MDE issued concerning Lakeside, including remapping the area for sewer. There is no deadline.
Ms. Haythe asked, “What is the deadline to submit the map to MDE? Is there a deadline? Did they give us a deadline?” The County Attorney, who would logically be the person responsible to answer that straightforward question, said nothing. The County Engineer did not answer the question directly, instead launching into a discussion of the staff’s focused effort to “get this back to [MDE] by July 24th, 90 days from when MDE’s letter was received. And then, “It’s our intent (the staff’s) to have a resolution to introduce in July on the map…issue,” leaving the clear impression—given the question preceding—that July 24th is indeed a deadline. (Watch it here, at 33:35 in.)
There is no deadline.
At the conclusion of the work session, Mr. Thomas, the County Attorney, offered a “brief summary” that no Council Member objected to and which seems to be the Council’s intent. He specifically said “we are not amending anything,” when MDE’s directive explicitly calls for the maps to be changed by amending the Comprehensive Water and Sewer Plan (“CWSP”)—which would require review by the Planning Commission.
Immediately after the work session, the County issued a press release describing a Resolution to be introduced on July 11th “to address the EDU/phasing issue,” pointedly omitting reference to the remapping issue which is the crux of the Lakeside problem and the “Fix Lakeside Initiative.”
MDE mandated the remapping of Trappe, “including the Lakeside development” in an April 24th letter to the County. It is a complicated matter and very many people (including some Council Members) seem confused. The only person who would benefit from a rushed response “forced… quickly or unfairly” by a faux deadline, is the developer of Lakeside, and his partners. Certainly not the citizens of Talbot County.
Attached for the reader’s review is a letter that The Talbot Integrity Project (“TIP”) received this morning from McGuireWoods, the law firm that represented TIP in recent litigation that focused on the mistaken mapping of Lakeside and we believe was a catalyst for MDE’s recent letter to the County. It is clear that the purpose of MDE’s recent letter is to lay out the mistakes were made that must be fixed. That is the first step in a two-step process, and does not establish any deadline at all, certainly not with regard to remapping. Only if MDE concludes at some point that the County is not acting in a “timely and adequate” manner can it then deliver a notice that establishes a firm 90-day deadline from the date of that notice. At present, there is no deadline.
We could be wrong, but TIP believes the developer of Lakeside very much wants to avoid any review of the Lakeside sewer service map classifications by the Planning Commission. A false deadline ought not be a factor in the County Council acting prematurely, being in effect railroaded into action.
The ad hoc Committee to Fix Lakeside, an independent group with common interests, is sponsoring a petition to the County Council calling for the proper remapping of Lakeside. To join your voice with the 744 citizens who have signed on so far, go to fixlakeside.com.
Dan Watson
The Talbot Integrity Project
Leto Hobb says
Hey Dan
If changes are made to the sewer service map that are acceptable to the TIP, would you then support building of these homes? The county desperately needs more housing and the constant pushback against homes being built is confusing when the goal should be to lower home prices to allow more locals to stay in Talbot.
Dan Watson says
The County’s need for affordable, workforce housing–for nurses, volunteer firemen, our schoolteachers–is real. Unfortunately, Lakeside is not the solution to that problem…it will exacerbate it. Lakeside is not affordable housing. It’s 7000 new residents, when built out, will mean Talbot needs even more nurses and firemen, and teachers–and will not have provided housing for even those already here.
A program to support affordable, workforce housing is achievable. Well conceived arrangements. Proper scale. In towns (real towns, not Lakeside). Targeted. Solving that problem has nothing to do with projects like Lakeside, and solutions need not contribute to the erosion of the rural character of Talbot County–and other problems. And approvals can be achieved honestly.
DW
Bob Wenneson says
Mr. Leto – You raise the point commonly heard that we need more affordable homes in the county, espec ‘workforce housing’. I suspect most people think of workforce-housing pricing as lower than is being offered at Lakeside. Four ‘built’ units currently are for sale at the average price of $520,000 each. The average price of the 12 available “buildable plans” currently average $462,000 each. Base price before extras. (ref = Zillow).
Tom Alspach says
According to the Hill Report, the two most recent house sales in Lakeside were right at $550K. Are these the “lower” home prices you are referring to?
Jerry McConnell says
Not sure what galaxy Mr/Ms Hobb has been traveling through for the past few years, but the Lakeside project ( first phase, partially completed, unsold) offers homes completely outside the budget of first-time home buyers. That’s why the houses sitting on Rt 50 , behind all the banners and signs don’t have owners.
For some reason there’s this weird idea that Easton and Talbot County must make affordable housing available or else ; that “growth” is vital to survival; and that there’s adequate employment to drive all this. If there’s really a critical issue impacting the economy around here, it’s primarily the lack of good jobs, not housing.
However, adding housing in an intelligent, practical, and environmentally efficient way would enable the County to continue to grow at a sustainable pace— assuming that housing units are priced affordably.
What’s going on around here now won’t really help anyone but the developers, their lawyers, and their other enablers —none of whom really give a damn about anything but money.
What’s on the table with Poplar Hill and Lakeside (the “Lake” being a man made drainage pond) is not affordable or entry level housing. So please, stop saying that these projects have a defined, practical purpose or need, or that
Talbot County must have them in order to survive…the facts suggest that managed, practical growth has been underway in the County for quite a while now, despite the not-so-rosy employment situation the past decade or so.
So please, let’s stuff Lakeside and Poplar Hill in the trash can, and put the lid on tight.
Reed Fawell 3 says
Jerry McConnell hit this particular nail squarely on the head.
David Lloyd says
Agreed 100%!!!
Barbara Denton says
Absolutely solid statement.
JT Smith says
During their election campaigns, three of the members of the current council made clear their support for re evaluation of the scope and pace of development at Lakeside if legally possible. MDE’s permitting restraint and its letters requesting rectification of vital aspects of the County’s Comprehensive Water and Sewer Plan indicate that State authorities expect the County to conduct a transparent and deliberate re evalution of Lakeside development. The Council and the citizens it serves are being ill served if Counsel and staff are recommending against the process that MDE appears to expect.
Barbara Denton says
Neither the County Counsel or the County Engineer are doing their jobs properly. There is no deadline for remapping. This is a ploy to ram through this development lock, stock and barrel. What is needed are people doing their jobs honestly and the 3 council members who stated their support for the need to reevaluate the Lakeside development to step up and do what they said they were going to do. The maps need to be redrawn and the argument will be over with as there is no way a 2500 house development should be put on this property.
Dirck Bartlett says
Thank you for your hard work Dan.
The County Council should correct the Map to show only the 120 approved homes as S-1. (Immediate hook up to sewer).
All other parts of the Lakeside property should revert to Un-programmed status and the developer should have to bring these other phases back to the Talbot County Planning Commission and the Talbot County Council for regular review and approval.
Hold the developer to a proper review (in public) and let the public finally be able to voice their concerns. The Planning Commission is there for a reason and should play an active role in all future build out of this huge development.
Elizabeth C. Koprowski says
This cannot be allowed to happen. the county stands to lose much of our character if this “deadline” is followed. the County Council needs time to amend the maps. please stop “railroading” this.
Wilson Dean says
The MDE letter creates an opportunity for Talbot County to finally address the Lakeside issue in a well-thought out and comprehensive manner. The push by the County Engineer and County Attorney to accelerate the response to MDE makes a mockery of this process. Very frankly, continuing on with this half-baked approach to the MDE inquiry makes Talbot County look like a bunch of backwater buffoons.
We need to get the Planning Commission to take the lead on evaluating this question in a deliberate manner so it can be presented to the County Council and the public in a clear and transparent way.
ANGELA RIECK says
While I believe there is a need for additional housing in Talbot County, the 2500 home Lakeside project is a town.
The Talbot County council seems to be being railroaded by its own staff. Staff work FOR the council, the council doesn’t work for them. If there is indeed no deadline (per TIP), why is the attorney saying so? I hope that the attorney can clarify this. I believe the council is made of up well-meaning citizens who seem to be getting bad advice; first by the county engineer who never notified them that they approved Lakeside with the WRONG map; an egregious error, and now by the attorney forcing them into a nonexistent deadline (per TIP). To paraphrase Shakespeare, “Is there something rotten in the state of Denmark?”
Monica Otte says
Ms. Haythe properly asked what the MDE deadline is for correcting the map, but she got no answer. The lack of straightforward reply from the County Engineer and County Attorney, and the McGuire Woods legal opinion, make clear that MDE imposed no deadline that would require the County to violate its own processes for Planning Commission review of the Lakeside sewer map. Let the Planning Commission do its job.
Richard Hubbard says
Take you time and fix this Lakeside mess!
Kent Robertson says
TALBOT COMMISSIONERS:
I wish that the County Commission would address TIP’s concerns. I’ve not heard a word from anyone in the Commission about it. A statement by the Commission that either refutes TIP’s arguments, or identifies other factors that mitigate TIP’s arguments would go a long way to helping us citizens understand why the Commission is basically ignoring the facts as delineated by Mr Watson.
Reed Fawell 3 says
yes, the commissioners’ silence, collectively and individually, grows more damning by the day.
Indeed, this passive silence and/or lack of straight talk on the part of the commissioners has been a growing pervasive over this entire Lakeside affair, with only a few isolated exceptions. Now, when taken all together over the years, one can argue that it now appears to be not only a tactic but also a strategy of deception, and cover-up of hidden intent, or negligent governance, if not an outright avoidance of their duty to govern transparently, and in good faith, or indeed to govern at all in their fiduciary capacity as commissioners of this county, individually and collectively.
Jerry McConnell says
My goodness…could it possibly be that the members of the Country Council ( and perhaps the Town of Easton and County Planning Commissions) are being influenced by someone who is an avid pro-growth, pro-development, new home construction / builder / contractor?
Someone like the Talbot County Council President?
For some reason, these public planning representatives have not been acknowledging the messages being voiced by their constituents..like they are old hands at this and are tired of public input.
It’s sort of seems like they have their own agenda; that they know what’s best for the people of Talbot County—not the people of Talbot County.
Probably just an illusion…?
Reed Fawell 3 says
Yes, the most remarkable thing about Lakeside’s site plan issued around 2021 was that it, as then and still drawn, was and still is obviously in gross violation of the text of ITS OWN Comprehensive PUD plan, in addition to the town of Trappe’s Comprehensive Plan, AND Talbot County’s Comprehensive plan, and state law regulating such PUDs and local comprehensive plans.
Hence:
I found the last hour long County Council meeting with its and Trappe’s lawyers and engineers, overseen by the five wise monkeys – Hear, See and Speak No Evil – nothing short of astounding.