Mr. Sikes’s editorial in the June 13 Talbot Spy takes a gentlemanly, somewhat academic approach to suggest that people of Talbot County should consider “what is the character of our county” and that we might take it easy during an intermission. Well, I believe there is ample evidence that a growing number of local residents, now in the hundreds, are already convinced that the Lakeside development actively threatens major adverse impact on the quality of life in Talbot County.
The recent action of MDE to change maps that may influence further Lakeside development offers more than a simple breathing spell. More and more citizens hereabouts already look forward and see an opportunity to be active in righting wrongs previously inflicted on Talbot County by inappropriate, and perhaps illegal, County Council actions on the matter. The abundant documentation available from Talbot Integrity Project reports provides a clear history of that.
Mr. Sikes recommends a grading system might be useful to provide a measure of whether Talbot County residents care about their quality of life. Wouldn’t it be interesting to ask the Lakeside developers to offer up a grading system of the effects from what they propose on “. . . education, safety, recreation, traffic…”
Years ago I lived in a quiet, rural suburb of Seattle when development of new residential projects, virtually identical to several now being imposed on Talbot County, began creeping into the region without causing much disturbance. But suddenly development accelerated and residents began to recognize and wake up to the threat of major change coming closer. It turned out that late mobilization to defend quality of life is a great example of the very true aphorism, “An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.” It’s simply not possible to repair damage caused by inappropriate development after the fact.
I urge anyone concerned about Lakeside development fulfilling its stated goal of thousands of new houses take advantage of the “intermission” to become active promptly while time is an asset. Now is the opportunity to actively monitor upcoming further review of Lakeside advances and to make your opinion about it known emphatically to Talbot County Council members.
Jocke Beebe
Oxford
Margot McConnel says
Well said Jock. As they saying goes “the fox is in the hen house” and we as citizens need to mobilize NOW!
Margot McConnel says
Well said Jock. As the saying goes “the fox is in the hen house” and we as citizens need to mobilize NOW!
Wayne Johnson says
I see New Signs that say ” FIX LAKESIDE ” with a Slash Through the Letters ? I believe that LAKESIDE DEVELOPERS are creating a False Sense that they have been Wronged ?
NOT TRUE !
It LAKESIDE who are Very Misleading . And NOW they are Spinning the Truth . The FACT IS THAT LAKESIDE IS POSING A HUGE ENVIRONMENTAL THREAT TO THE CHEASAPEAKE BAY with More Pollution and OUR COMMUNITY CANNOT AFFORD THAT IMPACT ON THE ALREADY BURDENED WATERS .
Mike McConnel says
Readers who agree with Jock should visit FIXLAKESIDE.COM and join over 425 petitioners who are urging the County Council to follow the example of MDE and require approval for consistency with our Comprehensive Plan before more than 400 houses are built. The developer had asked MDE for a sewage permit that would have allowed Lakeside to service the entire proposed development of 2,500 houses. MDE said no and insisted that the developer seek an amended permit to service more than 400 houses. MDE has therefore required a reevaluation of the environmental impact before the developer can build more than 400 houses. Taking MDE’s cue, Talbot County should similarly require that its Planning Commission consider whether building more than 400 houses would be consistent with the County’s Comprehensive Plan. This is all the more necessary given that the entire Lakeside development was never considered fully for consistency with our Comprehensive Plan by the Planning Commission! The County’s land use controls were largely circumvented with the result that Lakeside’s impacts on our rural character, traffic, taxes, schools, and public services such as police and fire were never evaluated as mandated by our land use provisions!!
Mike McConnel
Reed Fawell 3 says
Well Said!
Eva M. Smorzaniuk MD says
Thank you Mr. Beebe! As a member of the ad hoc committee to “Fix Lakeside” I wholeheartedly agree. Over 400 Talbot County citizens have signed our petition to the Talbot County Council, and many have posted signs on their property. Please visit fixlakeside.com to add your name, and take some time to let your Talbot County Council members know that uncontrolled growth of this scale will have many negative and costly consequences.
Bob Wenneson says
Mr. Beebe’s comments are quite valid and important – once the homes are in place, the traffic impacts are realized, the crowding in schools and emergency rooms has taken place, the balanced rural character of our county has been damaged and the environment further challenged, there is no reversing from this or any of the several other development projects under discussion.
The recent action by the MDE to require the County to issue corrected Water and Sewer plans for the Lakeside subdivision to correct the inaccurate plans previously submitted (which the County relied on when granting approval) presents the County Council with a real opportunity. An opportunity not to simply stop this development in its tracks, but instead to allow it to have its first public airing of the many issues associated with it and to reflect on the balance of what this project provides in benefits to the County and what might be its drawbacks. It is believed that the MAJORITY of the County citizens want the Council to do so.
A citizen-lead effort has arisen in just the last week and a half to ‘FIX’ the Lakeside issue. Already over 420 citizens have signed on asking for the County Council to seize this opportunity. I’ve read countless letters over the past 1 year+ from fellow citizens expressing concerns about over-development especially as regards this project – the largest in County history. However, I’ve not read even one letter reflecting a desire to in fact move forward with the project. Why? Because the beneficiaries are limited to (1) a developer from Northern Virginia, (2) a local law firm that bills by the hour which is enabling this developer, and (3) a local engineering firm which also is benefiting considerably via billings – whether the project moves forward or not.
The County Council members were voted in as representatives of the citizens. Let’s hope they act in recognition of that.
And for other County citizens with an interest in showing the County Council your support of the FIX LAKESIDE initiative, you can go to FIXLAKESIDE.COM to sign the petition. (google it if link doesn’t work).
– Bob Wenneson, on behalf of the ad hoc Committee to Fix Lakeside.
BTW – FIX LAKESIDE means, rather than already having green-lighted the entire 2501 home subdivision (plus shopping centers), each new phase of development beyond the first 120 houses now under construction must come back to THE COUNTY for a new determination including a review by the Planning Commission and an opportunity for the public to provide input — prior to action by the County Council.
Richard Allison says
You are correct citizen action is required now before this becomes a “bull dozer”. I grew up in Pronce William County VA. Specifically Woodbridge/Dale City. I experienced first hand the loss of fishing holes, sediment clogged creeks, invasive insects from imported plants, over crowded schools, (try 45 dyas in class, 15 off year round). Now the county is unrecognizable, yes the tax base grew, then those who could pay the increases left, new less affluent owners moved in. Large farms were surrendered to huge buildings for Internet server farms and companies. The charactor and even historic sites of the county changed completely to a “ticky-tacky”, tract home and strip mall “paradise”.
Lake side is a symptom of old thinking for development as is the planned growth in the green spaces near Easton. We need a citizens action, force not a grading scale, but a true “quid pr qou”. If a developed builds 1500 homes, then the debeloper and the new owners should provide a balance for sanitary services, loss of green space, increased population, and increased traffic. Self contained sanitary services using enviromentally sound and long term solutions, planned protection of forseted areas and green spaces, schools for the planned population, additions to mass transit and road improvements.
Bob Wenneson says
Richard is right in pointing out that IF (!) a development project is approved there should be a financial quid-pro-quo paid to the local govt by the developer in recognition of the financial impact (schools, police, traffic/roads, etc). In fact that process widely exists and those costs/fees are called IMPACT FEES. However, in this case, this huge project avoided the traditional approval process via chicanery, thus there was no analysis by our planners of the financial costs. The largest project in Talbot County history — with impact fees of zero paid to the county.
Reed Fawell 3 says
All this is true. I have never seen a more ill conceived project on this scale. Not even in Northern Virginia.
William Keppen says
Wouldn’t it be interesting to ask the Lakeside developers to offer up a grading system of the effects from what they propose on “. . . education, safety, recreation, traffic…”
I don’t believe it would be interesting, I think it should be mandatory that the developers of all on-going and proposed housing developments the impact of their developments on all four issues, and perhaps others. The small towns in Talbot county simply to not have the where with all to service the needs of all the people those developments would bring. DO THE MATH.