Talbot County is a great place to live and work. The citizens and leaders of our community have shaped it in a way that kept many in this place, and lured others to live here. We have a thriving arts community, a diversified mix of small and mid-size businesses in retail, manufacturing, and services, an impressive health care sector, and a vital eco-tourism and heritage tourism industry. Talbot County is attractive to residents and visitors alike because of its ample recreational offerings, its vibrant towns, and its rural character. The agricultural landscape that defined our past is still the dominant land use outside of our towns and villages, and this agricultural presence contributes significantly to the character of the county.
In recent decades, Talbot County has protected its rural character in dramatic contrast to the sprawl development encouraged by a neighboring jurisdiction and counties on the other side of the Chesapeake. Talbot’s Comprehensive Plan and zoning code have been the chief tools in preserving its rural character.
Talbot County is in the final stages of an extensive update of its zoning code. With the extension of sewer service to rural villages, Talbot County is also making important steps toward cleaning up our waterways that have been degraded by nutrient loading. These clean water gains, though, could be reversed by residential development in villages like Bozman, Neavitt, or Royal Oak.
Council member Laura Price has introduced a sensible amendment (Amendment 4) to the code legislation (Bill 1401) adding language that “entitlement to connect to public sewer shall not alone be sufficient to support a finding of substantial change in the character of a neighborhood or community where the property is located.…” This amendment will ensure that county sewer extensions will not open the door to development that is inconsistent with our Comprehensive Plan.
To protect the rural character of Talbot County and its villages, I urge the Talbot County Council to adopt Amendment 4 to Bill 1401. We should continue to direct residential development principally to those areas where we have the transportation infrastructure to support it—principally in our existing municipalities.
Anything short of the language of Amendment 4 fails to support the vision of our Comprehensive Plan, and detracts from the welfare of the majority of Talbot County residents.
Pete Lesher
Easton
Pete Lesher is a candidate for Talbot County Council.
Alan Boisvert says
Build….build…build…..
Willard Engelskirchen says
As a resident of Bozman, the idea of development is fraught with problems. If we wanted to live in a congested area we would have moved to one. We need some protection against development.