Talbot County, Maryland

06/05/2023

Category: Planning and Zoning

On Wednesday, June 7, 2023, the Talbot County Planning Commission is scheduled to review a request for Critical Area supplemental growth allocation from the Town of Easton for the Poplar Hill Farm project located on Oxford Road in Easton.

When Talbot County’s Critical Area Program was originally adopted in 1985, it limited a total of 2,554 acres of RCA (Resource Conservation Area) to be reclassified to IDA (Intensely Developed Area). The County assigned a portion of this acreage to each of its incorporated municipalities (Easton, Oxford and St. Michaels), leaving the remainder of this acreage (1,872.38 acres) for future use in the unincorporated areas of the County.

The Town of Easton does not have any acreage remaining for the purpose of reclassifying lands designated as RCA to LDA (Limited Development Area) or IDA. However, the County’s Zoning Code permits municipalities to request supplemental growth allocation from the County when they have exhausted their assigned portion.  (Talbot County, MD Administration: § 190-55 County Council applications. (ecode360.com).

The applicant, 5001 SHR, LLC, set to come before the Talbot County Planning Commission on June 7, is seeking a recommendation to award supplemental growth allocation for the reclassification of 65.977 acres of land currently located within the Critical Area.  The Planning Commission meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. and will be held in the Bradley Meeting Room located in the Courthouse, South Wing, 11 North Washington Street, Easton.  The meeting can also be viewed via livestream at talbot-md.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?view_id=4&event_id=876

The proposed reclassification would allow for the applicant to proceed through the rezoning process with the Town of Easton for the purpose of establishing a Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the property located adjacent to Easton Parkway and Oxford Road.

The Talbot County Council will not vote on the Poplar Hill application until they have received a recommendation from the Talbot County Planning Commission.

Residents are encouraged to submit written public comments to the Planning Commission by Monday, June 5, 2023, to allow adequate time for review. Comments received less than 24 hours prior to the meeting are not guaranteed to be included in the formal record prior to the meeting.

Submit written comments addressed to the Planning Commission to PublicComment@talbotcountymd.gov  or mail comments to the Talbot County Department of Planning and Zoning, 215 Bay Street, Suite 2, Easton, Maryland 21601. Written comments must include a full name and address to be included in the meeting record.

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