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November 11, 2005 -- Worcester County Proposes School Impact Fees
Worcester County Commissioners direct staff to draft proposed legislation for “school impact fees”! The consultants, TischlerBise, who were hired to study the “school impact fees”, made their report to the Worcester County Commissioners at their November 1, 2005 meeting. The consultants recommended that the County establish the following maximum impact fees:
- Single Family homes Detached/Attached -- $5,942
- Moderate-Intensity Multifamily (2-10 units) -- $2,514
- Higher-Intensity Multifamily (20+ units) -- $355
- Mobile Home/Other -- $3,471
The “impact fees” will be imposed on new development, and will cover new construction costs including capital or “bricks and mortar” costs only.
October 21, 2005 -- Worcester County Commissioners to hold Public Hearing
The Worcester County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, November 1, 2005 at the Stephen Decatur Middle School to receive comments from the public on the establishment of a sanitary service area for the "Greater West Ocean City Water Service" area. This sanitary service area will provide a potable public water supply to homes/properties in West Ocean City not currently being served. The estimate of upfront costs to individual homeowners is $415 to hook into the system. The annual cost to the homeowner is estimated at $440 a year or $110 a quarter. If you or a client will be affected by the establishment of this sanitary service area, we urge you to attend this meeting.
September 16, 2005 -- Worcester County Reduction in Land Parcels Proposed
The Worcester County Department of Comprehensive Planning transmitted the Final Draft Comprehensive Plan to the County Commissioners at their September 20, 2005 meeting. Planning commission chairwoman, Carolyn Cummins, presented the 92-page document to the commissioners. The County Commissioners will hold a workshop on Monday, October 3, 2005 to review the plan and have the planning commission address any concerns they may have about the plan. Two public hearings will be held after the workshop. The first hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, November 29, 2005 at 7:00 pm in the North end of the County. To date the location has not been selected. The second public hearing will be held Thursday, December 1, 2005 at 7:00 pm in the South end of the County. This meeting will be held at the County Commissioners meeting room, County Government Center, Snow Hill, MD.
The plan calls for extensive development in Berlin, Pocomoke City and Snow Hill and redevelopment in Ocean City, West Ocean City and Ocean Pines. After holding two public hearings during the 60-day review period, the planning commission reduced the number of land parcels designated for development and implemented a stricter criteria that included environmental factors, size, proximity to employment and retail, transportation networks and water and sewage availability. I urge all members of the association to familiarize yourself with the "Final Draft" of the Worcester County Comprehensive Plan and mark your calendars to attend one of the scheduled hearings to voice your opinion that reducing the number of land parcels designated for development will have a detrimental effect on the growth of Worcester County. Click here for a copy of the “Final Worcester County Comprehensive Plan”.
September 10, 2005 -- Ocean City Council passes Ordinance 2005-21
Ordinance 2005-21 requires sprinklers in high rise buildings more than 75 feet high. The sprinkler systems must be installed within the next 12 years. High rises that meet certain requirements–such as having an exterior outlet to each unit and providing functioning fire safety equipment–are exempt from the regulation. Other buildings that do not meet the requirements, but have financial issues, may receive a time extension from the fire marshal. A copy of the new code has been sent to Al Monshower to review and then advise us of the type of addendum we should add to our contracts to notify our clients about the new fire code.
June 10, 2005 --
Worcester County Commissioners approve rezoning for Summerfield Development!
The 24 parcels totaling approximately 1000 acres that the Town of Snow Hill proposes to annex for the Summerfield Development has been approved, by the Commissioners, for R-1 zoning. The Snow Hill Town Council will now hold a series of public hearings and votes on the proposed annexation. On April 19, 2005 the County Commissioners approved the water and sewer service for the Summerfield Development. At their June 7, 2005 meeting an amendment to the Worcester County Comprehensive Water and Sewer Plan was passed to remove Castle Hill Estates from the plan and include only those areas within the geographic boundaries of the Annexation Plat. Due to the increased demand for additional infrastructure that the Summerfield Development will create for Snow Hill, the County Commissioners have hired TischlerBise, a fiscal, economic and planning consultant, to do an “Impact Fee” report for Worcester County.
May 23, 2005 -- Governor Ehrlich vetoes "Fair Share Health Care Fund Act"
Governor Ehrlich vetoed the “Fair Share Health Care Fund Act” in a ceremony held at the Somerset County Circuit Court House in Princess Anne. The bill would have required companies with more than 10,000 employees in Maryland to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health insurance. Governor Ehrlich’s veto has prevented the bill from taking effect this year; however, supporters in the General Assembly have said they have enough votes to make the legislation veto-proof and can override the governor’s objections the next time they come into session. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., which employs more than 10,000 employees, has delayed their plans to build a distribution center near Westover in Somerset County, for two to three years.
May 6, 2005 -- Ocean Pines Sanitary Service Area Changes
The Worcester County Commissioners, at their May 3, 2005 meeting, passed an amendment to allow the Bay Point Plantation Sanitary Service Area to bring 33 equivalent dwelling units (EDUs) by contract into the Ocean Pines Sanitary Service Area. The Bay Point Plantation Sanitary Service Area will be responsible for providing adequate infrastructure for wastewater collection and conveyance to the Ocean Pines Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is to be installed by the summer of 2006. In addition, the Commissioners passed an amendment to the Worcester County Comprehensive Water and Sewerage Plan to provide 15 equivalent dwelling units (EDUs) for the Northern YMCA and Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce. The approved amendments will be forwarded to the Maryland Department of Environment for approval.
April 15, 2005 --
Enabling legislation for “Wicomico County Excise Tax” dies in Senate!
House Bill 1518 introduced in the House of Delegates by Delegates Cane, Bozman, and Conway, and moved to the Senate floor late Monday did not come to a vote in the last hours of the legislative session. Senator J. Lowell Stoltzfus tacked on two amendments to the bill. The amendments would have exempted senior citizens buying inexpensive homes from the tax and made the revenue source contingent on voter approval by referendum. Wicomico County will look at the bill again next year.
Senator J. Lowell Stoltzfus will be attending the Government Affairs Committee meeting on Thursday, April 21, 2005 at 10:00 a.m. to give the committee an update on the 2005 Legislative Session. The meeting will be held at the Coastal Association office at 11220 Beauchamp Road, Berlin, Maryland. All members interested in hearing this report and meeting Senator Stoltzfus are invited to attend.
April 8, 2005 --
Ocean City Votes to Impose Retroactive Impact Fee
Joan Strang, Government Affairs Director (GAD) reports that the Town of Ocean City voted to impose an "Impact Fee" for new buildings, to cover the cost of building the infrastructure needed to support growth. The town council also voted to make the "impact fee" retroactive to March 30, 2005. The code has been drafted and gone through the first reading. The second reading is scheduled for April 18, 2005. The Mayor and City Council of Ocean City will establish the amount of impact fees to be imposed on new construction by resolution. The new fee is estimated to be $4,250 for each new dwelling unit built. Commercial impact fees will be based upon square footage of the gross commercial space, estimated to be $.68 per square foot. These fees will affect developers whose projects have yet to receive site plan approval from the town. New development with a site plan approved on or before March 29, 2005 which obtain a building permit within eighteen (18) months of the approved site plan are exempt.
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