The St. Mary’s County Commissioners passed when they were asked by staff on Tuesday to approve the Growth Tier Maps mandated by the state’s Sustainable Growth & Agricultural Bill of 2012. When Commissioner President Francis “Jack” Russell asked for a motion he could not get one.
Commissioner Lawrence Jarboe (R: 3rd) noted the huge controversy in Charles County over the mapping and suggested the commissioners wait and see what happens there. He suggested it was time “to step back and protect our own farmers’ rights.”
Indeed it was concern about protection of farmers that led to the decision to delay approving the maps. According to Sue Veith, the county’s environmental planner, 1,250 parcels of land in the county would lose developments rights by the act, which went became law on January 1 of this year. Mostly large farms would be affected.
But Director of Land Use and Growth Management Phillip Shire noted that the failure of the county to approve the tier mapping would eliminate the possibility of new major subdivisions (24 lots or more). He added, though, with the state of the economy there wasn’t any demand now for new major subdivisions.
The act, called the “septic bill” creates four tiers and requires counties to map all land into one of the four:
· Tier 1 – Currently served by sewer
· Tier 2 – Future Growth planned for sewer
· Tier 3 – Large Lot Developments
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