Critical Area Changes Pass; Moreland Gas Prohibition Overturned

Changes to the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Program were passed by the commissioners with the opposition of Commissioner President Candice Quinn Kelly (D).  Commissioner Ken Robinson (D: 1st) abstained from the vote.  A public hearing was on the matter back in July.

 

The Chesapeake Bay Critical Area is defined as “All lands and waters within 1,000 feet beyond the landward boundaries of state or private wetlands and the heads of tides.”   There are 30,424 acres of Critical Area in Charles County.  The program, adopted in 1989, must be reviewed every six years per Maryland State law.

 

The changes include a minimum 100 foot buffer in overlay zones, civil penalties for zoning violations, a growth allocation criteria for development zones, habitat protection and erosion control provisions.  Bald Eagle habitat protections remain protected and the “Buffer Exemption Areas” have been renamed “Buffer Modification Areas”.

 

A punitive measure restricting George Moreland from selling gas at his convenience store in Hughesville was overturned on Tuesday on a 4-1 vote.  No action was taken on the request to change the zoning from Agricultural Conservation to Commercial Village. 

 

In previous testimony during Public Hearings, residents had said Moreland should be allowed to sell gas because of the inconvenience of driving to Waldorf or Bryantown to get gas.  The commissioners took the motion up on the language that it was a “mistake.”  The zoning changes were not required in order for the gas sales prohibition to be removed. 

 

The Charles County Planning Commission had recommended the commissioners deny both the overturning of the gas sales prohibition and zoning changes on a 4-3 vote.  The commissioners had taken it up during their October 19th session, but did not vote on it at the time.