[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6607946,"mediaKeyId","2945677-c2ec7486a07ca8e579b9175ac1cd5604","parentId",2945677,"title","Planning commission issues recommendations on three citizen text amendments: height, daycare and shooting ranges","audioSeconds",2417,"startMs",3401000,"endMs",5818000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2945677-c2ec7486a07ca8e579b9175ac1cd5604&start=3401&end=5818","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2945677-c2ec7486a07ca8e579b9175ac1cd5604/thumbnail_3401000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6607946/Queen-Annes-County/Maryland/Planning-commission-issues-recommendations-on-three-citizen-text-amendments-height-daycare-and-shooting-ranges","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6607946-619480e440dd194812d536b2c92186f4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770988342&Signature=ANcnVh7Cm-5vD4uleWAjnCRGaTYIyt7Fpy~psad0n4upZEPINx4vOB1ySoP~cPChN8Vah63EcQPOZIJrVODH0it4j5~fT6Ae3gjdHm9tOt2dZpIyp6JH7rODat0HTboDdqV~jwKNOvAfc8Ky5Jp3jjHMPuhWLKvJ4v6NRvFPnzTGZuvw6r8mGzhixG1ObiNuFI-r84otDY7XhWyc9KlMAM00EAWksuu09OTtkToxqwAm4IKk4PFULMTPbRn51HSPXzjGhfWR~hxq5zl0iL-t2DPse0xFGNywNZJsfB7zX4h3DySSLA4RdAb0OfgvL4~RPeAvVINaoM394skP0fjW9Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Queen Anne's County","date","2025-04-10T14:42:54.757Z","article","The Queen Anne's County Planning Commission on Thursday took action on three citizen-sponsored text amendments, sending two favorable recommendations and one unfavorable recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.

Suburban commercial building height (Citizen Text Amendment 25-03)
The commission voted to recommend that the county commissioners increase the maximum nonresidential building height in the Suburban Commercial (SC) District from 30 feet to 40 feet. Planning staff and the applicant said the change would provide additional design flexibility (for pitched roofs, architectural variety) without altering floor-area ratios and could reduce building footprints and impervious surface in some cases. The staff report noted five height variances had been requested since 2002; commissioners found the amendment consistent with county code and the comprehensive plan and forwarded a favorable recommendation.

Airport protection / Kent Island Gateway: day-care centers (Citizen Text Amendment 25-04)
The commission recommended approval to add 'day-care centers' to the list of permitted uses in the Airport Protection Kent Island Gateway (APKIG) District. Staff said educational uses are already allowed in the district and that day-care-centers are widely permitted in other districts; the applicant described a planned Montessori facility (Tip Top Tots) with about 3,360 square feet and up to 60 children. Commissioners voted in favor and incorporated staff's findings into their recommendation.

Indoor shooting ranges in Town Center (Citizen Text Amendment 25-05)
The commission issued an unfavorable recommendation for adding indoor shooting ranges to the Town Center (TC) District. Planning staff said the Town Center's pedestrian-oriented, mixed residential/commercial character differs from the commercial/industrial districts where the use was added in 2024 (Airport District, Urban Commercial, Suburban Industrial, and Business Employment Center). The applicant, an existing firearms retailer, argued that indoor ranges are primarily an indoor commercial use and said modern ranges are constructed as reinforced concrete \"boxes\" that contain sound and projectiles. Commissioners voted against recommending the change for the TC district; the transcript records one commissioner expressing opposition to the amendment as inconsistent with the TC's intent.

Next steps
These are recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners; none of the three text amendments were adopted at the meeting. The board will schedule its own public hearing(s) before taking final action. The transcript shows motions, seconds and recorded aye votes for the favorable recommendations and an unfavorable recommendation for the TC amendment; it does not include a full roll-call text-based tally for each vote.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","QAC Planning and Zoning Meeting | 04/10/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a suburban commercial building-height increase and to recommend approval to add day-care centers in the Kent Island airport-protection district; it issued an unfavorable recommendation for allowing indoor shooting ranges in the Town Center District.","taxTitle","Queen Anne's County, Maryland","taxId",59354,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6607951,"Planning director briefs commission on new state laws affecting solar siting and accessory dwelling units",924,75000,999000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2945677-c2ec7486a07ca8e579b9175ac1cd5604&start=75&end=999","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2945677-c2ec7486a07ca8e579b9175ac1cd5604/thumbnail_75000.jpg","/articles/6607951/Queen-Annes-County/Maryland/Planning-director-briefs-commission-on-new-state-laws-affecting-solar-siting-and-accessory-dwelling-units","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6607951-82ff0874d17850bfae927f164ba0efa3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770988342&Signature=fXLqb9N4AzA4BOo5Ug1X7vXJJnE5Ra~srWtg1OOcPaXYF-2ab2OBgUFIVbhSBpRaQxvQnyhIsnyyOW-qtZSPufALuC5pgSQ6LJp50VN7vD5AQTL5v8vQUIeYjBrkUDPbGlOEzUeIZ6IvUl-hcpU6EJfPxjBYm1vfu00mcgDfTfGLsLxRPtMuNe0smCMIo~b3nT6C6anTiKho9Sy4JEv2hZSx5ItNYrOSiTv0-osG2dy-JnscZ3gEGmeJkw9Q6zUZGk16N-qz~hfXHIZ-yDZ-gTrTuqUgBP5zrRc2U-RzIBLVynWQiznXChlrWVD83UJn-fY9KPsGWw~2WkviXD5Dwg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Amy Murdock, director of the Queen Anne's County Department of Planning and Zoning, updated the Planning Commission on recent state legislation that will affect local land-use regulation.

Murdock told commissioners that House Bill 1466 requires jurisdictions to permit accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as a by-right use and establishes a waiver of impact fees for very small units; she said most ADUs in the county already are permitted by right and that the fee waiver applies to units under about 900 square feet and therefore is unlikely to change the county's current practice materially.

Murdock and members of the public also discussed Senate Bill 931, the state's utility-scale solar siting statute. Public commenters had urged the commission to resist the bill during the General Assembly; several speakers from the Eastern Shore said they viewed the legislation as an erosion of local zoning authority and warned of expanded solar development.

Murdock said the county had worked with a coalition that included local stakeholders and consultants known at the table as \"Mako.\" She said amendments negotiated during the session produced three outcomes the county views as important: (1) recognition that certain local siting standards can be maintained, (2) an explicit prohibition on utility-scale solar in mapped Tier 1 and Tier 2 growth areas and in zoning districts mapped medium and high residential, and (3) a 5 percent cap on acreage within a jurisdiction's Priority Preservation Area (PPA) that may be used for utility-scale solar before a county may implement local prohibitions.

Murdock said the county's Priority Preservation Area consists of roughly 20,000 acres. (Note: 5 percent of 20,000 acres is approximately 1,000 acres; an arithmetic error in the transcript stated \"almost 10,000 acres.\" This article records the correct calculation.) She added that the county secured language acknowledging the public service commission's commitment to honor local siting standards and that the county may implement zoning prohibitions if a jurisdiction reaches the PPA cap.

Murdock said the amendments are not a complete restoration of local land-use authority, but they provide specific siting protections the county can use when updating its zoning code.

In other updates, Murdock noted staffing anniversaries in the department and said the county intends to align its local cannabis regulations with state minimum standards to avoid litigation; the planning commission already recommended changes for setbacks, and the county commissioners will set a hearing date.

Public commenters during the meeting included Jay Falstad of the Queen Anne's Conservation Association and resident David Sutherland, both of whom spoke at length about the solar bill and urged careful local review of proposed projects.","Planning Director Amy Murdock updated the commission on two state bills: House Bill 1466 on accessory dwelling units and Senate Bill 931 on utility-scale solar, describing how amendments preserved limited local siting standards and a 5% cap in priority preservation areas.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6607956,"Planning commission denies request to modify subdivision agricultural buffer in Woods Heritage",1777,1076000,2853000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2945677-c2ec7486a07ca8e579b9175ac1cd5604&start=1076&end=2853","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2945677-c2ec7486a07ca8e579b9175ac1cd5604/thumbnail_1076000.jpg","/articles/6607956/Queen-Annes-County/Maryland/Planning-commission-denies-request-to-modify-subdivision-agricultural-buffer-in-Woods-Heritage","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6607956-2003bf8fa85b2b1edcf199296da51541/orig.mp4?Expires=1770988342&Signature=j2TqxMKxAbuyBUrteFNFyYdPG67PJ9dFDMpv89kqVKHo9BGxUXA9mxudalORwq2Ir4JtrnSEWeoE1bO5RWRGeJwDD6nUmBcuoxVmLeoQN-CdEoY6atO9v7FdKopvfDEI~jf5CmCE834xWR2dX81k0mB~OL-iGbgmEJv3POb6TKLcSAURNcQ-rLqgU-yH~VwZAcUgLwVcjVFk8cpA-ZfiHZ~2sm-J0PVpC7X59snx5q2h3vcxzngEChpgMuX6bzuyVh5Ih76L7FSPicFOeYPy0b1y4eBsKCyobNvfyNxbHYtbu58CgfmBIw7ee98fgZ1sks~WPQTTqmYgQv3iMFWTuQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Queen Anne's County Planning Commission on Thursday denied a request to modify a required vegetative buffer for the Woods Heritage subdivision, ruling the proposed easement and delay in planting would undercut the county's agricultural-buffer standards.

The commission's decision came after the county planning staff, the applicant's attorney and multiple residents debated whether allowing a recorded easement that deferred planting, while doubling the potential easement width, would meet the intent of code section 18-1-76(d) to protect adjacent agricultural lands from nuisance claims.

Planning staff presented the history of the county's agricultural-buffer rules and recommended denial. Doug Summers, county planner, told the commission the parcel at 516 Poplar School Road had been conditioned with a 15-foot vegetative buffer under prior approvals and that the proposed easement could produce fragmented planting and leave future lot owners without practical recourse to ensure their neighbors planted a buffer.

Ryan Showalter, speaking for 4 Oaks Farm (the agricultural parcel owner), said the easement would be recorded and would run with the land, and that the proposal aimed to respond to current residents' preference to maintain open views while offering the ability eventually to establish a wider buffer on the farm parcel. Showalter said the applicant was willing to increase the potential buffer width (to 30 feet or more) and that homeowners would be able to plant the buffer themselves if they wished.

Several commissioners and residents said the plain language and intent of 18-1-76(d) do not support waiving or effectively deleting the buffer requirement. Commissioner Tillman said the change would 'diminish' protections the county adopted to protect farmland. Commissioner Ben (last name not specified in the record) and others expressed concern about subsequent owners who might not share current preferences and warned of setting a precedent.

Resident Judy Whitbread of Woods Heritage told the commission the community opposed the proposal. Jay Falstad of the Queen Anne's Conservation Association urged the commission to accept the department's findings and reject the amendment.

After public comment the commission voted on a motion to deny the amended major-subdivision approval for file SUB-24-110440, finding the amendment inconsistent with 18-1-76(d). The motion carried; the transcript records the motion, public comment, a second and a vote in open session. The transcript does not record a roll-call tally by name.

The denial leaves the original buffer requirement and the recorded subdivision conditions in place; the applicant may pursue other lawful options, such as planting the buffer as required under the existing approval or pursuing a formal code amendment through the county's text-amendment process.

Commission discussion at the same meeting also directed staff to prepare proposed code language to clarify timing and enforceability of required buffers for future subdivisions, including the possibility of tying planting obligations to building permits or certificates of occupancy and retaining landscaping surety requirements.

The Planning Commission's action is a recommendation/decision by the county planning body; any future code amendments would require separate hearings and adoption by the county commissioners.","The Queen Anne's County Planning Commission rejected an applicant's request to defer and alter a required vegetative buffer on land adjacent to the Woods Heritage subdivision, citing code intent to protect agricultural uses and concerns about setting precedent.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning commission issues recommendations on three citizen text amendments: height, daycare and shooting ranges

Planning director briefs commission on new state laws affecting solar siting and accessory dwelling units

Planning commission denies request to modify subdivision agricultural buffer in Woods Heritage