The Havre de Grace Planning Commission on Oct. 16 voted unanimously to grant a one-year extension of site-plan approval for the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, building permit 2025-0058. The extension applies to a previously approved 30,618-square-foot addition to the museum and is the first of two one-year extensions allowed under the city code.

The extension gives the museum team more time to finish construction documents, complete permitting and continue fundraising before starting substantial construction. Eric Lawrence of the Department of Planning summarized the request and identified the applicant as Michael Tarquini, a board member of the Decoy Museum. "The applicant request is to hear a request by the applicant for a 1 year extension per 155-25 of the city code for the previous 10/17/2024 site plan approval for a 30,618 square foot addition," Lawrence said.

Applicant Michael Tarquini told the commission the project has seen "significant progress" in design work but not enough to begin construction. He said fundraising has advanced but is still incomplete: "We've probably raised to near $500,000," he said, calling that amount a "drop in the bucket compared to what the complete project will be." Tarquini also said the Maryland Historical Trust recently provided another endorsement and award: "they awarded us another $100,000, which they had awarded a $100,000 previously," he said.

Architect Paul Thompson of Architectural Design Works told the commission the proposed changes would not alter the project's exterior footprint. "We're confident the footprint will remain the same and the exterior renderings that we submitted during our last planning commission will remain intact," Thompson said. He added that fundraising and budget decisions could shift some interior work between phases.

The commission first moved to close the record on testimony and then voted to approve the extension. The roll-call vote recorded "aye" from Randy Craig, Harry Miller, Farhad Shaw, Warren Hartenstein, Ed Garono and Chair Volney Ford.

The extension is the first of two allowed by the city code; the commission noted a second one-year extension may be requested if needed but that the applicant cannot receive more than two such extensions. Applicant testimony indicated hope to secure a shell building permit by mid next year if fundraising and final design proceed on schedule.

Approved action: the commission approved a one-year site-plan extension for the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum (building permit 2025-0058).