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Board grants 18‑month conditional use extension for Washington College bird‑banding station
Summary
The Board of Appeals approved an 18‑month conditional use for a bird banding research station operated by Washington College, subject to three staff conditions including recording an amended rural legacy easement and recorded lease/access agreements before site‑plan approval.
The Queen Anne's County Board of Appeals approved an 18‑month conditional use for Washington College to operate a bird banding station on a 415.321‑acre parcel off Round Top Road in Chestertown. Planning staff said the original conditional use, granted in March 2024, had expired and the college requested additional time while it completes an amendment to a rural legacy easement and records necessary access and lease agreements.
Steve Johnson, senior planner, described the project site and said the proposed banding station would sit on a 300‑by‑500‑foot lease area (just under 3.5 acres) within the larger parcel. He said there would be no disturbance to sensitive areas identified by the Department of Natural Resources and that DNR had raised no objection so long as there was no clearing in the habitat areas identified for Delmarva fox squirrel and other sensitive resources. Johnson said all countryside nonresidential standards — height, setbacks, impervious surface and landscaping — would be met and that the site would be served by well and septic.
Genevieve McFarland of Stevens Palmer, counsel for Washington College, and Valerie Imbruce, director of the Center for Environment and Society at Washington College, described the station’s research and educational role. Imbruce said the Foreman's Branch Bird Observatory has banded about 350,000 migratory birds and serves as a field‑research and education asset for the college.
The board considered the conditional‑use criteria in Chapter 18.1 and Maryland consistency requirements. The board adopted the staff report and an applicant letter into the record, confirmed there were no public objections at the hearing, and approved the conditional use for 18 months with three conditions listed in the planning report: (1) lease to be recorded (applicant indicated it has been recorded), (2) the amended rural legacy easement must be recorded prior to site plan approval, and (3) any remaining agency or county review edits (Department of Public Works, Planning & Zoning) must be resolved before site plan approval.
A board member moved for conditional use approval as described in the staff report; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The board said a formal written decision will follow.
