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Planning commission forwards Chesapeake Bay Critical Area program to council for adoption
Summary
Pocomoke City staff presented a draft Critical Area ordinance and overlay map that brings the city into compliance with the state Natural Resources Article; the commission recommended forwarding the ordinance to the mayor and council and noted state commission review will follow local adoption.
The Pocomoke City Planning Commission reviewed a proposed ordinance to adopt a local Critical Area program and a Chesapeake Bay Critical Area overlay map designed to meet requirements in the Maryland Natural Resources Article.
Staff said much of Pocomoke City had previously been exempted from the state-critical-area mapping (dating to 1988) but updated mapping and regulations required the city to adopt implementing regulations and a supplemental overlay map. The draft identifies resource conservation areas near Winter Quarters Golf Course and slightly enlarges mapped boundaries in places based on new mapping data; staff said most already-developed parcels (for example some commercial lots) will not be affected unless they expand. The Critical Area Commission contracted consultant Michael Grossman to help prepare the draft, staff said.
Why it matters: adoption implements a state mandate intended to protect water resources and may require mitigation plans and forest conservation plans for new development in newly mapped areas.
What the commission did: after a public hearing with no speakers, the commission voted to recommend approval and forwarding to the mayor and council. If the city council adopts the ordinance, the package will then go to the Maryland Critical Area Commission for review and any final approval the state commission requires.
Process notes: staff described the ordinance as complicated to administer and said the city would rely on state guidance and the Critical Area Commission for technical reviews if applications are received.
(Report based on staff presentation and commission action during the planning commission meeting.)
