Havre de Grace council approves MOU to move emergency access and accept developer funding for water upgrades amid resident objections

Havre de Grace — The Havre de Grace Mayor and City Council on May 19 adopted two memoranda of understanding (MOUs) tied to the Bully Rock development: one to relocate an emergency access road linking Bully Rock and Greenway Farm and a second to accept developer funds to finance upgrades to the Graceview water tower and nearby pumping stations.

The council approved the emergency-access MOU (calendar resolution 2025‑08) by a 5–1 vote and approved the funding MOU for water system improvements (calendar resolution 2025‑09) unanimously, 6–0. Councilmembers who moved and seconded the emergency‑access measure were Councilmember Schneggis (mover) and Councilmember Jones (second). The water‑funding MOU was introduced by Councilmember Schneggis and seconded by the council president.

Why it matters: The two actions affect public‑safety access for a neighborhood that currently has a single in/out route and the city’s near‑term water capacity in a growth corridor. The emergency‑access change is intended to create a wider, 20‑foot route more suitable for fire and ambulance access; the water MOU leverages developer prepayments to accelerate booster‑pump and other upgrades the city says are required to serve planned new housing.

Residents who live near the proposed access voiced objections during public comment, pressing the council for clearer answers about property ownership, the possibility of eminent domain, and whether the developer would fund a separate traffic signal project at Martha Lewis Boulevard and Route 40.

“Someone is going to get killed at that intersection,” said…