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Planning staff previews ordinance updates; commissioners raise alarm over lost wastewater grants
Summary
Staff outlined ongoing updates to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation and subdivision ordinances and introduced a new senior planner; commissioners asked about the impact of the Board not advancing wastewater actions and losing approximately $15 million in grants and a $5 million developer contribution.
Planning staff reported several ongoing ordinance projects and staffing updates and answered commissioner questions about wastewater funding at the Dec. 18 meeting.
Mr. Graves told commissioners that the county is working on three related ordinance projects: an update to the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Ordinance (resource protection area/environmental rules), a modernization of the subdivision ordinance to comply with state code, and a longer‑range zoning ordinance update. He also introduced April Branton as the new senior planner who joined the department on Nov. 1.
A commissioner raised concerns about consequences after the Board of Supervisors did not advance wastewater measures and the loss of grant funding. “They've lost the $15,000,000 in grants and the $5,000,000 developer contribution,” a commissioner said during communications. Mr. Graves replied that, at present, “there's no additional capacity identified past those improvements that are... underway,” and that the county has not taken an affirmative step to add new system capacity.
The exchange flagged infrastructure capacity as an outstanding issue for planning decisions that rely on future water and wastewater improvements.
Provenance: Communications and Q&A (SEG 863–977).
