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Commissioners adopt several zoning changes, send TDR/NCD amendments back to planning
Summary
On June 9 Queen Anne's County Commissioners adopted ordinances expanding allowed uses in gateway and waterfront districts and approved a forest conservation amendment addressing large‑scale solar; they voted to send proposed changes to transfer development rights (2609) and non‑contiguous development (2610) back to Planning & Zoning for amendment to remove non‑agricultural uses when lot lines change.
The Queen Anne's County Commissioners on June 9 voted on a slate of land‑use measures: they adopted County Ordinances 2604, 2607 and 2608, approved an amendment to the Forest Conservation Act (2612) covering solar‑related reforestation, and directed staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission to reconsider proposed changes to the county's transferable development rights (TDR) and non‑contiguous development (NCD) standards.
Ordinance 2604 adds boat sales/repair and marinas to the list of uses that may occupy more than 65,000 square feet in the Kent Island Gateway/Airport Protection District. Ordinance 2607 raises the by‑right non‑residential floor‑area maximum in the Waterfront Village Center district from 30% to 40% and removes the previous bonus standard. Ordinance 2608 allows commercial apartment dwelling units to occupy any floor, including the first.
Commissioners introduced and adopted Amendment 1 to Ordinance 2612 (the county Forest Conservation Act) to require higher reforestation rates for properties larger than 25 acres or that are more than 50% forested when proposed for solar energy generating stations; they also adopted an updated Forest Conservation Technical Manual and set a fee of $1.50 per square foot and a violation penalty rate of $2.50 per square foot.
On Ordinances 2609 (TDR standards) and 2610 (NCD standards), the meeting record shows a substantive exchange among commissioners and members of the public about whether non‑agricultural uses (for example golf courses, tennis courts, and other recreational facilities) should remain permissible on parcels designated open space after administrative lot‑line adjustments. Commissioner Amy and public commenters, including Jay Falsstead of the Queen Ans Conservation Association, pressed to strike non‑agricultural uses when lot lines change to preserve agricultural intent. Commissioners voted to send both measures back to the Planning & Zoning Commission for reconsideration and amendment rather than adopting them as written.
The planning commission had provided favorable recommendations on several of the proposed ordinances prior to the meeting. The record shows the board handled each measure by motion and voice vote; where amendments were proposed that likely constituted a substantial change, staff and county legal counsel indicated the item should go back to Planning & Zoning for a recommendation.
