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Talbot County planning commission forwards draft 'cottage industry' zoning amendment to county council
Summary
At its July 1 meeting the Talbot County Planning Commission voted to forward a draft amendment to section 190-33.5 that would require special-exception and major-site-plan review for proposed cottage industry uses on roads created through subdivision, referring the draft to the County Council for potential action in August.
The Talbot County Planning Commission on July 1 voted to forward a draft text amendment to County Council that would tighten rules for so-called "cottage industry" uses in residential subdivisions.
A county staff member told commissioners the draft would insert a subsection to section 190-33.5 requiring "special exception approval, in addition to major site plan approval, [for] a proposed cottage industry that will be accessible from a road created through a subdivision process, as determined by the planning director." The staff member said the change is intended to ensure road and neighborhood characteristics are appropriate before allowing a cottage-industry use.
The amendment text would rely on the county's code definition of "road," which staff said covers both public and private ways established and designed for vehicular traffic and excludes driveways. Under the draft, accessory uses located on a roadway established through a subdivision process would no longer be treated as a simple accessory use and instead would require a special-exception review and major site plan approval.
Commissioner Council moved to forward the proposed language to the County Council and its attorney and to have the item ready for action in August; Commissioner Strachan seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote; the transcript records ayes from Commissioners Highgas, Strachan and Council and one additional affirmative vote, and staff said they would prepare the formal staff report for an August meeting.
Staff emphasized the draft is only a first cut and that, if the commission endorses language, the planning staff will prepare the required consistency findings with the comprehensive plan and then refer the amendment to the County Council for their review and potential introduction. The staff member offered to share the draft with the county attorney and county manager before formal submittal so those offices understand the commission's intent.
Next steps: staff will finalize draft language and prepare a staff report for the commission; if the commission's redraft stands, the County Council would receive the amendment for its consideration and possible legislative action.
