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Commission approves Southfields sports-park plan with condition barring chemical application near wellhead; resident seeks fencing
Summary
Sideline Properties will convert three fields at Southfields Parcel F from artificial turf to natural grass; the Commission approved the revised final site plan contingent on no application of chemicals near Well #4 after staff raised wellhead protection questions. A nearby resident asked for a six-foot fence or berm to screen parking from homes.
Sideline Properties representatives told the Elkton Planning Commission on March 9 that three ballfields at Southfields Parcel F will be converted from artificial turf to natural grass.
Director of Planning Jeanne Minner said she was concerned about potential contamination because the fields are adjacent to Well #4 and noted the Town is completing a Wellhead Protection/Source Water Protection Plan that will define permitted uses and restrictions in wellhead areas. Mike Brown of Sideline Properties said the nearest field is about 150 feet from the well (noting MDE setback guidance of 100 feet) and that the developer has "no intention of spreading any chemicals on the fields" and will not store toxic chemicals onsite. "We're going to sod it," Brown said, adding that chemical spraying is neither planned nor desired because of liability and public-health concerns.
A resident identified for the record as Ms. Brown of 350 Frenchtown Road urged installation of a fence or berm to screen the parking area from adjacent homes and said the community had been promised screening in earlier project discussions. Brown said her 95-year-old mother is concerned about parking proximity and privacy.
Sideline's representative said he was willing to discuss fencing options with the resident and to provide contact information to follow up. After discussion the Commission voted unanimously to approve the Revised Final Major Site Plan with a condition barring application of chemicals to the fields.
Why it matters: The decision affects municipal wellhead protection, park maintenance practices and neighborhood buffering. The Commission's condition prohibits chemical application on the fields as a permitting condition; the Wellhead Protection Plan under development may add formal restrictions.
Next steps: Planning staff will include the no-chemicals condition in the approval record; applicant and resident will pursue screening options separately.
