Crisfield council holds first reading of Chesapeake Bay critical-area zoning ordinance

The mayor and city council of the City of Crisfield held a first reading of Ordinance No. 735, a replacement of the city's critical-area zoning code to implement the Chesapeake Bay critical area program recommended by the state.

Gabby, the city's legal counsel, told the council the update implements the Maryland Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Law and related Natural Resources Article requirements and that the Planning Commission had reviewed and recommended the proposed text and map changes. "This is a routine process of the city works with the state on," Gabby said during the reading.

Gabby described the ordinance as deleting the current critical-area text and map, establishing a new Chapter 1-13 for the critical-area program, and adopting a supplemental zoning map called the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area District Map for the City of Crisfield. The ordinance language incorporated citations to the Maryland Annotated Code and included a clause that any provision later adjudged invalid would not affect the remainder of the ordinance.

Council members scheduled a public hearing for 5:00 p.m. immediately before the council's Feb. 11 meeting and asked staff to provide marked-up "before and after" copies of the changes ahead of the council's second reading. Peter (S11) agreed to distribute both the old and new documents with changes identified so members could review them prior to adoption.

The ordinance remains at first reading; no formal adoption vote was taken. The city will hold the public hearing before the second reading and consider adoption only after that public input and a subsequent vote.