The Charles County Commissioners approved, with revisions, the Tier Map proposed by the Tier Map Comprehensive Plan Committee at their weekly meeting Tuesday, March 11. The committee, whose mandate ended February 28, agreed to help with “tweaking” the map for the March 11 meeting. Greg Bowen, former director of Planning and Zoning for Calvert County, chaired the group and presented the committee’s final version of the map March 6. Committee members Steve Bunker, Maryland State Department of Planning Secretary Richard Hall, David Lines, Doug Meeker and Joe Richard aided Planning and Zoning with the updated version,
Department of Planning and Growth Management Director Peter Aluotto, along with Planning Director Steven Ball and Program Manager Charles Rice made the March 11 presentation, while Bowen and committee members watched from the audience. Aluotto described “polygon areas” which the planning staff looked at further, areas known for failing septic systems. One of the southernmost areas was Clifton near Aqualand, where staff expanded the area north to create a Tier 2 opportunity to allow expansion of a sewer system as a TDR (Transfer of Development Rights) residential area. The staff also included a 1,500-acre section of a development known as Riviera north of Port Tobacco next to an existing Tier 2 village.
The Rural Legacy program also had a say in the amendments, Aluotto stated.
“Land staff required that we take a closer look at possibly moving farm and forested land from Tier 3 to Tier 4,” Aluotto explained. “Looking west to east on the Port Tobacco River, we expanded to Tier 4 there.” He said they also expanded a large area of Port Tobacco cover4ed by forest which was originally Tier 3 to Tier 4, the most protected designation under map guidelines.
It was a mammoth task, trying to decide which land should be designated for sewer, those areas still rural but with scattered subdivisions throughout. In the end, the map presented to commissioners designated 29,909 acres Tier I, 23,465 acres as Tier 2, 61,558 acres for Tier 3 designation and 179,889 acres as Tier 4, the most environmentally sensitive areas. Commissioner Ken Robinson noted that in trying to accept the map and have it conform to what the county is trying to do in upgrading its comprehensive plan would be paramount.
“Wouldn’t we have to update our water and sewer plan as well?” he asked.
“There will have to be come changes to that,” Rice responded. “If you wanted to update that plan now, the timing would be good.”
The commissioners suggested some minor changes and took a small break until planners could make the adjustments and bring an updated version of the back to the meeting. The final version included the same totals for Tier I
