Prince Frederick, MD – Calvert County Government officials have responded to citizen critics who have voiced displeasure with the ongoing process to revise the jurisdiction’s Comprehensive Plan. On Tuesday, Dec. 12, Calvert County Commissioners’ President Tom Hejl [R – At large] read into the record an “open letter” to citizens regarding the “Calvert 2040” initiative.
“It is unfortunate that a special interest group recently published information that misrepresents facts in order to distort the vision of the Comprehensive Plan,” Hejl stated. “We feel obligated to address the inaccuracies in order to set the record straight and ensure residents are not misled. Recent criticisms center on two false perceptions: the plan promotes overly ambitious county growth and it is being rushed through without proper public input. This misinformation is a disservice to county staff who have worked on the plan and the many residents who have participated in the process for more than a year. Let’s set the record straight. Future county growth is dependent on a wide variety of factors. It is important to understand that the Comprehensive Plan is a visionary document—a snapshot of how the community sees the county’s future. It does not create the policies or regulations that would directly impact development.”
Hejl (pictured, right) listed several “misleading assertions” the critics have reported. One example is the critics’ contention that no traffic studies have been conducted for the Comprehensive Plan. While Hejl conceded that was true, he added that traffic studies are not part of the Comprehensive Plan. “Traffic studies are done for specific projects, not for visionary planning documents like the Comprehensive Plan,” Hejl stated. “The Comprehensive Plan has a long-range outlook. Traffic studies can only predict shorter term impacts.”
Hejl also denied that the plan process was being rushed and stated that it was not necessary to extend the comment period since “public review and input is open and ongoing until the board of county commissioners adopts the final version.”
During the Calvert County Planning Commission’s Dec. 13 meeting, Department of Planning and Zoning Director Mark Willis provided an update on the Comprehensive Plan process. Willis stated that “it’s not really true” the record was closed on Dec. 8. “We’re continuing to pull contents together,” he stated. “We’re not trying to skirt responsibility to collect input from the public.”
Willis noted that Calvert Planning Commission Vice Chairman Greg Kernan wanted the panel to take a further look at the plan’s sustainability component. A summary of the sustainability issue was part of the November draft plan . Sustainability will be part of the Comprehensive Plan January Work Session.
In a letter dated Dec. 12, posted on the web site of the organization Keep Calvert Country and signed by Greg Bowen, the former director of the Calvert County Department of Planning and Zoning, members of that citizens’ organization responded to Hejl’s comments from earlier in the day. The organization denied it was a special interest group, denied it was anti-growth, adding that it wants Calvert to grow no faster than its infrastructure. The organization expressed concern that traffic “is virtually dismissed as an issue in the draft plan,” despite the county commissioners themselves projecting a 72 percent increase in traffic by 2030. “We believe traffic—especially as it relates to public safety—should be a top priority for the plan,” KCC officials stated. They also called on county officials to reinsert the draft’s “purpose statement,” which they said the county government’s consultant omitted. “It gives a clear explanation of how the plan is to be used,” KCC officials stated.
In addition to announcing a special meeting for the Planning Commission Jan. 10 regarding the Comprehensive Plan, Willis stated comments from local and state agencies, and the public on the plan’s October draft will be distributed to members. For more information on the Calvert County Comprehensive Plan visit the plan page on the county government web site
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com