Easton Town Council to Consider a 13 Acre Annexation
(The following information is courtesy of Talbot Preservation Alliance)
Easton Town Council to Consider a 13 Acre Annexation
The Town Council will consider the Orion Property annexation request Monday, April 18 at 7:15 p.m., at 14 S. Harrison Street that will add commercial development on St. Michaels Rd (Rt 33) adjoining the Waterside Village shopping center.
The owners of the annexation parcel want commercial zoning for the 13 acre property. But they won’t identify any commercial project that they – or a future developer – want to bring to our town.
If the annexation is approved the property could be utilized to expand the Waterside Village shopping center. The attorney promoting the annexation has stated that “major retail like a large Home Depot or grocery store” could be developed on the site through Easton’s “planned unit development” process.
What is the Impact of Already Approved Development?
Easton has already approved:
- Almost a quarter million square feet of new retail space adjoining the proposed annexation parcel, most of which has not yet been built
- Easton Village, directly across St. Michaels Road from the annexation parcel, will triple its current size to 250 dwelling units.
- A new 60 unit apartment building just inside the Route 33 entrance to BJ’s
Questions the Town Council Must Answer
Given its certain consequences, annexation should not be approved until the proponents provide, and agree to, a specific plan for how to develop the property. The citizens and the Town Council must evaluate:
- What will be the traffic impact of more Route 33 commercial development, how can it be mitigated, and who will pay for the mitigation?
- Will new development be of a type leading to more closures of stores, and empty spaces, in our many existing shopping areas?
- How will more commercial development conform with Easton’s Comprehensive Plan which states “Easton has significantly more commercial development than a community of our population would normally dictate.”?
- How will the forested portion of the annexation parcel be protected, so as to extend the greenbelt specified in Easton’s Comprehensive Plan?
- What sort of development on the annexation parcel will foster the town/county planning objective of promoting light manufacturing and other businesses that will provide better jobs, and not promote Easton’s evolution as a regional retail shopping destination?
Please let the Council know that the Orion annexation should not be considered, let alone approved, until there is an agreed upon plan for development of the parcel in accord with a stated goal of Easton’s Comprehensive Plan.
Attend the Meeting
Monday, April 18 at 7:15 p.m., at 14 S. Harrison Street
You will have the opportunity to comment at the meeting, but if you can’t attend, please contact:
John Ford jford@town-eastonmd.com
Al Silverstein asilverstein@town-eastonmd.com
Pete Lesher plesher@town-eastonmd.com
Ron Engle rengle@town-eastonmd.com
Megan Cook mcook@town-eastonmd.com