November 20, 2009 - Nearly four years after the Worcester County Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2006 by the County Commissioners, its implementation has finally been voted upon...well, sort of.

While missing the mark on many aspects of the Comprehensive Plan, (these award winning concepts such as TDRs, Impact fees, alternative energy initiatives, and protection of flood plains from development were not implemented) the County's new zoning code and zoning map was approved on November 3, 2009.

With very few changes to the text of the Zoning Code, and one or two changes to the Comprehensive Zoning Maps - the Worcester County Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the new zoning ordinance. Commissioner Cowger was the lone dissenting vote to approve the Zoning Maps.

Assateague Coastal Trust's efforts to strengthen the language in the code for protection of our waterways and our natural resources remained as suggested in our public comments and as amended by the Planning Commission and Staff.

Our efforts to better protect our waterways through more protective zoning districts were for the most part incorporated into the new land use zoning maps.

Our efforts to force this Board to deal with the elimination of the Estate (E-1) zoning, as called for in the Comp. Plan, and place these flood prone areas into more protective zoning did not succeed.

While this means large areas of South Point and the Rt. 611 corridor will not be up-zoned to more dense residential but will remain Estate zoned, some areas of E-1 were indeed given higher density zoning - Gum Point Road and the Bishopville Prong area were both given R-1 zoning.

They did not support a motion by Commissioner Shockley to add 2 more building lots to the already permitted 5 lots allowed per parcel in the A-1 zoned areas. They did however, support his text amendment to increase the total square footage allowed 'by right' for commercial buildings on an A-1 parcel from 600 sq. ft to 3,000 sq. ft.

Without adequate time to consider all the ramification of this major change, and under pressure by the Commission President to wrap things up, it remains to be seen what impact this will have on types of commercial businesses in our A-1 district throughout the county. At the very least they should have agreed to the 4,400 increase by 'special exception' review only.