Public Hearings - AGRICULTURAL LAND PRESERVATION DISTRICTS

PUBLIC HEARING
AGRICULTURAL LAND PRESERVATION DISTRICTS


April 3, 2007

A public hearing was held today at 9:15 a.m. in the County Commissioners’ Hearing Room, County Government Center, Chestertown, Maryland for the purpose of discussing the voluntary creation of an Agricultural Land Preservation District for the following:

McGuire Bros. Inc. on its 62.61 acre farm located on Lambs Meadow Road in the Second Election District.

Crow Family Trust on its 223.25 acre farm located on Vansant Corner in the Second Election District.

County Commissioners Roy Crow, Ronald Fithian, and William Pickrum, were in attendance as well as Susanne Hayman, County Administrator, Gail Owings, Director of Planning, Carla Martin, Community Planner, and two interested citizens, and one member of the media.

Commissioner Crow read the Notice of Public Hearing into the record.

Ms. Martin informed that the McGuire Brothers property is 50 acres of crop land and 10 acres of wood land and 87 % of the soils are considered Class I and II. The property was recommended approval by the Agricultural Preservation Advisory Board and the Planning Commission.

Ms. Martin stated that the Crow Family Trust property contains 199 acres of crop land and 8 acres of wood land. Approximately 92.1% of the soils are considered Class I, II, or III and 3.6% are considered Woodland Group 2. The farm is a part of the block of over 5,000 acres of Districts and Easements that stretch from Turner’s Creek to Kennedyville. Correspondence dated March 15 was received from the Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Board and Planning Commission recommending approval of this application.

There was no one in attendance who wished to speak for or against this application.

A motion was made by Commissioner Pickrum, seconded by Commissioner Fithian and passed by the majority of the Board to recommend approval of the applications submitted by McGuire Bros Inc. and Crow Family Trust to the Maryland Agricultural Land Preservation Foundation. Commissioner Crow recused himself from the vote since he is a property owner of the Crow Family Trust.



This hearing was taped for reference and adjourned at 9:19 a.m.

THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
OF KENT COUNTY, MARYLAND


Janice F. Fletcher
Executive Assistant
Approved:

Roy W. Crow
President