Some 30 residents of Kent County attended Tuesday’s County Commissioners meeting to address the proposed Zoning text amendment to update the permitted height of industrial structures from 45 feet to 60 feet in the Industrial, Commercial, and Employment Center zoning districts located in the Route 301 Corridor. Eighteen others wrote letters to the Commissioners. Of those, 11 spoke in favor of the amendment text and 7 spoke against the amendment text.
Of those, 14 spoke in favor of the Zoning text amendment, including the Kent County Chamber of Commerce. Sixteen did not support it, including the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and the Kent County Planning Commission.
The Route 301 Corridor is a growth area identified in the county comprehensive plan zoned Industrial or Employment Center and includes land adjacent to and one mile east and one mile west of the nine-mile-long section of Route 301 as it passes from north to south in Kent County.
Currently, about 400 acres of the Corridor west of Millington and on the east and west sides of Rt 310 have access to public water and sewer service. Kent County has no plans for providing more services in the Corridor area.
The pros and cons of a zoning text amendment to allow 60 ft structures fell into two camps: those who believe a new height allowance would benefit the County by increasing its tax base and add employment possibilities, and those concerned that large distribution center warehouses would increase traffic, create infrastructure issues and noise pollution compromising the environment, adding that distribution centers employ robotics, not people.
A determination will be made later this month.
A sampling of the meeting is offered here. Numbers have been updated.
This video is approximately ten minutes in length. The two-hour county commissioners session is available on YouTube, here.
Elizabeth Watson says
In reality, this was not an argument about whether Kent County needs more development or not. Opponents are arguing for more caution and study in light of bad experiences with warehouse development elsewhere and Kent County’s complete lack of experience here. The choice is WHETHER to retain negotiating power as we respond to changes requested by developers or allow extra height by right, and HOW to make any change, piecemeal outside the long-planned Comprehensive Zoning Update (CRU) promised by the Commissioners, versus making this decision process part of the CRU, which could (but is not currently) consider widening, modernizing, and streamlining economic development opportunities across the county. Lastly, this action effectively affects only one project (a massive one, out of proportion to Kent County’s infrastructure capacity, and possibly an illegal special law under Maryland’s Constitution) and does nothing to improve our community’s overall economic prospects. All that the opponents are saying is: Not so fast, is this really a deal worth making, without more thought and safeguards?
Janet Christensen-Lewis says
There is a prevailing belief that CHR 2-2023 is the sole option for economic development in Kent County, and those who raise concerns about the impacts of warehouses in the 301 corridor are seen as opposing sustainable growth. However, this framing of the argument is incorrect.
Kent Conservation and Preservation Alliance’s main concern is enacting a text amendment designed to stimulate warehouse development in the corridor, that is narrowly constructed to primarily benefit one person’s business pursuits, and we would argue possibly violates Maryland’s Constitution, outside the comprehensive rezoning currently underway. Under comprehensive rezoning the height limits could be analyzed in the broader context of the Land Use Ordinance. This standalone piece of legislation fails to address how to mitigate the harms caused by warehousing to the citizens of Kent County.
The negative consequences of warehousing are well-known, and Kent County has access to examples of mistakes made by others. It is crucial that these examples are thoroughly evaluated before adopting a text amendment that relinquishes the county’s ability to control the nature and extent of this type of development.
By implementing this text amendment, Kent County would essentially be creating a sacrifice zone and disregarding any safeguards for the protection of its citizens living in the affected area.
Michael Bitting says
Just because you keep repeating it doesn’t make it fact based or balanced. “ there is land zoned for this purpose in the Industrial, Employment and Commercial Zoning Districts that is readily available with the needed fiber and high-power electrical service (data centers use large quantities of both water and power).” From your website. I believe the land in question is zoned employment, earmarked as a development zone, etc. You know also that building a building higher is more environmentally friendly than keeping the height 45 feet and building a bigger footprint. Also I’m pretty sure warehouses and data centers don’t spread chicken poop (and at times refined human sewage) (link: https://mde.maryland.gov/programs/ResearchCenter/eMDE/Pages/vol3no7/sewage.aspx) on them. The majority of projects that have this amount of impervious surface are required to infiltrate their water on-site. Infiltration on site is not a requirement or prerogative of agricultural land. That being said i’m not against agriculture, just about the poor choice of using care for the environment as a smokescreen for BANANAs
Melinda Bookwalter says
Good and balanced article,Jim. Thank you.
I was present at the hearing and one of the readers who submitted a letter.
My numbers are slightly different than yours:
30 people read their letters live; 14 for 60′, 16 against 60′.
18 people submitted letters read by Mr. Fithian:
11 for 60′, 7 against 60′.
The bottom line total: 25 for 60′, 23 against 60′, give or take 1 or 2 either way. Pretty balanced,it was confusing to keep track!
Thank you to ALL! who participated, good information on both sides hi-liting a lot to be considered before making such a monumental decision. To me and others, the importance of researching the studies and experiences of other areas is paramount to learning mistakes to avoid while still going forward.