TOWN MEETING MINUTES
Minutes of the January 7, 2004 Town Council Meeting
7:30 p.m., Trappe Town Hall


The regular Town meeting was opened by President Cheryl Lewis and called to order at 7:40 p.m. Vice President Bob Niemeyer and Commissioners Edgar Harrison, Danny Adams and Norm Fegel were present. Everyone stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. The December minutes were accepted as presented. The November financial statement was accepted as presented due to corrections from auditor that were in question last month. The December financial statement was accepted as presented.

Executive Session:

There was an Executive Session at 6:30 before the town meeting. Council members present were President Lewis, Vice President Niemeyer, Commissioners Harrison, Adams and Fegel. Mr. Dave Thompson and Ms. Brynja Booth the attorneys for the town were also present. The meeting was to discuss personnel expenses and for legal advice.

Old Business:

President Lewis presented the bid from Mr. Diefenderfer for snow removal and explained to the Council that the price was the same as last year and that we had not received any other bids.

Motion was made by Com. Adams to accept Mr. Diefenderfer’s bid for snow removal. Motion was seconded by Com. Niemeyer.

Vote:

Adams – Y, Lewis – Y, Harrison – Y, Niemeyer – Y, Fegel – Y

President Lewis
  1. Thanked everyone for the new Christmas decorations that we had been able to purchase and install.
  2. She also thanked everyone for the purchases of pottery that they made to make it possible for us to buy new Christmas decorations. She announced that the pottery was still on sale.
  3. Pres. Lewis announced to everyone that Ann Dorbin was doing a great job with the newsletter and that this month it had been a bulk mailing due to letting everyone know about the meeting tonight. She also said that if anyone wanted the newsletter to be emailed to them to please let the town know their address and we would see that they received the newsletter on their e-mail.
Com. Harrison

Commissioner Harrison made a motion that the President of the Council be authorized to sign all documents and process all payments for reimbursements for development related expenses, including the employment and reimbursement for the Town Planner. Commissioners Fegel seconded the motion. The Council unanimously approved the motion.

Vote: Adams – Y, Lewis – Y, Harrison – Y, Niemeyer - Y, Fegel – Y

President Lewis

President Lewis said that she and other members attended the County Council meeting on the smoking ban and growth allocation. President Lewis stated the Town should get involved even though growth allocation is not a Trappe issue since we do not have any critical area land. The third issue was on the excise tax for new residential and commercial construction. The Town Council is watching closely the amounts that are being requested by the County Council from the State Legislature for excise tax and accommodations tax.

Gateway Zoning:

Com. Harrison gave a brief report on the status of the gateway task force.

New Business:

President Lewis introduced Mr. Ryan Showalter, of Miles & Stockbridge, Inc., as the first speaker for the presentation on the preliminary application/concept plan for the eastside annexation area. Mr. Showalter represents the developers, Mr. Nick Rocks and Mr. Bob Rauch. President Lewis gave a summary of what the Floating Zone requires of the preliminary application. Mrs. Lewis also stated the preliminary application’s need to be consistent with the adopted Comprehensive Plan.

Mr. Showalter began the presentation with a brief history of the project and a summary of the developer’s involvement with the town over the last two years. Mr. Showalter explained the contents of the application package and the role he and Mr. Rauch would play during the presentation. Included in the preliminary application, as required by the Floating Zone ordinance, was a signed petition by all the landowners involved with the project, a narrative of the project, and a concept plan. Mr. Showalter explained that the preliminary application was the first step in the zoning approval of the east side project. Mr. Showalter stated that the boundary survey totaled 857.8 acres for the project.

After Mr. Showalter’s introductory remarks, Mr. Rauch made a very similar presentation to the one he made last year which focused on making the proposal consistent with the comprehensive plan. Mr. Rauch used a power point presentation and mounted graphics to explain the concept plan’s method of integrating the required elements of the Floating Zone and Planned Neighborhood Ordinance. Mr. Rauch explained the development as a nine (9) phase project built out over ten to fifteen years. The development includes 385 acres of Single Family Residential, 28 acres of Central Residential, 17 acres of Village Center, 12.8 acres of Storefront, 109 acres of Conservation Area, 123 acres of Open Space and 153 acres of a new municipal spray irrigation site on the northeast corner of the project. Mr. Rauch added that Phase 1, 250 houses, would enter through the existing Big Mario’s property, and that throughout the whole development nearly all of the existing trees and natural features would be preserved. The general layout of the project is a modified grid street pattern with residential areas of varying densities, commercial areas in the Storefront Area, space for community and civic activities, and passive and active recreation areas including a landmark lake feature that will include a public beach. A smaller existing pond is proposed for a public promenade highlighted by a country style inn. Mr. Rauch noted that they are planning a location for a grocery store which was supported by a survey of town residents. Access to the project includes a divided boulevard starting at Big Mario’s that would meander through the project ending at Barber Road at the time of build out. Piney Hill Road is planned as the main access to the Storefront Area. All internal roads are designed in a hierarchical street classification with interconnected alleys, local and collector streets without dead ends or cul-de-sacs. According to Mr. Rauch, the initial stages of the development could begin next year with about a year after that for the first housing construction. Completed studies and reports include historical evaluations, endangered species, environmental, hydrologic, and traffic.

Mr. Showalter concluded the presentation with a summary of the requirements needed for the concept plan including population projections. He also mentioned the method of Adjusted Track Acreage (ATA) from the Planned Neighborhood Ordinance which calculates allowable development area after first protecting sensitive areas such as floodplains, steep slopes, wetlands, and poorly drained soils. Mr. Showalter further explained the developer’s responsibilities per the annexation agreement which places the demand of many public facility costs and impact improvements on the developer, instead of existing town residents.

Following Mr. Showalter’s presentation, President Lewis asked for comments and questions from the Council and the public. A resident from the Timberwind area asked if they would be able to tie into the new wastewater treatment plant when it was finished, since they had just been taken into the town. There were other questions asked about the greenbelt area, overcrowded schools, adequate fire equipment, affordable housing, etc. The questions were answered by the Council to the best of their knowledge.

President Lewis: - Application

President Lewis said we need to make a decision as to where to go with this application. Com. Harrison suggested that our Planning Officer, Mr. Hall, review and look over to make sure that the application is complete, and report back to the February meeting.

Resolution 1-2004

Com. Harrison introduced resolution 1-2004 for another annexation.

A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF TRAPPE TO ANNEX CERTAIN LANDS LOCATED ON HOWELL POINT ROAD IN THE THIRD ELECTION DISTRICT, TALBOT COUNT, MARYLAND, CONSISTING OF 14,044 SQUARE FEET, MORE OR LESS AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ANNEXATION.

Mr. Harrison said it will be zoned R-1. Approximately 25 ft of the property extends out past the town boundary, and what he is proposing to do is annex that 25 ft remnant in town, so that the entire property will be in town and not divided by a county boundary. The bulk of the property is already in town. President Lewis explained that basically we are adding on the back few feet of his lot that got cut off in the boundaries. We will set a date for the public hearing after the meeting.

Announcements:
Respectfully submitted:

Cheryl Lewis, President

Joedy Cecil, Clerk