I wish they would just start allowing building on the vacant lots as long as they install adequate, designed to last, septic systems, with fees included that would go into a fund to help existing homeowners replace their systems when they fail. I think that would help everyone involved.
I thought if lots passed "perc", they could be built on. However, no septic is designed to last more than 20-30 years. As for the fees going into a fund to help folks replace their systems, that is the flush tax.
Here is some more reading on the issue for you folks who think development will be limited: from another list:
From Mike Koval, Former Queen Annes County Commissioner:
Subject: House Bill 11 comments
Dear House Environmental Matters Subcommittee Members:
Re: House Bill 11 - Environment - Bay Restoration Fund - Authorized Uses
I am writing in response to House Bill 11 and asking that you exclude Queen
Anne's County from the bill because of serious unintended consequences
should State funds be used to aid homeowners in hooking up to public sewer
that is not currently in existence and which must be installed at a cost of
millions.
I was Queen Anne's County Commissioner from District 4 from 2002-2006. Past
Queen Anne's County (QAC) elected officials have chosen not to extend sewer
service to South Kent Island (SKI) because doing so would create more
problems such as overcrowded schools, traffic, pollution/runoff from
additional development, Emergency Services/safety, finance, than it would
solve. If you allow Bay Restoration Funds to be used for public sewer not
already installed it could create other problems requiring more State funds
to remedy.
The SKI area these Bay Restoration funds are intended to serve is
approximately 6-8 miles South of Rt. 50. Rt. 8 (a State road) is the 1st
crossing East of the Bay Bridge. Rt. 8 is predominantly a 2-lane road
within a 100' right of way. You can plan on QAC coming back to the State
for help with road upgrades to improve it to 4 lanes because of additional
development facilitated by the availability of public sewer.
Flooding:
During Tropical Storm Isabel in 2003 Rt. 8 was under water in 3 places and
impassible. The worst was approximately 1 mile South of Rt. 50 at Bay City.
The Director of Emergency Services at the time (John Chews) called in the
National Guard to evacuate stranded residents.
Private roads:
In the SKI communities, there are privately owned roads with no current
plans to make them public for placement of new sewer lines. QAC's JMT
Study, Section VII: Financial Analysis, VII-17 (a 100 page+ study) contains
is a chart (attachment 1) showing there are 7.7 miles of private roads and
5.3 miles of new roads required to be built where roads exist on paper only
now. There are also 20 miles or so of County Road that don't meet current
County standards and will require upgrades. Can the Bay Restoration Funds
be used for properties on private roads?
Infill Lots:
According to the County's loan application to MDE on 1/28/14 for financing
of the 44,000' of forced main (8 miles +/-), there are 3000+ lots of record
with 50' to 60' road frontage. These lots are currently not buildable as
they are not large enough for septic systems and reserves; if they were
combined to make larger lots there would probably be somewhere in the
neighborhood of 1500-1700 building sites to accommodate septic systems. If
sewer is installed in front of these lots all 3000 might be buildable since
there is only a 20' combined side-yard setback. (Attached 1/28/14 Forced
Main Loan Application Phase 1 - attachment 2.)
QAC Ordinance #13-24 introduced 11/12/13 (attachment 3) attempts to combine
lots zoned NC by merging them by ownership. QAC thinks the infill lots will
end up at 600 building sites. This ordinance was introduced 11/12/13 and
has not been challenged. It only applies to sewer designation of S2 through
S6 (not served by sewer). When QAC installs sewer, the SKI sewer
designation would change to S1 (served). So the way I'm reading this is at
that point the 3000 lots will now be S1 so they won't be affected by #13-24,
making all 3000 lots buildable (loan app. Page 26 of 28). Until sewer
lines are installed a legal challenge to #13-24 is unlikely because lots of
record haven't been denied anything yet that they haven't already been
denied for the last 20+ years. I believe #13-24 may also affect other
county lots of record zoned NC differently.
Holding tanks:
To the best of my knowledge there are only two to three holding tanks on SKI
(1 residential and 2 commercial restaurants). The QAC Health Department has
a holding tank policy (attachment 4) as of 4/1/13 which basically says if
the septic system can't be fixed the owner has to put in a holding tank.
There have been 60+ home sales in SKI in the last couple of years
(attachment 5). To my knowledge these sales were not required to install
holding tanks. Therefore I assume the systems were working adequately at
time of sale.
End of sewer line - future development:
The 8 mile forced main could also allow more development on Kent Point Rd.
which is approximately 3-4 miles beyond the proposed main going to Tower
Gardens, about 1/2 mile from Rt. 8. There are communities and undeveloped
land all along the remaining length of the road, and that sewer main could
easily be extended, leading to more development.
Beach traffic:
Kent Island, at the foot of the Bay Bridge Eastbound, gets 100% of the
thousands of "Reach The Beach" drivers. Any congestion on Rt. 50 or the Bay
Bridge backs up Rt. 8 for miles, trapping residents and slowing emergency
responders, etc.
A better use of Bay Restoration Funds might be to just buy the vacant lots
of record in SKI - they're probably worth less than what the bill proposes
to pay each homeowner for hookup. Turn them into open space and guarantee
future generations will not have to deal with new school construction, new
roads, higher taxes, etc.
Sincerely,