Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays
- Roles and Responsibilities of the Commission
- Composition
- Terms of the Commission Members
- Current Commission Membership
- 2008 Meeting and Submittal Schedule
- A Summary of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission's Criteria and
Program Development Activities 1984-1988
(Adobe Acrobat file 9.5MB) - To get the free Acrobat Reader go to Adobe.com. - Monthly Commission Meeting Agenda
- Critical Area Commission Public Hearings
- Critical Area Commission Meeting Minutes
Roles and Responsibilities of the Commission
The
Commission was created by the Critical Area Act in 1984. The Commission was
initially charged with adopting regulations and criteria necessary to
effectively implement the Act. This effort was completed in 1985; whereupon
the Commission was required to review and approve all local government plans,
programs, ordinances, and regulations that were proposed as part of a
jurisdiction's Critical Area Program. This review and approval process took
several years, but all local Critical Area Programs were operational in 1990.
Today the Commission's primary responsibilities are the following:
- Review and approve State projects on State-owned land in the Critical Area;
- Review and approve State or local agency actions resulting in major development on private lands or lands owned by local jurisdictions; and
- Review and approve all changes to a jurisdiction's Critical Area Program, including changes to ordinances, regulations, and maps.
Composition
The Commission consists of
29 voting members who are appointed by the Governor. The composition of the
Commission is as follows:
A chairman, appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate, who serves at the pleasure of the Governor.
Thirteen individuals appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate, each of whom is a resident and an elected or appointed official of a local jurisdiction, and may only serve on the Commission while they hold local office. At least one of the 13 must be an elected or appointed official of a municipality. Each is selected from certain counties or from municipalities within the counties as follows:
- One from each of Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Prince George's counties;
- One from Harford or Cecil County;
- One from Kent or Queen Anne's County;
- One from Caroline County;
- One from Talbot or Dorchester County;
- One from Wicomico or Somerset County;
- Two from Calvert, Charles, or St. Mary's County (both cannot be from the same county); and
- Two from Worcester County, one who is a resident of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the other who is a resident of the Atlantic Coastal Bays watershed.
Eight individuals appointed with the advice and consent of the Senate, who represent diverse interests, and among whom shall be a resident of each of the five counties listed above from which an appointment has not been made subject to the requirements of the thirteen individuals listed above. Three of these eight individuals are "at-large members", one of whom is a private citizen and resident of the Atlantic Coastal Bays watershed.
Seven individuals, who are ex officio members, who are the Secretaries of the following State Departments or their designee:
- Department of Agriculture;
- Department of Business and Economic Development;
- Department of Housing and Community Development;
- Department of the Environment;
- Department of Transportation;
- Department of Natural Resources;
- Department of Planning.
Terms of the Commission Members
Except for the
Chairman and ex officio State officers or their designees, the term of a
Commission member is four years. A member may serve no more than two terms.
The terms are staggered, and at the end of a member's term, he or she
continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies. If a vacancy
arises, other than through expiration of a term, the Governor shall appoint a
successor of like qualification, with the advice and consent of the Senate,
within 30 days.
Current Commission Membership
The table
below reflects the current members of the Commission, the area or agency that
each represents, and the year that the Commission member was appointed.
|
Commission Member |
Area or Agency Represented |
Year Term Began |
|
Margaret McHale |
Chair |
2007 |
|
Honorable Cathleen M. Vitale |
Anne Arundel County |
2004 |
|
|
Baltimore City |
|
|
David A. C. Carroll |
Baltimore County |
2004 |
|
Norma Powers |
Calvert County |
2007 |
|
Charles Cawley |
Caroline County |
2007 |
|
Honorable Judith M. Cox |
Cecil County |
2003 |
|
Honorable Reuben B. Collins, II |
Charles County |
2007 |
|
|
Dorchester County |
|
|
Pete Gutwald |
Harford County |
2006 |
|
Honorable Margo G. Bailey |
Kent County |
2001 |
|
|
Prince Georges County |
|
|
Caroline Gabel |
Queen Anne’s County |
2007 |
|
Francis Jack Russell |
St. Mary’s County |
2007 |
|
H. Kevin Anderson |
Somerset County |
2004 |
|
S. Michael Mielke |
Talbot County |
2004 |
|
Honorable Stevie Prettyman |
Wicomico County |
2004 |
|
Honorable Bruce Morrison |
Worcester County, Chesapeake Bay |
2006 |
|
Honorable Richard Meehan |
Worcester County, Coastal Bays |
2006 |
|
David P. Blazer |
Worcester County, Coastal Bays |
2002 |
|
C. Edward Prager |
Eastern Shore Member-At-Large |
2004 |
|
Judith A. Evans |
Western Shore Member-At-Large |
2000 |
|
Louise Lawrence |
Md. Dept. of Agriculture |
1990 |
|
Rhonda Ray |
Md. Dept. of Business and Economic Dev. |
2007 |
|
Gary Setzer |
Md. Dept. of the Environment |
2001 |
|
Caroline Varney-Alvarado |
Md. Dept. of Housing and Community Dev. |
2007 |
|
Frank W. Dawson, III |
Md. Dept. of Natural Resources |
2003 |
|
Jason Dubow |
Md. Dept. of Planning |
2007 |
|
Meg Andrews |
Md. Dept. of Transportation |
2000 |
2008 Meeting and Submittal Schedule
The
following schedule is for all project and program issues that are submitted to
Commission staff for consideration by the Critical Area Commission at its
regularly scheduled meetings. This schedule is for general planning purposes
and will give an applicant an idea of when a project or program-related item
might be on the Commission's agenda. The schedule does not necessarily
guarantee that a project or program item submitted by the deadline will be
considered at the accompanying meeting date. For more detailed information
about submittal requirements, deadlines, or scheduling, contact Mary Owens or
Lisa Hoerger at (410) 260-3460 or Email: mowens@dnr.state.md.us or Email: lhoerger@dnr.state.md.us
2008 Meeting and Submittal Schedule
|
SUBMITTAL DEADLINE |
MEETING DATE |
|
December 5, 2008 |
January 9, 2008* |
|
January 9, 2008 |
February 6, 2008 |
|
February 6, 2008 |
|
|
March 5, 2008 |
April 2, 2008 |
|
April 2, 2008 |
May 7, 2008 |
|
May 7, 2008 |
June 4, 2008 |
|
June 4, 2008 |
July 9, 2008 (Note Change in Date) |
|
July 9, 2008 |
August 6, 2008 |
|
August 6, 2008 |
September 3, 2008 |
|
September 3, 2008 |
October 1, 2008 |
|
October 1, 2008 |
November 5, 2008 |
|
November 5, 2008 |
December 3, 2008 |
* Indicates date(s) that have been adjusted because of holiday(s)
Monthly Commission Meeting Agenda
The following agenda is posted approximately one week prior to the date of the Commission meeting.
Times listed are approximate and interested parties are advised to be present at the beginning of the
subcommittee meetings and the plenary meeting. The agenda is subject to change in order to address modifications
to agenda items and to accommodate scheduling conflicts of applicants and presenters. To verify that an agenda item
will be discussed at a meeting and the approximate time, please contact the Commission the day before the meeting at (410) 260-3460.
CRITICAL AREA COMMISSION
FOR THE
CHESAPEAKE AND ATLANTIC COASTAL BAYS
Drayton Manor Retreat Center Growth Allocation
A panel of the Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays will conduct a public hearing for the purpose of hearing public comments on a Critical Area growth allocation request in Kent County affecting the site of the Drayton Manor Retreat Center, which is located in Worton, Maryland. The Kent County Commissioners have reviewed and approved the growth allocation request to change the Critical Area acreage from Resource Conservation Area (RCA) to Intensely Developed Area (IDA) on 31.991 acres of the 32.097-acre property. The purpose of the map change is to accommodate the expansion and intensification of the retreat center. The site is located at 12651 Coopers Lane, and can be identified as Parcel 45 on Tax Map 11. The public hearing is scheduled for May 13, 2008 at 6:00 P.M. in the Kent County Commissioner’s Hearing Room, County Government Center, 400 High Street, Chestertown, Maryland, 21620. Comments are encouraged prior to or at the public hearing. Public comment at the hearing may be limited to three minutes, depending on the number of attendants wishing to testify. Comments may be mailed to the Critical Area Commission, 1804 West Street, Suite 100, Annapolis, MD 21401, faxed to (410) 974-5338, or e-mailed to
nkelly@dnr.state.md.us . Copies of the information relating to the growth application are available at the Kent County Department of Planning and Zoning and will also be available at the public hearing. For additional information, please call the Critical Area Commission in Annapolis at (410) 260-3483 or the Kent County Department of Planning and Zoning at (410) 778-7475. Sign language interpreters and other appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities will be provided upon request.
Please
Note Change in Meeting Place
Directions to Calvary United
Methodist Church
Critical Area
Commission
Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays
Meeting At
Calvary United Methodist Church
301 Rowe Boulevard
Annapolis, Maryland
June 4, 2008
PANEL
|
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Drayton Manor Growth Allocation (Kent County) |
|
Members: Gary
Setzer, Frank Dawson, Judith Evans, Caroline Gable, Mike Mielke Staff: Nick Kelly |
SUBCOMMITTEES
|
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Project Evaluation Subcommittee |
||
|
Members: |
Setzer, Anderson, Andrews, Barrow, Cox, Gabel, Gutwald, Morrison, Powers, Prager, Ray, Russell, Varney-Alvarado |
|
|
|
Town of
Denton (Caroline County) |
Roby Hurley |
|
|
Queen
Anne’s County |
Lisa Hoerger |
|
|
State
Highway Administration (Dorchester County) |
Julie Roberts |
|
|
State
Highway Administration (Somerset County) |
Julie Roberts |
|
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Program Implementation Subcommittee |
||
|
Members: |
Blazer, Bailey, Carroll, Cawley, Collins, Dawson, Dubow, Evans, Feinberg, Lawrence, Mielke, Prettyman, Vitale |
|
|
|
Town of
Chesapeake Beach |
Amber Widmayer LeeAnne Chandler |
|
|
Cecil
County (Discussion) |
Kate Schmidt |
|
|
Charles
County |
Kerrie Gallo |
Please Note
Change in Meeting Place
Directions to Calvary United
Methodist Church
Critical Area Commission
Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays
Meeting At
Calvary United Methodist Church
301 Rowe Boulevard
Annapolis, Maryland
June 4, 2008
AGENDA
|
1:00 p.m. – 1:05 p.m. |
Welcome and Remarks Approval of May 7, 2008 Minutes |
Chair |
PROGRAMS |
||
1:05 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. |
VOTE: Kent
County |
Nick Kelly |
1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. |
VOTE:
Charles County |
Kerrie Gallo |
1:50 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
|
Refinement:
Town of Chesapeake Beach |
Amber
Widmayer |
PROJECTS |
||
2:00 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. |
VOTE: State
Highway Administration |
Julie Roberts |
2:10 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. |
VOTE: Town of
Denton (Caroline County) |
Roby Hurley |
2:20 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. |
VOTE: Queen
Anne’s County |
Lisa Hoerger |
2:30 p.m. – 2:40 p.m. |
VOTE: State
Highway Administration |
Julie Roberts |
| 2:40 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. | LEGAL UPDATES | Marianne Dise |
| 2:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. |
OLD BUSINESS:
Somerset County Program Issues NEW BUSINESS Adjourn |
Chair Margaret McHale |
| 3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Training for Commission Members on HB 1253 | |