Keep Calvert Country

The current Commissioners have demonstrated on numerous occasions that they do not respect the concerns of the citizens, and now they have gone so far as to go behind our backs to warn a State agency to not listen to us! To read the email from Commissioners Slaughenhoupt & Hejl to the Maryland Department of State Planning, click here.  It should be noted that although Commissioner Hart did not sign the email, he has voted with Slaughenhoupt and Hejl on every pro-development change they have made since being in office (as outlined below).

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To read the minutes of the Small Business Interest Group (SBIG), a group of developers, builders and their engineers, who meet regularly with the Commissioners to enact their pro-growth agenda, click here.

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KCC's rebuttal to the "warnings" contained in Slaughenhoupt and Hejl's email:

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1. That the commissioners aren’t listening.
   These Commissioners have made numerous changes to zoning regulations, such as changing the density, big box size, etc. for Armory Square, sign regs, weakening the Architectural Review regs, & the bonding for the proposed County Administration building. For each change, hundreds of letters and petition signatures in opposition to these changes have been submitted, and never have the Commissioners considered the concerns raised before rushing to approve the changes.
    

2. That the Comprehensive Plan is being rushed through.
   The State only requires updates to Comprehensive Plans every 10 years, so an update is not required until 2020. This year happens to be an election year, and that is the only reason to adopt it now. SBIG has played a big role in pushing for the Plan's completion before the election (see page 44 and 52 of the document containing their minutes here)
    

3. That all development particularly in Prince Frederick should cease. 
   The development proposed for PF (including the Admin building) is not consistent with the current Master Plan nor the Charrette. The development proposed at Armory Square will have more residential units, taller buildings, and larger retail stores thanks to the changes the Commissioners made in 2016 which were also not consistent with any adopted Plans. These developments should not go forward until the Master Plan is updated, which should include heavy citizen participation to make sure the town develops as the citizens wish.
    

4. Opposition to the commissioners’ proposed Administration Building at the Armory:
   The Prince Frederick Master Plan states that County government is to remain on Main Street. Based on this, we analyzed the County-owned properties in the immediate vicinity of the Courthouse and came up with several (less expensive) alternatives to moving County offices to the Armory. See our video here: 
    

5. That a traffic analysis is needed before the Comprehensive Plan is approved:
   No growth should be permitted until the impact on not only traffic, but also schools and the environment are analyzed. 
    

6. That at least one commissioner is crazy for talking about “flying cars.” 
   Even if Commissioner Slaughenhoupt is right about the future of flying cars, does that help citizens when they're sitting in traffic now? These Commissioners are pushing for increased development throughout the County without first studying the implications such development will have on traffic. How will the prospect of flying cars help the situation now and in the immediate future?
    

7. That Town Center boundaries are being expanded to make Calvert like Waldorf.
   When we think of Waldorf, we think of unacceptable levels of traffic and excessive, unattractive development. Calvert County will look like Waldorf if these Commissioners get their way and expand Prince Frederick, gut the Architectural Review requirements, and over-develop Armory Square. These are all changes the current Commissioners are trying to push through before they leave office.  

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The above discussion demonstrates the current Commissioners' lack of respect for citizens and their lack of interest in doing what the citizens of this County want, which is to preserve the rural character and high quality of life we all enjoy in Calvert County.

 

Citizens have the opportunity to make their concerns known in the upcoming elections. (Primaries are June 26th and General is November 6th.) To get detailed information about who's running, visit: http://www.vote411.org/. Type in your address to see where to vote, verify your voter registration, and read about the candidates.

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