[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6563120,"mediaKeyId","3235016-33c56d40a5ac7453fe87b19ccfdd5e06","parentId",3235016,"title","Worcester County staff recommend elevating Priority Preservation Area to chapter status and adding fisheries; staff note solar siting law could affect PPA lands","audioSeconds",231,"startMs",1729000,"endMs",1960000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3235016-33c56d40a5ac7453fe87b19ccfdd5e06&start=1729&end=1960","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3235016-33c56d40a5ac7453fe87b19ccfdd5e06/thumbnail_1729000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6563120/Worcester-County/Maryland/Worcester-County-staff-recommend-elevating-Priority-Preservation-Area-to-chapter-status-and-adding-fisheries-staff-note-solar-siting-law-could-affect-PPA-lands","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6563120-f4b12811d4c0ed1c8362469b0ceef5c8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770945596&Signature=QQSp54hNv0i95lv8crtFvdDBeDywMBmFWsqqAaXO58SdPC~mlLqCKgnGoicCPl3YmlX3luPYjo~bdLOv3s7GmIQBangBKhy3t2Rxv4Ax-Wc69KNwVWf8RWWL5lhWZXev31NOpK~O1CeCMEB2uRisve1yedNaAT-lM6MECWuw1HvfL0nLwNbCHXJ2ru-MQpvcm4vYCWUQHh78Qvjo2NrUNPufdABYaVOAIPLLietb~Ft~hXd9xocEHwkCat35Y1EiZB~c4~rmCUQEU-dkvcdA~IDVpssglAIydGYTfs1NBmAQHZ~ltvB2ZHmE2SqJPizFWL7V5D3F8aoU9m6CRBDZjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Worcester","date","2025-05-08T00:00:00Z","article","County staff and a consultant recommended that Worcester County elevate the Priority Preservation Area (PPA) material and related agricultural topics to chapter status in the comprehensive plan and fold fisheries information into that chapter or a closely linked section.

Why it matters: retaining agricultural preservation certification requires an updated PPA in the comprehensive plan, and staff warned the county needs to show current data and a framework for agricultural and forestry resources. Staff also said recent state solar siting legislation includes a 5 percent threshold for PPA lands; staff estimated that, under current mapping and rules, just over 9,700 acres of PPA-eligible land could be affected by the new siting rule.

Staff described the county’s agricultural economy as substantial and said the original PPA in the county’s prior plan occupied only six to seven pages; the volume of material now argues for a full chapter. A county subject-matter expert said the PPA update should include fisheries and that the consultant has been working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on fisheries material before presenting it to the commission.

The commission and staff discussed how the PPA chapter might be organized and where overlapping content should appear in the plan (for example, the agriculture chapter could cross‑reference environmental, fisheries and land‑use sections). Staff emphasized the value of local knowledge: the commission’s experience will be used to “ground truth” draft maps and policy language. The consultant asked commissioners to review draft material and raise any discrepancies they see when the draft is circulated.

The consultant and staff said they will draft a chapter-length PPA/agriculture and fisheries element (or a large section) and circulate it for the commission’s review and comment. No formal action or vote was taken; the item was discussed as part of the planning process and will return in draft form for commission review.

Staff also warned the commission that the new solar siting rules may change siting standards beyond current county zoning, potentially exposing PPA lands to different siting pressures; staff said that detail will be included in the PPA update so commissioners can evaluate trade-offs and policy choices.

Ending: staff and the consultant will prepare draft chapter material, coordinate fisheries content with DNR, and provide the commission draft language and maps for review at a future meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Worcester - Special Board of Zoning Appeals - May 08, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","County staff and the consultant told the Planning Commission they intend to elevate the Priority Preservation Area (PPA) material and related agricultural and fisheries content to a chapter‑level element of the comprehensive plan and will circulate draft chapter material for commission review.","taxTitle","Worcester County, Maryland","taxId",53952,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6563124,"Worcester County planning staff, consultant update Water Resources Element; growth areas could need about 1.9 million gallons of water/wastewater capacity",1544,7000,1551000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3235016-33c56d40a5ac7453fe87b19ccfdd5e06&start=7&end=1551","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3235016-33c56d40a5ac7453fe87b19ccfdd5e06/thumbnail_7000.jpg","/articles/6563124/Worcester-County/Maryland/Worcester-County-planning-staff-consultant-update-Water-Resources-Element-growth-areas-could-need-about-19-million-gallons-of-waterwastewater-capacity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6563124-abaf4934cbe65892cfd69b5492d48308/orig.mp4?Expires=1770945596&Signature=LtYm7GuQwWTHZgeWHHMI3V7kmQpqnkSG12sOEfeQpP2YaMcBaksyBTLDk~4eZ~6lCeAc90wopc191LISMhpTZ5F8eoN3HZ5SlC8Mya5kGlfO2GlcA~3qBxeRVDLcZE43il86EsWmRJC-hx055X4FiGX~InTDN5P12XCu7a3zL~pC7Ns4ilmrzfSv84Cr~nCM7fT-HvRQmM4JIy7HVFySaCSmodmaHlOF1nYstd7SiKafdmMYdxqbqGYTGMBfYnztWkw0PFmgnz22P2opWqLJwq5dNpP95R9fmp2--RKaPeGoWlS2WrP9zseikqxLsMf-ITOFCysi0al7wqm8iKq2NQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Worcester County planning staff and a consultant told the Planning Commission that the county’s Water Resources Element (WRE), last updated in 2011, is being revised with new data and scenario modeling to inform 10- and 20-year growth projections.

The consultant said the draft updates use a state web-based scenario tool and county inputs to create 10- and 20-year build-out scenarios; draft calculations show roughly 4,800 people in the planning-period growth areas and an associated need of about 1.9 million gallons of water and wastewater capacity. “This is really the sausage making portion of the comp plan process,” the consultant said, noting the team must finalize inputs before the tool’s outputs are incorporated into the report.

Why it matters: the WRE informs permit-level nutrient budgeting and infrastructure planning. County staff and the consultant said the modeled growth must be allocated by watershed so the county can evaluate nutrient loading, wastewater treatment capacity and where new public water or sewer will be needed.

The draft analysis is a build-out model based on existing zoning and county- and municipal-provided planned growth areas rather than a single population forecast. The consultant described the method as a “ground up” capacity model that calculates net developable acreage by zoning mix, applies household-size assumptions and converts dwelling-unit yields into population and service-capacity estimates. The draft uses a county average household size of 2.21 persons per dwelling unit, then reduces theoretical yields by 25 percent based on local development constraints and an established growth-model methodology.

The commission was shown an example capacity table grouped by watershed — Isle of Wight, Lower Pocomoke and Newport — and told that growth-area polygons in the draft currently lack a finalized exhibit map. The consultant said the team will produce an explicit map that links growth-area numbers to municipal or county locations and add a column in the table identifying the municipality or area associated with each growth area.

Staff stressed interdependencies with other plan elements. The WRE update will cross-reference the land-use and growth chapters and may overlap with the environmental chapter, fisheries information and the Priority Preservation Area (PPA) update. Staff said municipalities are also revising their own comprehensive plans, and the consultant noted those municipal updates informed the current build-out scenarios.

On constraints and local resource issues, county staff and the consultant said the analysis must account for: (1) areas that will remain on septic and private wells versus areas that will require public water and sewer; (2) nutrient budgets required for wastewater permits; (3) potential for saltwater intrusion and elevated chloride levels near estuaries; and (4) limited local hydrogeologic survey coverage. A county subject-matter expert said, “We’re gonna meet the nutrient budgets, obviously, on all the plants. You’ve got to.”

Speakers asked for clarity about the time horizon and the meaning of the charts. The consultant said the model is primarily a build-out capacity scenario tied to current zoning and planned growth areas; depending on how the county chooses to interpret results, the model could represent roughly 20 years of capacity or more. The consultant also said the team plans to run alternate scenarios to show different possible futures based on varying assumptions.

Staff and the consultant said some growth in the model may remain on septic and wells; county code requires larger subdivisions (projects over 100 units) to connect to public water and sewer, and current agricultural zoning restricts septic-based development (staff noted limits such as a five-unit cap per parcel for septic-based development under the existing agricultural rules). The presentation included a technical note that some surficial aquifers can show elevated nitrates and pesticides and that deeper aquifers may have iron issues that affect treatment needs.

Next steps: the consultant and staff said they will finalize the calculations, produce a labeled map tying growth-area numbers to locations, incorporate outputs from the state scenario tool and circulate draft chapters and appendices to the commission for review in the coming weeks. The commission will receive the full draft with section-by-section explanations once the back‑of‑house calculations are complete.","County staff and a consultant reported progress updating the Water Resources Element (WRE), using 2011 WRE baselines plus new data and a state scenario tool. Early modeling ties roughly 4,800 additional people in selected growth areas to about 1.9 million gallons of water and wastewater capacity; maps and final calculations remain pending.","actionData","errors"]

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Worcester County staff recommend elevating Priority Preservation Area to chapter status and adding fisheries; staff note solar siting law could affect PPA lands

Worcester County planning staff, consultant update Water Resources Element; growth areas could need about 1.9 million gallons of water/wastewater capacity