It was a rainy and chilly on the evening of March 28th, but residents filled the seats of Calvert High School Cafeteria to learn about the importance of Calvert’s rural landscapes, the status of land preservation, and to discuss next steps. Key points from the speakers: Jason Leavitt, President of the Calvert County Farm Bureau…
Now is not the time to kill the Calvert County land preservation program with the adoption of a new Comprehensive Plan. The 2012 agricultural census brought good news for those looking for new life in Calvert’s ag economy. Acres of land in agriculture actually increased by 6,500 acres to 32,900 acres between 2007 and…
With good soils, temperate climate, 40 inches of rain annually, and a peninsula located on the most prolific estuary in the nation, Calvert County was naturally one of the first places colonized in the 1600s. Until the middle of the 20th Century, rural economies were “King” for three reasons: seafood was abundant, agriculture was viable…
For its fourth workshop, the county staff and consultant will be focusing on preserving rural character. The workshop will be held Thursday, April 20, Building B, Workshop 6:30-8:30 p.m. and it entitled “Preserving Rural Character and Directing Growth to Existing Population Centers”. The title is significant. In too many rural counties, the “rural” part is lost if…
Calvert County’s update of the Comprehensive Plan is in full swing. Many of our SCN members participated in the comprehensive plan meetings organized by County planning staff. Afterward, the Sustainable Calvert Network leadership voted unanimously to forward the following recommendations concerning the new plan. “Our nine groups have come together to comment on the Comprehensive…
On April 5th, Governor Hogan signed into law HB 462 Program Open Space – Transfer Tax Repayment – Use of Funds. The bill restores and protects state funding to transfer tax-funded land conservation, preservation and recreation programs. The bill had broad support in the House and Senate. Maryland’s land preservation stakeholder groups played a major…
By Dr. Walter Boynton Introduction and Purpose: Calvert County is endowed with an amazing abundance and diversity of natural resources. Chesapeake Bay, often thought of as the queen of North American estuaries, borders the County to the east and the Patuxent River estuary, the largest river-estuary wholly within Maryland, defines the western border of the…
The Calvert County Planning Consultant will be beginning the rewrite of the Comprehensive Plan and zoning ordinance in 2016 and the Sustainable Calvert Network wants to lend assistance in finding information so that people can take informed positions. County size and population. Calvert is the smallest county in the state, with approximately 140,000 acres including wetlands. The…
All eight Network groups were represented when we met with the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, January 5th. Several of the Commissioners thanked our groups for the work we do and they acknowledged the importance of protecting our rural resources. In our presentation, we focused on two requests: restore the $1.5 million in new county money…
On November 10th, representatives from Parsons Brinckerhoff met the Calvert County Planning Commission. Parsons Brinckerhoff has been hired by the Board of County Commissioners to prepare a new comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance simultaneously.