Good reading: The Quality Community Survey results book

by Dave Wilson. (Wilson is the public outreach coordinator for the Maryland Coastal Bays Program)

With the Worcester County Comprehensive Plan and county-wide re-zoning coming up within the next three years, residents can begin to contemplate the place they call home by picking up re-printed copies of the Quality Community Survey results book replete with demographic, zoning, and other planning facts.

With emerging threats which could undermine the county’s agricultural zoning, send sewer to sensitive parts of the county or direct growth to the pristine Chincoteague Bay watershed, residents should think about what kind of growth they want and where.

Last week the Worcester County Commissioners invited Ed T. McMahon, Director of Land Use Programs for the Conservation Fund and co-author of the celebrated “Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities” to Stephen Decatur High School to talk about making this mid-Atlantic estuary a better place to live. A frequent lecturer on planning, McMahon told 100 residents that communities that preserve their character and scenic values consistently outperform the economies of those that do not. His showcase of successful initiatives around the country helped show county residents that economic prosperity doesn't have to rob them of local character, degrade natural surroundings, or result in long-term socioeconomic woes.

Tantamount to all of this is the fundamental planning principle of keeping growth in and around existing infrastructure. In 1998, during two workshops entitled “Your Community, Your Choice: Picturing Tomorrow,” some 300 residents representing the development, farming, tourism and business
industries took a preference survey which let them pinpoint which land uses, development patterns, building types, and streetscapes they preferred over others.

Three quarters of respondents prescribed growth adjacent to town centers, accommodating three times the current population while consuming less than 10 percent of the land. Worcester County currently has enough commercial zoning to accommodate 2 million people and enough residential zoning to double its population of 44,000 people.

Residents overwhelmingly backed open space preservation and farms, forest and beach protection. In addition to natural areas, downtown revitalization received high scores along with developments or structures that emulated the old civic, industrial, and commercial architectural styles. Questionnaire responses also called for limits on sprawl, better public transportation, and more walking and biking opportunities.

The shore can grow without destroying the places people love. Progress does not demand degraded surroundings. Changing prevailing development paradigms is not easy, but local officials, environmentalists and builders could spend less time fighting and more time creating the kinds of places people admire. Give and take comes from both sides.

The coastal bays are a magnet for thousands of Americans looking to escape the congestion, banality, and faster tempo of life in the suburbs and cities. Residents can help policy makers avoid creating the very things that hastened their retreat here by helping show that land use decisions harbor intricate financial, environmental, and social links.

Copies of the 30-page Visioning Workshop results booklet can be obtained by writing to the Coastal Bays Program Office at 9609 Stephen Decatur Highway, Berlin, Maryland, 21811.
Phone, 410-213-2297.