November 10, 1999

The Town Council of the Town of Easton met today at 7:00 P.M. for a Public Hearing to hear moratorium comments with the Planning and Zoning Commission. The meeting was called to order by the Town Clerk, Mr. Karge, with the following members present: Mr. Ford, Mr. Mayer, Mr. Reed and Mr. Heinmuller. Also attending the meeting were the Town Engineer Mr. Glass, Assistant Town Attorney Ms. Sharon Shilling, Town Planner Mr. Hamilton and Assistant Town Planner Mr. Thomas.

Members of the Planning and Zoning Commission present were Mr. Charles Goebel, Mr. John White, Mr. John Atwood, Mr. Jon Braithwaite and Chairperson Ms. Peggy Pickall.

Due to the excused absence of Mr. Willey, the President of the Council, the Town Clerk asked for a nomination for Acting President of the Council. Mr. Reed made a motion to nominate Mr. Mayer, seconded by Mr. Ford and carried unanimously.

Mr. Mayer, Acting President of the Council led those present in prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mr. Mayer thanked those present for their interest and for coming tonight. He stated that a lot of testimony had been heard and asked for new facts to be presented. He stated that he did not want to discourage anyone from talking.

Ms. Pickall thanked the staff for their hard work and the community for their interest.

Mr. Ford stated that he had the pleasure of attending the joint meeting of the Student Government Associations for St. Michaels and Easton High School. He stated that they wanted to discuss the moratorium and big box development. Mr. Ford stated that they call themselves the Talbot County Student Government Association. Mr. Ford recited their statement; "Our purpose is to establish clear communication between student bodies of both Easton and St. Michaels High Schools and to hear student, parent and community concerns and act upon them." Mr. Ford recapped his experience at the Talbot County Student Government Association meeting.

Mr. Heinmuller asked that everyone’s attention be brought to the matters at hand. He thanked the staff for their contributions.

Mr. Mayer reviewed the rules of the Public Hearing. He limited comments to five minutes and stated that he hoped that comments could be wrapped up by 9:00 but he wanted to give everyone the chance to speak.

Ms. Polly Shannahan, 4364 Bachelors Point, Oxford, questioned if the Town’s standing was by chance or due to good planning and management? She stated that Easton was founded in 1710 and has had intelligent farsighted leaders. She quoted from Joseph Scott’s comments from 1807. Ms. Shannahan stated that Mayor Hall Wrightson in mid 1930’s to 1942 explained that Easton had rejected the DuPont Company’s desire to establish Easton as its nylon-manufacturing center. Ms. Shannahan stated that Easton decided it was better to have many smaller manufacturing companies. She asked the leaders to move while there is still something to protect.

Mr. Charles E. Mason 27350 Powatan Avenue stated that he is the new executive director of the Talbot River Protection Association. He stated that he wants to talk about River Sediment and some new samples that have been taken from various sites. Mr. Mason stated that they had hired a certified lab to look at some samples that have been taken. He reviewed the chemicals listed from the laboratory. He left a copy of the complete lab report. Mr. Mason presented five recommendations.

Mr. Leonard Williams, Tred Avon Drive, also a member of the Talbot Preservation Alliance (TPAS), thanked the Council for taking the time, interest and effort to look at what they consider to be a very serious problem. He asked that the Town Council and the County Council please work in unison.

John Murray, Esq., 101 Bay Street, Easton, stated that he had previously submitted a letter on August 2 regarding the Zoning Ordinance. He asked the Council to reconsider any issues previously brought forth before making additional changes to the Zoning Ordinance. He emphasized letters from Lowe’s and United Trust Fund submitted November 1.

Mr. Ken Schisler stated that he was present tonight in his private capacity as an attorney for Cowdrey, Thompson & Karsten, PA and represents Petrie, Dierman & Kughn. Mr. Schisler read a statement from Mr. Petrie regarding the moratorium. Mr. Petrie questioned the amount of per capita retail space in Easton. He asked the Council to please not listen to people that are unqualified and are throwing out numbers that have no backing or justification.

Mr. Ford referred to a copy of a trade magazine, Trend Watch 2000 and read an excerpt from a survey conducted with developers, retail brokers, finance company participants, lawyers and consultants in the Baltimore-Washington area regarding the future of retail in that market. Mr. Ford quoted from the article by saying that this year’s respondents think that the weakest retail formats are big box discount stores and power centers which are essentially, big box strip centers. He stated that 66% of respondents predict that big box stores and power centers will be the worst performers in the next two years.

Mr. Mayer stated that the things that are on the Town of Easton’s website that deal with these issues are reflecting comments received.

Mr. Tom Alspach, 295 Bay Street (office), 4736 Sailors Retreat Court (home), stated that he has submitted a letter. He asked the Council to put into place a limitation suggested by one of the groups limiting retail stores to 25,000 square feet. Mr. Alspach stated that Rockville is trying to put a six-month moratorium into place on big boxes. He referred to the Sun’s article on the malls.

Mr. Peter Pinkard, stated that he lives in Traveler’s Rest and has an office in Easton, Maryland. Mr. Pinkard stated that he helped prepare the report for TPA and takes offense to the discussion with PDK as he helped prepare the report. He stated that Talbot County is projected to increase in population 8.3%, 2600 people. He asked the Council to think about the growth.

Mrs. Marilee Mason, 27350 Powaton Avenue, stated that she has a Master’s Degree in industrial marketing from Virginia Tech questioned the quality of the analysis distributed by marketing consultants.

Mr. Mike Keene, Oaklands stated that he has a business, Bay County Supply Company, within the city limits of Easton. He stated that this morning’s article in the paper expressed his feelings. He stated that he does not think that there is a businessperson in this community that does not need help. Mr. Keene stated that we just don’t need it.

Phil Hoon, Esq., stated that he is an attorney representing the Talbot Preservation Alliance. He stated that his address is 104 S. Cross Street, Chestertown. Mr. Hoon reviewed the executive summary presented by the Talbot Preservation Alliance. He suggested alternatives to the Zoning Ordinance as the need arises. Mr. Hoon suggested a development impact fee for developers to determine a true impact on traffic, environmental, economic, infrastructure and police departments. He suggested interaction between the Town and the County.

Mr. Tom Sawyer, Royal Oak, referred to the chemical report from water samples from the local tributaries. He compared Maryland to New York on standards for water quality. Mr. Saywer stated that no matter what decision is made, there will be somebody unhappy.

Ms. Sylvia Gannon thanked the Council for letting her appear. Ms. Gannon stated that she does not have a degree in marketing but she knows this market. She asked to read a letter into the record that had not gotten onto the Town’s Internet site. She stated that the whole community could not be put on hold because of the fact that the economy is enjoying a prosperous time economically in this country as well as this town. She stated that big box is really just a large retail store and most of the community members visit them. Ms. Gannon stated that the nucleus of the community is not represented during these meetings. Ms. Gannon called everyone’s attention to Mr. Trippe’s letter and the editor’s letter from the Chesapeake Business Ledger for November.

Mr. Mark Bower, 28348 Old Country Club Road, stated that he is a member of the TPA. He stated that employment is a major issue here. He stated that it is up there with environment. Mr. Bower stated that it is maxed out. He stated that there are no workers out there. He stated that people brought in from outside the county will increase the traffic problems. Mr. Bower stated that it is recognized that we need more technology jobs here. Mr. Bower pointed out the lack of public transportation. He stated that he does not know what the answer is to the employment issue, he is just bringing it up.

Mr. Atwood stated that during the meeting, conversations have alluded to letters received. He feels it is important to let the public know how many letters have been received. He stated that he has received 66 letters of which 39 are against big box, 25 for big box and 2 are undecided.

Mr. Mayer stated that he has received public input, either from the telephone, e-mail, letters or citizens on the street.

Mr. Atwood stated that he does not feel the younger people are voicing their opinion. He stated that the younger people are the future of this community and he would like to hear what they think. He stated that they are the ones that do the shopping.

Mr. Dirk Bartlett, 7905 Bloomfield Road, Easton, stated that he appreciates the opportunity to speak. He stated that he is wearing a few hats tonight. He stated that the founder of TPA, Mr. Tony Harrington could not be here tonight as he is being offered the position of Ambassador to Brazil. Mr. Bartlett stated that he has a letter from Mr. Harrington to be submitted this evening. He stated that his family used to own a hardware store in downtown Baltimore. He stated that within two years of Home Depot arriving in the area, their store was out of business. Mr. Bartlett stated that Easton has what they need. He stated that for the record, the TPA is not against growth. He stated that they are not against those people who have the properties that are trying to develop them. Mr. Bartlett stated that they recognize that they are real people with real lives that are being affected by decisions. Mr. Bartlett stated that the main thing he wanted to comment on is traffic. He stated that the opportunity to speak is really what makes government work and they hope that the end result is a better place for all.

Dr. Callum Bain stated that he lives in Bantry and is a member of the Talbot Protection Association. He stated that he is an Englishman. He commended Mrs. Shannahan for her presentation. Dr. Bain stated that Easton is here because of its access to the rivers. Dr. Bain stated that if commercial and industrial development continues to crowd Easton’s rivers, we will kill these rivers. He stated that the biologist in their group will explain that once you destroy a body of water, it is frequently impossible for it to recover. He stated that these rivers have to be looked after.

Mr. Mark Harrison, 7619 Easton Club Drive, stated that he is 35. He stated that he has appeared before the Council before. Mr. Harrison stated that democracy is alive and well in Easton and he congratulated the Council for allowing people to talk. Mr. Harrison stated that he would like to touch on three things. 1) The overabundance of shopping. 2) Traffic, and 3) Job creation. He stated that he is from a small enclave called Burke, Virginia that has about 80,000 to 110,000 people. He stated that this whole area was served by fewer grocery stores than Easton has now. Mr. Harrison congratulated the Council and told them that they are doing a great job.

Mr. Jim Latham, Old Country Club Road, Easton, stated that he is a Talbot County native. He stated that he wanted to address a couple things. Mr. Latham addressed the job market and opportunities. He suggested adjusting the size of stores allowed to be built. He suggested regulating all big boxes not just retail big boxes.

Mr. Greg Gannon referred to the questions and answers that had recently appeared in the Star Democrat regarding the moratorium. He stated that most of the answers were established before the moratorium. Mr. Gannon stated that of a county of 33,000 residents, a very small portion had been heard from if only 66 letters had been received. He stated that Easton Commons, which gave specific store names, was received by a majority as being a favorable thing to have in town. Mr. Gannon stated that concerning the labor, small stores would require labor as well as big box. He stated that any development that goes there will still need employees. Mr. Gannon stated that the opposition will never be satisfied unless the stores are not allowed. Mr. Gannon stated that the best thing for the Town to do is to go ahead with the projects and get the best projects possible while still being reasonable to the developer. He feels this would be fair to everyone.

Mr. Mayer, Acting President of the Council asked if the Planning and Zoning had any comments or questions.

Mr. Mayer asked for Council questions.

Mr. Ford stated that regarding the meeting with the Talbot Student Government Association, he was the only one there from the group meeting tonight. He stated that he tried to be as objective as possible. He stated that he was very impressed with the knowledge the students had about the issue. Mr. Ford referred to one student’s remarks as Easton being too quaint and that there were not many opportunities for young people to do things. The student did say that she got a feeling of safety here and that it was a safe place to grow up. The student stated that empty store fronts and over development is a threat to that sense of safety. Mr. Ford stated that another student asked if Easton wants to become a regional shopping destination. Mr. Ford stated that he feels that is what everyone is wrestling with. Another student asked during the meeting why empty stores could not be filled before future development. Another student asked why development could not occur within walking distance. Mr. Ford stated that the entire student body was very well informed.

Mr. Tom Sawyer stated that growth is going to happen whether anyone likes it or not. He referred to Rockville and Manassas that have gone in for the small tech retail development. Mr. Sawyer referred to Easton as a sponge with water on the sides. He stated that if we can manage the land used for vehicular traffic and vehicular parking, the more successful we will be in achieving some of these goals.

Ms. Polly Shannahan stated that in order to have high tech development, there has to be a wonderful school system. She stated that the students and workers have to be prepared.

Ms. Sylvia Gannon stated that she agrees that high-tech jobs need to be trained for. Ms. Gannon stated that if we create all these jobs, would we ask these employees to go elsewhere for their basic needs. Mrs. Gannon asked the Council to think of the population as a whole and not see the needs of special interest groups.

Mr. Mayer, the Acting President of the Council, asked for any more comments. There were none.

Upon motion by Mr. Mayer, seconded by Mr. Reed and carried unanimously the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 P.M.

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Town Clerk