More thoughts on growth and development

In many ways, this will be a summer rerun. Back in May of 2006, I posted this article. At the time I only averaged about 200 or so readers a week and hadn’t joined the Maryland Bloggers Alliance, so this may be new to most of you.

After I reread my words, I think there’s really not a whole lot I can add. Many of the questions I had are still unanswered, but I do have a few more thoughts – particularly with the growth (or lack of it) that’s plaguing Salisbury. After all, when I wrote the post in the first place, the assumption was that by this time construction would be well underway on the Old Mall project and its hundreds of housing units. Yeah, the market was softening a bit but little did we know how it would crater by now.

So the Old Mall just sits there and people are starting to question whether any work will ever be done before the building meets the fate of the former Civic Center almost 30 years ago. (Until the Daily Times mentioned it, I had no idea that most of the existing Civic Center was essentially a large addition to the portion not wiped out by the fire. Learn something new every day.)

As I note quite often, I work in the development business. My job is to make the dreams of owners and developers become reality. (Sometimes it takes overtime, like this coming week.) We should be happy that people want to invest in our area. However, I can see the point of those who would like to maintain as much greenfield space as possible. It can’t always be done, but to me there’s nothing wrong with reusing a perfectly good building for a new purpose. Look at the soon-to-be-former Station 16 and the battle underway to control the fate of that building. Personally, I think it could be a good restaurant location, and the clock museum idea could have some merit too. I happen to think it would be better for Salisbury if the building was back on the tax rolls than if the city maintained ownership and control, but a good argument is possible from the other side.

And using the Old Mall as an example again, I’d be interested to know if the mold problem has taken over the building entirely or if there’s some portion that’s been spared. Obviously it would take a tremendous amount of work to clean up the building and sadly most of it will likely meet the fate of the old Boulevard Theatre. To me, it’s a good candidate for a business incubator IF the place can be cleaned up enough. Maybe that’s not possible anymore.

But we need to be as business-friendly as possible on the Eastern Shore and in the state of Maryland itself (although Delaware is close enough to create jobs for our area too.) While we have more than enough residential development to go around, we’re still lacking in good white-collar jobs, the kind that can keep SU and UMES graduates around.

And we need to strike a balance. I can understand more now why people in Maryland have a passion about Chesapeake Bay. Let me say that I don’t want a dirty bay; no one does. I just want a better balance between the radicals who seem to inhabit the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the people interested in bringing development and good jobs to this part of Maryland (like me.)

It’s acceptable on a philosophical level to want more restrictions on a state level; after all, I’m in favor of states’ rights. But I’m also opposed to overly restrictive laws at any level. It’s why I wasn’t opposed to the Blackwater development and really perturbed that the state arbitrarily killed a development of Kent Island, despite the developer complying with the rules. That attitude is what frosts me, and I’m going to keep fighting it.

I found a different link (from WBAL-TV) to the Kent Island story – originally I used a Sun article but the link wouldn’t work anymore. Here is the phrase that pays:

“It’s a project of monumental environmental proportions,” said Comptroller Peter Franchot, who voted against the permit. The developer, K. Hovnanian, needed state approval to build sewer lines and a bridge over Cox Creek.

Before rejecting the permit, though, board members spent four hours combing through state development rules. The builder met all requirements for winning the wetlands permits (emphasis mine), but Franchot and Gov. Martin O’Malley argued that it was proof the requirements need to change.

“Isn’t there a point at which our understanding and common sense should not be derailed by outmoded practices” on approving permits, O’Malley asked.

Even state Treasurer Nancy Kopp, who ultimately voted for the permits, said the long debate over the Kent Island project showed a need for new development rules.

Whether you think the rules need to be changed or not, the fact is they were followed. To me this vote was simply O’Malley and Franchot taking matters into their own hands like the good little socialists they are.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

6 thoughts on “More thoughts on growth and development”

  1. The Clock Museum might not be a bad idea but it’s all another crock/clock of crap coming from John Robinson. He has NO MONEY whatsoever to even think of creating such a thing and he’s all talk.

    I don’t mean to go on the attack here Michael but the reality of it all is, put up or shut up! He owns a Clock Store that came with a ton of debt, according to John himself. Again, it’s a Clock Store. There aren’t lines to get in and it’s almost like a Hobby Store kind of business. Yes, they’re needed but the overhead always kills them.

    Anyhow, I’m glad you like the restaurant idea there because I’d truly like to purchase that building for exactly that use. Station 7 in Pittsville is a perfect example of what you can do to an old Fire Station and bring it back to life. I personally think an all you can eat crab palace would serve the City of Salisbury best. Kind of similar to the Old Mill in Delmar.

    Great crabs, ice cold beer and great music is the ticket. Instead, we’ll certainly get a Performing Arts Theater instead, because it will be given to the Arts Council people for free because it will become yet another scam business where they’ll try to raise money for something no one actually gives a sh*t about but they’ll talk the talk, (just like the Gem the Salisbury Zoo is) and repeatedly say over and over again just how special it is and how much it is needed in this community, while the taxpayers pay for the entire thing and only 1% of them will actually use it, just like the Zoo.

    If anyone actually believes there are over 200,000 people visiting the Zoo each year, YOU TOO ARE NUTS! So forget the Clock Museum idea, it will never happen. I’ll be the first to pony up whatever it takes to have a restaurant in that building and it WILL survive. Do you want to know why I guarantee that? Because I’ll pay cash for it all and the ONLY one losing money, (should it not do well) is ME! No Banks shutting me down. No getting in line like Gary Comegys and declaring Bankruptcy!

    One last thing. Once you’ve been to a Clock Museum, how many times a year do you think you’ll go back? That does NOT create good Economic & Development! The next thing that will happen is Robinson will fail and the City would have to take over and then we’d have another Salisbury Zoo on our hands. Even if they made it a Fire Department Museum, it will last a few years, maybe. After that it will be like an Old Town Pool Hall.

    Get Barrie Tilghman out of Office and watch the City of Salisbury come back in no time. The Bill Ahtes and the likes of that group need to move to Florida and talk about old times back in the day and leave the City alone. Their ideas failed, they’re no longer a part of the success of the City, heck, no one really is unless you’re a FOB and or WalMart.

    As for the Old Mall, don’t jump the gun too fast on those guys. This is a major project and from my experience, these things take time. As much as everyone would like to see that old Mall come down, let these guys start paying daily fines and you’ll see that SOB come down so fast you won’t believe your eyes. Till then, some would believe the Mayor has her financial hand in that deal along with others and they’ll get whatever hand out or backing they need until they’re ready to go. I say the project will still happen, just not as fast as many would like. I should say, it will get started anyway. I believe the main plan is for them to fail and sell the project after screwing everyone out of major TIF money and local FOB’s getting their share out of it first.

    As for Kent Island, you need to leanr more about that development before you go on the attack there Michael. That Developer was trying to take quite a bit of wetlands and use it as a place to build homes, etc. They’re masters at it, just look up their past history.

  2. Two comments:

    1. Clock Museum (do I hear John Robinson, or what) — kill it in its tracks. We are less than a day’s drive from the outstanding National Watch & Clock Museum at Columbia, PA — just this side of Harrisburg/Hershey — and as great as that is, once every 10-12 years is plenty for me.

    2. The old mall is basically an H shaped structure (as seen from above) that was built in two phases. The older part (along Civic Avenue) is in sad shape, but the newer part (along St. Albans Drive and the connecting link — horizontal part of the H) may be salvageable — much of it was used until a few years ago and, I believe, was reroofed about 5 or so years ago. And the owner installed a partition between the two parts shortly after it bought the property about 8-10 years ago. One possible plan would be to rehab some/most of the newer section, demolish the rest and redevelop with residential or mixed, but with a significantly lower site density than the current plan. And the adjacent land could be built out per the PRD that was approved in 2000 or thereabouts — called “St Alban’s _____” as I recall.

  3. Actually I like the restaurant idea much better than a clock museum – the point was placing Station 16 on the tax rolls somehow. And yes that was John Robinson’s idea, I just threw it in as grist for the mill.

    And Joe, I brought up Kent Island because the project was rejected in an arbitrary and capricious manner. See the slightly revised article.

  4. Please, Mono-Mike…”clock museum” … I can’t stop laughing, so how about the “Perdue Palace of Poultry Husbandry” (or it it called “Science” now)???

  5. Kent Island. The rejection was far from arbitrary or capricious in manner.

    First…
    Red flags popped up because of the gag order on local elected officials. No elected official should ever be forced to remain silent on an issue that has a far sweeping impact on a county.

    Second…
    This development project has been a long time in the making…Some time between 1999 and 2002, the county commissioners (3 people 1 Republican and 2 Democrats) signed the deal with K-Hov and granted huge variances to build in the wetlands.

    The public was outraged by the decision and as a result, all three were voted out of office in 2002, overwhelmingly. The new crop (now five) of commissioners at first fought the project but K-Hov, took them to court, won or settled out of court, and got the gag order. As a result the new crop of commissioners did very little to stop development and as a result, all but one were kicked out of office in 2006.

    Public opinion is overwhelmingly against the project. The county commissioners are against the project. Both have been against the project since its inception and voted accordingly in the very next and subsequent elections.

    If the k-hov project is allowed to continue it will mean essentially that the people have no recourse when they don’t like the decisions made by an elected body.

    I will say that I would agree with you if the political will was behind the project and O’Malley and Franchot acted out of turn. But the political will is clearly in their court and has been since the day the variances were granted. Over the last 6 years, not one elected official supported the project and all tried to kill it until they were forced to remain silent.

  6. Per Joe Albero (at today’s dog & pony show with Marty O.):

    I made mention directly to the Governor [about Salisbury’s recent property] tax increase and his response was, “Great, it should have happened a long time ago.” Lt. Governor Brown stated to me directly in a separate conversation that he was blown away by that staggering figure and that he though the State Law was a maximum of 15%. . . .

    Source:
    http://www.sbynews.com/index.php/site/comments/the_city_of_salisbury_is_declaired_capitol_for_a_day/

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