CAROLINE COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Caroline County, Maryland DRAFT June 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 5 LAND USE 15 WATER RESOURCES 28 RESOURCE CONSERVATION 102 COMMUNITY FACILITIES 128 TRANSPORTATION 145 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 153 HOUSING 165 IMPLEMENTATION 171 GENERAL APPENDIX 178 TECHNICAL APPENDIX 208 Caroline County Comprehensive Plan 2 Draft Last Modified June 17, 2009 LIST OF MAPS, FIGURES, & TABLES MAPS 1-1 Land use 15 1-2 Current TDR Receiving Area 17 1-3 Proposed TDR Receiving Area 19 3-1 12 and 8 Digit Watersheds 103 3-2 Green Infrastructure 108 3-3 Forest Interior Dwelling Species 109 3-4 National Wetlands Inventory 111 3-5 Critical Area 112 3-6 Land Preservation and Conservation Areas 118 4-1 Parks and Recreation Areas 130 4-2 North County Water and Sewer Service District 142 4-3 Tower Sites 143 FIGURES I-1 Neighboring County Population Comparison 11 I-2 County Percent Growth Rate over Time 11 I-3 Population by Age 12 2-1 North American Coastal Plain Aquifer System 28 2-2 Chesapeake Group Aquifer 33 2-3 Use of Piney Point Aquifer 34 2-4 USGS Caroline County Current and Projected Water Use 48 2-5 Potential Total Nitrogen Impacts from Projected Residential 101 6-1 Economic Indicators 154 TABLES I-1 Regional Population Statistics 10 I-2 Caroline County Population Change 10 I-3 Population by Race 12 I-4 New Home Construction 13 I-5 Population Projections 13 1-1 Potential Wastewater Treatment Capacity by Municipality 22 2-1 Comparison of Groundwater Water Usage Categories 39 2-2 Caroline County Wells 39 2-3 Private Water System Usage Statistics 40 2-4 2000 Irrigation Water Statistics 40 2-5 2000 Livestock Water Statistics 41 2-6 2000 Non Domestic Water Usage Statistics 41 2-7 2000 Public Water System Usage Statistics 42 2-8 Municipal Water System Characteristics 43 2-9 Caroline County Projected Water Usage 49 2-10 Regional Water Use Projections 50 2-11 Caroline County Land in 8 Digit Watersheds 58 2-12 Upper Choptank River Watershed Sources of Impairments 59 Caroline County Comprehensive Plan 3 Draft Last Modified June 17, 2009 2-13 Caroline County Point Source Loads 65 2-14 Municipal Wastewater System Characteristics 66 2-15 Smaller Sewer Systems with Active NPDES Discharge Permits 69 2-16 Caroline County Estimated Non-Point Source Loading Rates 71 2-17 Nutrient Loads and Caps for the Choptank River Basin 72 2-18 Nutrient Loads and Caps for the Lower Eastern Shore Basin 72 2-19 Caroline County Point and Non-Point Source Loads LES Basin 72 2-20 Caroline County Point and Non-Point Source Loads Choptank 73 2-21 Nutrient Reduction from Agricultural BMPs 75 2-22 Choptank River Basin Non-Point Source Loads After 2008 75 2-23 Nutrient Management Plan Implementation 77 2-24 Nutrient Management Plan Goal 78 2-25 Conservation Plan Goal 79 2-26 Traditional Cover Crops 80 2-27 Riparian Forests and Grass Buffers 81 2-28 Drainage Control Structures 85 2-29 Retirement of Agricultural Land in Sensitive Areas 86 2-30 Total Agricultural Land Reduction Goal 87 2-31 BAT Upgrades for OSDS (Critical Area) 90 2-32 Future North County WWTP Connections 90 2-33 Municipal WWTP Flows and Nutrient Loads 96 2-34 Total Non Point Source Reduction Goal 97 2-35 Municipal WWTP Flows and Nutrient Loads 98 2-36 WWTP ENR/BNR 99 2-37 Potential Total Nitrogen Impacts from Projected Residential 101 2-38 Potential Total Nitrogen Impacts from All Potential 101 3-1 Natural Resource Classification 103 3-2 Land Preservation and Conservation Areas 115 4-1 Known Community Facilities Inventory 128 4-2 Recreation and Resource Land by Owner 129 4-3 Historical School Enrollment 133 4-4 Current and 10-year Projected Enrollment 134 4-5 Current and Projected Educational Facility Utilization 135 6-1 Agricultural Economic Statistics 155 6-2 Total Gross Domestic Product 158 6-3 Number of Employees 159 6-4 Number of Establishments 160 6-5 Commuting Characteristics 161 6-6 Work Force and Commuting Characteristics 161 6-7 National and Regional Income Characteristics 162 6-8 Cost of Living Index and Per Capita Income 162 7-1 Caroline County Housing by Age 166 7-2 Estimated Homeowner Cost Burden by Year 168 Caroline County Comprehensive Plan 4 Draft Last Modified June 17, 2009 INTRODUCTION Why Plan Planning prepares the government to protect the public health, safety and welfare by projecting future population needs and making recommendations to ensure those needs are met. Maryland’s Planning & Zoning Enabling Act As the State’s pre-eminent growth management law, Article 66B of the Annotated Code of Maryland, Land Use (Planning & Zoning Enabling Act) requires that county and municipal plans be implemented by laws, ordinances, and regulations consistent with the Planning & Zoning Enabling Act and its “Visions.” The Planning & Zoning Enabling Act provides a blueprint for the implementation of local policies and regulations regarding land use and growth management. Each county and municipality within Maryland is required to review their comprehensive land use plans and implementation provisions every six years. The eight “Visions” of the Planning & Zoning Enabling Act include the following: 1. Development is concentrated in suitable areas; 2. Sensitive areas are protected; 3. In rural areas, growth is directed to existing population centers and resources are protected; 4. Stewardship of the Chesapeake Bay and the land is a universal ethic; 5. Conservation of resources, including a reduction in resource consumption is practiced; 6. Economic growth is encouraged and regulatory mechanisms are streamlined; 7. Adequate public facilities and infrastructure under the control of the county or municipal corporation are available or planned in areas where growth is to occur; and 8. Funding mechanisms are addressed to achieve these “Visions.” Maryland has procedures to ensure that public infrastructure improvements are consistent with growth policies, as defined in the law. The Planning & Zoning Enabling Act stipulates that a local government may not approve a local construction project involving the use of State funds, grants, loans, loan guaranties, or insurance, unless the project is consistent with the State’s “Visions.” The Planning & Zoning Enabling Act directs local government to coordinate planning and Caroline County Comprehensive Plan 5 Draft Last Modified June 17, 2009 development efforts between counties and municipalities (interjurisdictional coordination). The Act also requires that local planning efforts remain consistent with the State’s planning laws and policies. Local comprehensive plans must include recommendations for improving planning and development processes to encourage economic progress and to direct future growth to appropriately designated areas where it can be served by adequate public infrastructure and services. Maryland put together a Task Force on the Future of Growth and Development in 2006. A subcommittee of this group reevaluated the eight visions and in their Final Report dated September 4, 2008 they proposed twelve new visions to replace the existing eight. These new visions, adopted in April 2009 in the Smart, Green, and Growing Act (House Bill 294), are listed below: 1. Quality of Life and Sustainability: A high quality of life is achieved through universal stewardship of the land, water and air resulting in sustainable communities and protection of the environment. 2. Public Participation: Citizens are active partners in the planning and implementation of community initiatives and are sensitive to their responsibilities in achieving community goals. 3. Growth Areas: Growth is concentrated in existing population and business centers, growth areas adjacent to these centers, or strategically selected new centers. 4. Community Design: Compact, mixed-use, walkable design consistent with existing community character and located near transit options is encouraged to ensure efficient use of land and transportation resources and preservation and enhancement of natural systems, open spaces, recreational areas, and historical, cultural, and archeological resources. 5. Infrastructure: Growth areas have the water resources and infrastructure to accommodate population and business expansion in an orderly, efficient, and environmentally sound manner. 6. Transportation: A well-maintained, multimodal transportation system facilitates the safe, convenient, affordable and efficient movement of people, goods and services within and between population and business centers. 7. Housing: A range of housing densities, types, and sizes provide residential options for citizens of all ages and incomes. 8. Economic Development: Economic development that promotes employment opportunities for all income levels within the capacity of the State’s natural resources, public services, and public facilities is encouraged. 9. Environmental Protection: Land and water resources are carefully managed to restore and maintain healthy air and water, natural systems and living resources. 10. Resource Conservation: Waterways, open space, natural systems, scenic areas, forests and agricultural areas are conserved. Caroline County Comprehensive Plan 6 Draft Last Modified June 17, 2009 11. Stewardship: Government, business entities, and residents are responsible for the creation of sustainable communities by collaborating to balance efficient growth with resource protection. 12. Implementation: Strategies, policies, programs and funding for growth and development, resource conservation, infrastructure, and transportation are integrated across the local, regional, State and interstate levels