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Smarter Growth Alliance for CHARLES County

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Smarter Growth Alliance for CHARLES County OUR VISION OUR MEMBERS We support a future for Charles County that 1000 Friends of Maryland AMP Creeks Council . Promotes a vibrant and healthy outdoors Audubon MD-DC . Protects farms, forests and streams from Chapman Forest Foundation unbridled development Chesapeake Bay Foundation and where Citizens for a Better Charles County . Children learn in classrooms, not trailers Clean Water Action . Traffic is not an everyday burden Coalition for Smarter Growth . Transportation alternatives are created as the Conservancy for Charles County Maryland Bass Nation heart of Waldorf is revitalized Maryland Conservation Council . All our communities are clean, safe and Maryland Native Plant Society enjoyable places to live, work and play Mason Springs Conservancy Mattawoman Watershed Society CHARLES COUNTY AT RISK Nanjemoy-Potomac Charles County has experienced rapid growth in the past Environmental Coalition two decades, with the population increasing from Port Tobacco River Conservancy Potomac River Association 101,154 in 1990 to over 150,000 today. This pace, amplified by how and where the county encourages Sierra Club, Maryland Chapter growth, has resulted in the county’s being on the bottom Sierra Club, Southern Maryland rung for key quality-of-life measures. Group South Hampton HOA A mong Maryland counties, Charles County has the highest property tax rate, the longest average commute Southern Maryland Audubon time, the highest percentage of children attending class Society in trailers and the most forest cut per dwelling unit, all as SGACC P.O. Box K a result of sprawl development. Bryans Road, MD 20616 Smarter Steps to a Vibrant & Sustainable Future Charles County’s enviable rural character is fading as unbridled development destroys forests, farms and streams. The quality of life enjoyed by residents is at stake, along with the county’s status as Maryland’s 2nd best county for ecological value. Fortunately, Charles County is ripe for smart growth solutions that will enhance the economy and support growth without destroying the county’s special places. 1. A Forward-Thinking Plan for the County’s Future: The new comprehensive plan will guide how and where the county grows for at least the next decade. Unfortunately, the draft plan reflects development trends from the last century: remote office parks, sprawl-inducing highways and a preference for developing forests instead of investing in established communities. It’s time to plan for the 21st century! 2. A Vibrant Downtown for Waldorf, the County’s Population Center: Waldorf’s core along Old Washington Road has been neglected for years. It should be redeveloped as a well- designed, walkable, mixed-use downtown in accordance with the plan for the Waldorf Urban Redevelopment Corridor. All county residents will benefit from a vibrant downtown with a variety of employment and housing options, as well as cultural and recreational attractions. 3. Transportation Choices: Transit is essential to addressing the severe traffic congestion and long commute times endured by county residents on north-south corridors. While light rail and bus rapid transit systems are being studied, current development patterns place the county in a poor position to compete with other communities for scarce federal transit funding. The draft comprehensive plan can and should fix these development patterns and move the county in a smarter direction. 4. A Healthy Outdoors: We must ensure that the county’s rivers and streams are safe for swimming and fishing by avoiding development in sensitive areas. Our waterways are an important recreational amenity and a key to the county’s tourism industry. Bass tournaments alone generate millions of dollars annually and support local jobs. Unfortunately, current plans for the land that drains into Mattawoman Creek will result in the same proportion of impervious surface as the Anacostia River watershed, and create the need for expensive restoration that will never fully repair the damage from polluted runoff. 5. Responsible Use of Public Dollars: The county cannot afford to waste money on projects that enrich developers at the expense of everyone else. Examples of irresponsible spending decisions abound, including the Indian Head tech park—which stretches from Bryans Road into Pomonkey—and the continued allocation of funds to the Cross County Connector. This highway project, which would be funded exclusively by Charles County taxpayers, was denied permits in 2012 because it was deemed “contrary to the public interest” by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, because it would harm Mattawoman Creek with sprawl development and because viable alternatives exist. 6. Strong Schools for Every Community: Every child deserves a quality education—our future depends on it! Well-maintained schools that serve the number of children they were designed for and better compensation for our teachers must be priorities. But sprawl development costs more for the county to service than it generates in tax revenue. By reining in sprawl, more funds will be available to educate our children, maintain our schools and compensate our teachers. 7. Protection of Federal Jobs and Revitalization of Indian Head: The Naval Support Facility at Indian Head is the county’s best-paying and largest employer. The county should work with the town of Indian Head to support redevelopment along the rundown main street, a gateway that now detracts from the base, rather than competing with the town by encouraging development on forested land surrounding the airport and at the proposed tech park. Moreover, it is vital that the county not allow sprawl development to encroach on the base—including the Stump Neck area—or further burden the Route 210 and 225 transportation corridors. 8. Preservation of Our Rural and Natural Heritage: In just five years, from 2002 to 2007, the county lost 5,488 acres of farmland to development. Forests also continue to be destroyed. Rural residential development weakens the market for homes in established neighborhoods and drains money from the local economy, resulting in higher taxes to build and service far-flung infrastructure. The county must build a robust Purchase of Development Rights program and a workable Transfer of Development Rights program with receiving areas that are appropriate for dense development. The preservation of land is essential to our quality of life, our rural heritage and the local economy. 9. Appropriate and Sustainable Development: Charles County’s population centers in Waldorf and La Plata lie along the U.S. 301 backbone, which is paralleled by a rail line. With the rebuilding of the Harry Nice Bridge and the capacity improvements included in that project, the U.S. 301 corridor will see increased activity. The county should maximize the benefits these considerable infrastructure investments, rather than promoting a new urban core in the rural and sensitive western county, as is presently planned for Bryans Road. Bryans Road should be returned to a village concept. This not only better protects the naval facility, but maintains the area’s rural character, protects its historic assets and conserves the vital Mattawoman Creek. .
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