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By Kristen Wyatt
Associated Press Writer
ANNAPOLIS -- A large subdivision planned near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is not a done deal, lawmakers were told Tuesday at a hearing called to examine the proposed development that opponents fear could harm the marshy refuge nearby.
At issue is the Blackwater Resort Communities, a 1,080-acre development that would be home to more than 3,000 homes and a hotel and golf course. The city of Cambridge annexed the property and cleared the way for its construction, but opponents including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have appealed to the state to stop the development, saying it could endanger the refuge.
"We owe it to ourselves and the American public" to hold off on the proposed Blackwater Resort Communities until it is certain the homes won't hurt the refuge, said Glenn Carowan of the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Senators who called the hearing, though, conceded that they have no power to stop the development. The local government has most control over proposed subdivisions, and local authorities who testified said they were strongly in favor of the Blackwater project.
Cambridge Mayor Cleveland Rippons told lawmakers that his town has lost population since 1960 and needs the new residents. "It's time to move forward," he said.
A lawyer for the developer was even more blunt, calling to task lawmakers from outside the Eastern Shore who wanted Dorchester County to remain undeveloped.
"The Eastern Shore is your vacation, but it's our life, and we have to exist even when you're not driving over on a vacation," said the lawyer, William McAllister of Cambridge.
The Dorchester County Council last week approved a resolution clearing the way for the development. State authorities have yet to step in, although bureaucrats who testified told senators that water permits and other hurdles remain for the Blackwater project.
Audrey Scott, the state Planning Secretary, said she has gotten complaints after a story about the proposed subdivision appeared in The Sun in Baltimore. But she insisted there was nothing her agency could do to stop the development beyond advising local officials against it.
"We did express our concerns, but again, we have limited authority," she said.
The chairman of the committee, Democratic Sen. Paul Hollinger, said lawmakers weren't considering a bill aimed at the Blackwater project. But another senator, Democrat James Brochin of Towson, Md., hinted that state officials had an obligation to prevent harm to the refuge.
"Blackwater isn't just Dorchester County's gem. It's Baltimore County's gem and Maryland's gem and a national gem," he said. "Once we start development around Blackwater or any of Maryland's environmental gems, that's it. We don't get another shot at it."
Associated Press Writer
ANNAPOLIS -- A large subdivision planned near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is not a done deal, lawmakers were told Tuesday at a hearing called to examine the proposed development that opponents fear could harm the marshy refuge nearby.
At issue is the Blackwater Resort Communities, a 1,080-acre development that would be home to more than 3,000 homes and a hotel and golf course. The city of Cambridge annexed the property and cleared the way for its construction, but opponents including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have appealed to the state to stop the development, saying it could endanger the refuge.
"We owe it to ourselves and the American public" to hold off on the proposed Blackwater Resort Communities until it is certain the homes won't hurt the refuge, said Glenn Carowan of the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Senators who called the hearing, though, conceded that they have no power to stop the development. The local government has most control over proposed subdivisions, and local authorities who testified said they were strongly in favor of the Blackwater project.
Cambridge Mayor Cleveland Rippons told lawmakers that his town has lost population since 1960 and needs the new residents. "It's time to move forward," he said.
A lawyer for the developer was even more blunt, calling to task lawmakers from outside the Eastern Shore who wanted Dorchester County to remain undeveloped.
"The Eastern Shore is your vacation, but it's our life, and we have to exist even when you're not driving over on a vacation," said the lawyer, William McAllister of Cambridge.
The Dorchester County Council last week approved a resolution clearing the way for the development. State authorities have yet to step in, although bureaucrats who testified told senators that water permits and other hurdles remain for the Blackwater project.
Audrey Scott, the state Planning Secretary, said she has gotten complaints after a story about the proposed subdivision appeared in The Sun in Baltimore. But she insisted there was nothing her agency could do to stop the development beyond advising local officials against it.
"We did express our concerns, but again, we have limited authority," she said.
The chairman of the committee, Democratic Sen. Paul Hollinger, said lawmakers weren't considering a bill aimed at the Blackwater project. But another senator, Democrat James Brochin of Towson, Md., hinted that state officials had an obligation to prevent harm to the refuge.
"Blackwater isn't just Dorchester County's gem. It's Baltimore County's gem and Maryland's gem and a national gem," he said. "Once we start development around Blackwater or any of Maryland's environmental gems, that's it. We don't get another shot at it."
