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By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 October 5th, 2009 Category: Deep Creek Lake Buyer Info, Deep Creek Lake Real Estate, Garrett County News, Garrett County Real Estate, News, Wisp Real Estate |
Garrett County Officials recently unveiled a number of zoning and subdivision ordinance proposals representing some of the most significant changes in county history. A Public Information Meeting is planned for the evening of October 14 - 7:00 pm at Garrett College - where county officials will roll out the draft ordinances for public review. Further details on the proposed zoning and land use changes can be found on the county’s web site by clicking here.
Scenic Protection Overlay District
The county is proposing sweeping new restrictions in the Deep Creek lake watershed zoning area designed to minimize the visibility of hillside homes from the lake. A “Scenic Protection District” will be applied to twelve areas that exhibit certain slope and view characteristics. People who build homes in these areas may need to plant trees to obscure the visibility of the home from the lake and restricting the view from the new home by up to 80%. The Deep Creek Lake Scenic Protection Overlay District map can be found here.
Expansion of Rural Agricultural and Resource Areas
The county will reclassify a large part of the land in Garrett County into these two categories and provide additional subdivision standards that foster agricultural and natural resource preservation. Some of the more controversial provisions are a mandatory 66% to 80% open space set aside and mandatory clustering of new housing development. According to county officials, provisions will also be made to facilitate estate planning and to assist landowners to do some minor subdivision for economic reasons.
New Commercial Building Design Standards
New standards regarding materials, roof styles and other aspects of building design will be codified and applied to new commercial construction in the lake watershed. Questions have been posed as to the applicability of these standards to other non-residential buildings and there may be action to extend the standards to all non- residential buildings. New home construction will not be affected by this change.
Reclassification of the LR-Lake Residential District
The existing LR district will be split into LR-1 and LR-2. The LR-1 will retain the existing Lake Residential standards and includes all areas bordering the lake or which will be served by county sewer service. The LR-2 will have the minimum lot size increased to two acres with septic systems. A map of the affected areas is available through the county’s web site.
The proposed changes will have a lasting impact on real estate in the Deep Creek Lake area and throughout Garrett County including unzoned areas. Some of these changes will restrict property owner’s rights and potentially impact values. We highly recommend that property owners familiarize themselves with the changes, ask questions, and register your comments!
Tags: Deep Creek Lake Zoning, Scenic Protection Overlay District
October 14th, 2009 at 7:31 am
I oppose the proposed changes to the Garrett County land use zoning regulations.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
[...] should allow lot owners in these districts the right to keep their entire view of Deep Creek Lake. The original language in this recent proposal had called for a certain amount of tree screening - up… While the exact language has yet to be officially released, a majority of the Planning Commission [...]