By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 June 2nd, 2010 Category: Garrett County News, News

There is no new progress to report on the proposed changes to the lake regulations dealing with how many personal watercraft may be moored at private Type A and common boat docks. This proposed regulation would essentially get rid of all the PWCs stands that can found along the shoreline. Deep Creek Lake Manager Carolyn Mathews has stated that during the public comment period the DNR received several very detailed comments and concerns against the proposed changes to the lake regulations

Ms. Mathews also reported that the Superintendent of the Park Service, Nita Settina, found the comments to be of merit and is giving them due consideration before moving forward with any changes. Ms. Settina plans to visit Deep Creek Lake this summer and will weigh the points brought forth in the comments against the proposed regulation changes and may suggest an alternative to the proposal.

The public comments on the changes are posted on the Deep Creek Lake website at…

http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/deepcreeknrma.asp

Updates will be posted on this website as they are made available. This is the new DNR website for information about the lake. This site is separate from the state park website and will have more lake specific information posted over time.

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 April 5th, 2010 Category: Deep Creek Lake Buyer Info, Deep Creek Lake Real Estate, News

Last fall the Deep Creek Lake Management office sent a letter to all dock permit holders outlining proposed changes concerning the way PWCs (personal watercrafts) will be docked/stored at lakefront sites. These changes to the regulations will essentially get rid of all current PWC racks/stands on the shoreline. The public comment period ended a few months ago and the proposed changes to the regulations are expected to be approved by the State of Maryland in the very near future.

As usual, and until notified otherwise, all Type A dock permit holders will be allowed to dock two (2) power vessels and one (1) non-power vessel (most likely a sailboat) at their dock.  If you posses a Special Permit you WILL be allowed to place a PWC that weighs LESS than 500 pounds on a shoreline rack/stand for the meantime - but you will also receive a letter notifying you of forthcoming changes.  Under current regulations, any PWC that weighs MORE than 500 pounds is NOT permitted on a shoreline rack/stand. Nearly all PWCs manufactured in the last 10 years weigh more than 500 pounds. Most lakefront homeowners currently store their 500 (+) plus pound PWCs on manufactured stands and racks on the shoreline and not tied up to their boat dock.

Early this summer, DNR is expected to take applications from dock permit holders that will allow them to have 1 PWC permitted at their boat dock.  (PWCs are permitted at docks now but since they are more than 500 pounds they are considered a power vessel by definition). If approved, the new permit will then be valid for two (2) power vessels, one (1) PWC, and one (1) non-power vessel. This application will cost an additional $100 on top of the normal $200 paid in the spring. DNR expects to issue these new buffer strip permits for one (1) additional PWC at docks starting sometime later this summer.

It appears that all Type A permits will now have the ability to be granted three (3) power vessels and one (1) non-power vessel at their lakefront home - however, one of the three power vessels will have to be a PWC. This new regulation will benefit the lakefront homeowners who only have 1 power boat at their dock now and 2 PWCs on shoreline stands/racks - or the homeowners who have 2 boats now at their dock and 1 PWC on a stand. This new regulation will basically allow all 3 to be tied up their dock.

However, this new regulation appears to hurt the lakefront homeowner who already has 2 power boats at their dock now -for example, a Cobalt and a pontoon boat - and who also has 2 PWCs stored on shoreline stands/racks. This new regulation is going to force these homeowners to get rid of one of their PWCs - or get rid of one of their power boats. This situation of 2 boats and 2 PWCs is very common around Deep Creek Lake.

Homeowners in lake access communities with common docks may also suffer a bit with these new regulations. For common docks, DNR is going to permit 3 PWCs per every 10 approved boat slips. Therefore, the homeowner who has a power boat in one of the slips in the common dock and a PWC on a shoreline stand may be forced to get rid of either the boat or PWC if there are numerous PWCs in that particular community.

The intent of this change is to get rid of all PWC racks/stands on the shoreline - as DNR viewed these stands as an abuse of the number of power vessels docked/stored at these homeowner sites.

By: Mike Kennedy mkennedy@railey.com 301-616-6106 February 27th, 2008 Category: Deep Creek Lake Buyer Info, Deep Creek Lake Real Estate

If you are thinking about purchasing a lakefront home for sale or real estate at Deep Creek Lake there are some very important things to pay attention to during the buying process.

The Setting and Lake Frontage

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that not all lakefront lots and parcels at Deep Creek Lake were created equally - some are level, some are flat - some have lots of trees that block the view from the house, some have wide open expansive views of the lake - some are very private, some the neighbor’s house is very close - some have good water depth most of the year, some are tucked back at the end of cove and have no water depth after Labor Day each year - some have 100 feet of frontage which is the norm, some have between 50 and 100 feet of frontage, and some have 200 feet or more of frontage.

Obviously the homes and lots that are mostly flat, have wide open lake views, have more than 100 feet of frontage, and are private will cost you more. But the good news is that the ones with the premium settings have shown a tendency in the past to appreciate better in the long run. 

Everyone’s preference to setting is different -and there will probably be trade-offs that you need to be make along the way - but when you are looking at a lakefront house just keep one little thought in the back of your mind - you can always change the house but you can’t change the setting.

Boat Dock Type

Most lakefront home and properties around Deep Creek Lake have a Type A Dock. What in the heck is a Type A dock you ask? Well, it’s simply the designation placed on the dock structure and permit provided by the Maryland DNR. A Type A dock is allowed to have 2 power boats and 1 non-power boat moored at it.

The lakefront homes and lots that don’t qualify for Type A docks will usually have access to a deeded boat slip in a Common Boat Dock somewhere in the neighborhood. You will usually see these advertised as having a Single Slip. These common docks are not private though - meaning you are usually sharing it with a few neighbors and the prices for these types of properties are usually a little less overall than those with a private dock.

Believe it or not there are actually a few lakefront homes and lots around the lake that don’t qualify for either a Type A dock or have a deeded boat slip - but these are few and far between.

Buy-Down Parcel

Take note of whether the property you are looking at has acquired the Buy-Down parcel from the state of Maryland or not. We covered some of the basics of the Buy Down in this post. You can’t do much with the Buy-Down other than say you own a little more property - but there a few benefits to owning it - 1. You can get what they call “relaxed” standards if applying for a zoning variance and 2. if you are on a septic field and it fails, you can apply to the state to get permission to extend your drain field in to this parcel. So overall there is some benefit and value to owning the Buy Down parcel.