The Commissioners of St. Michaels are seeking applications to fill a vacant position on the St. Michaels Board of Zoning Appeals. The appointee would serve in a key role in implementing the zoning and building regulations of the town, including the review of applications for variances and the review of special exceptions to land uses that are not permitted outright.  Duties may also include review of appeals relating to decisions made by other boards, committees, or staff. This opening is to serve as a full-time member and would complete an existing term that ends 12/31/2024.

Duties, responsibilities, and requirements of this board are set forth in Chapter 98-6 and Chapter 340-130 of the Town Code which can be accessed on the Town’s website at www.stmichaelsmd.gov.  A current resume and letter of interest should include qualifications for the position and an indication of why the applicant wishes to serve. This should be submitted via email, regular mail, or hand delivered no later than noon on June 30^th to:

Vickie Sharp, Town Clerk
300 Mill Street; P.O. Box 206
St. Michaels, Maryland 21663
410-745-9535
vsharp@stmichaelsmd.gov

The Town of St. Michaels is making substantial investments into an aging water infrastructure that includes repairs and maintenance to the South Water Tower, changes to filter media in the Water Treatment Plant, and planning efforts to replace old commercial and residential water meters using Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) technology in early 2023.

At this time, the maintenance to the South Water Tower and the changes to the filter media in the Water Treatment Plant have been completed. In the future, the North Water Tower will undergo routine maintenance work to prolong the useful life of this tower as well as to ensure a safe and reliable drinking supply.

Currently, the water meter replacement project is underway, starting on May 8, 2023. The Town is utilizing approximately $675,000 in American Rescue Plan grant funding to replace residential and commercial water meters with AMI technology. “Smart meters” use wireless communication technology to read meters remotely without having to physically access the meters. The meter transceivers are used to transmit usage data and alert Town Staff to any water breaks through real-time data. The advanced meters are quickly becoming the standard for water utilities and will improve the overall efficiency of the water distribution system.

St. Michaels Water Meter Replacement Map & Notification

Depending on the condition of the existing water meter, the contractor may also replace the water meter box (barrel), lid and meter connection fittings. If the meter box needs to be replaced, the contractor will dig up and remove the old meter box. The contractor will restore the area when completed.

Following installation of the new meter, the contractor will instruct the customer on how to flush the water system.

For questions on information regarding the Water Meter Replacement Project, please contact:

Core & Main
Amanda Wetzel
845-453-2618

For questions or information regarding water meter billing, please contact:

Town of St. Michaels
Vickie Sharp, Water Department
410-745-9535

For questions or information for the contractor, please contact:

VEPO Solutions
VEPO Office Contact
877-860-8376

Section I (blue lines) of the meter installation will begin on the east side of Talbot Street between Perry Cabin Drive and Seymour Avenue, working from north to south. Section II (orange lines) includes areas west of Talbot Street, from Lee Street to Marea Terrace, working from north to south. Section III (green lines) includes areas outside of the Town from Seymour Avenue to Miles Lane including the Rio Vista area. Please see attached map above. We anticipate the project will be completed in mid to late summer.

5-24-2023 Please view map below for completed areas highlighted in red.

The Commissioners of St. Michaels and Environmental Concern (EC) are pleased to announce an agreement of sale to protect EC’s waterfront property from potential development. The 7.5-acre property is adjacent to San Domingo Creek Park and the town’s nature trail. The purchase price is $2.9-million.

Environmental Concern has outgrown the property and needs to move its operations to a larger tract. The agreement to sell to St. Michaels preserves EC’s 50-year legacy of protecting the waters of Chesapeake Bay and gives St. Michaels residents an opportunity to envision an expansive new park.

“This is a win-win agreement for everyone,” says St. Michaels Commissioners President David Breimhurst. “Environmental Concern will achieve its long-time goal of preserving the property, while the town gets to enjoy additional water access and open space along the nature trail. We thank Environmental Concern for bearing with us through months of negotiations.”

Environmental Concern President Suzanne Slear says, “We are looking forward to our next 50 years with much excitement. Moving to a larger location will allow us to expand our native plant nursery operation, continuing our mission to improve water quality and increase habitat in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. In addition, we are pleased that the Town of St. Michaels and Environmental Concern are working together to preserve our legacy for future generations to enjoy.”

Town residents will soon be involved in a series of information gathering sessions to determine best use of the property.

“We are also grateful to Eastern Shore Land Conservancy for driving this project forward,” Breimhurst says. “ESLC has played a leading role in helping the town and EC with their preservation efforts, and ESLC continues to work with the town to pursue state and county grant funding for the open space.”

ESLC President Steve Kline says, “Opportunities like this, which would meaningfully increase public access to the waters of Chesapeake Bay, do not come along often. Eastern Shore Land Conservancy is thrilled to have played a role in planning for the future of the San Domingo Creek waterfront, and looks forward to remaining engaged in the process as it continues. We thank the leadership of the Town of St. Michael’s and Environmental Concern for their willingness to collaborate and their commitment to open space.”

Environmental Concern and the Town are now working on the final details of a sale contract. Once it is ready, the Commissioners will consider it for approval at a public meeting, during which residents will have a chance to weigh in on the transaction.

Sustainable Communities is a State of Maryland program that is run through the State’s Department of Housing and Community Development. Local governments that choose to participate can qualify for various grant funds for community development. A work group was recently approved by the Town Commissioners to evaluate the past activities and set a framework for the future for this program.

We have begun working on our program update and will be meeting for the remainder of this year to establish a set of goals for various community improvement related issues which include the environment, economy, transportation, housing, quality of life, local planning and land use. A unified report will be produced by the end of the year. There will be a public hearing on the results. The Town Commissioners will then consider changes based on your review and input and decide what to transmit as the final product.

Our first efforts focused on the environment. Some environmental attributes of the town that were identified includes access to water and the Chesapeake Bay, the work of the Climate Change & Sea Level Rise Commission related to mitigating flooding, the walkable community design of St. Michaels and access to nature and green space.

Some areas to work on included public facility improvements to the town’s water supply system to accommodate peak season demand and additional water access for the public. Also, completing the next 1.25-mile extension to the St. Michaels nature trail is a goal for the near future.

Some agency partners to carry out the goals include work with county, state and federal governments to secure funding sources. We will also reach out to consultants and non-profits like the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and work with companies for activities such as installing new smart water meters to more accurately measure water usage.

Meeting Overview:
April 2023: Environment
May 2023: Economy
June 2023: Transportation – Meeting scheduled for June 21, 2023

The proposed hotel on South Talbot St. is currently under technical review of a preliminary site plan application. This is expected to take several months and could require several rounds of revisions. Check here for periodic updates.

June 1, 2023
The property owner’s attorney advised the Town that the hotel developer no longer has control over the property and the proposed site plan will not continue in the process. 

May 26, 2023
The second review from the Technical Advisory Committee was completed and the applicant was sent a four-page letter with attachments outlining the remaining issues. In addition to normal review comments, the applicant was requested to show compliance with several new and approved zoning text amendments and respond accordingly. These new requirements include: Ordinance 539: regulating formula businesses; Ordinance 542: regarding stricter compliance with design compatibility standards for commercial development; and Ordinance 543: new fire apparatus access standards. Revisions and site plan resubmittals must provide for consistency and compliance with these requirements before the Planning Commission can consider the Preliminary Site Plan. It could take several weeks for the applicant to provide the requested information.

April 25, 2023
The application was resubmitted to the town on April 12th. It included new information that was discussed or requested at the project review meeting in January in order to better evaluate the project. This requires additional time for reviews from various technical advisory committee agencies before it can be determined to be in substantial compliance with all the requirements. The review agencies were sent the resubmittal materials.

Once the Town receives responses and technical comments on the resubmittal review, all the comments will be provided to the applicant to consider if they desire to make any final revisions based on requirements and/or a response to the comments.

After that time, the project will undergo a final staff evaluation based on all requirements. 

It will then be scheduled for the Planning Commission for a public hearing and the required notifications will be posted. A staff report will be sent to the Planning Commission that outlines any outstanding issues. An exact time frame has yet to be determined.

March 29, 2023
This project is within the Gateway Commercial Zoning District and is required to obtain an approved Site Plan from the St. Michaels Planning Commission before it can proceed with development and to show compliance with various local and state regulations.

A technical review compliance meeting was held with the applicant and various professional staff on January 26, 2023. Shortly after that meeting, the applicant was provided a 17-page letter from the town which outlines the technical issues that need to be addressed in writing and on the plans before the project can proceed with further technical site plan review and prior to Planning Commission consideration.

There has not been a response or resubmittal of the site plan by the applicant at this time and the project will not be scheduled for further review until the requested information has been provided.

The Town of St. Michaels has enrolled to participate in the Mosquito Control Program for Season 2023, in so doing the community agrees to allow access by Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) personnel to conduct mosquito control activities. The goal of the pest management program is to develop effective strategies to protect our health, our pet’s and livestock health, the environment, and improve the quality of life for our residents and visitors. Please reference their website, at Mosquito Control (maryland.gov), for more information about this program or you may call 410-841-5870. We ask that you review the attached mosquito control – general policies provided by the MDA.

Individual property owners who object to the nuisance mosquito control program may complete the attached form to have their property excluded from spraying. It is required to complete a new form yearly for each property, in order to be excluded, and returned to the appropriate entities. You may download a copy of the Mosquito Control Exemption Form here.

The Town of St. Michaels and the Climate Change/Sea Level Rise Commission (CC/SLRC) have contracted with GMB to complete a “Resiliency Through Restoration: West Harbor Road/East Chew Avenue Flood Mitigation Feasibility Assessment and Conceptual Design”. GMB is holding a special in-person community open house to review and comment on the concept design options for the West Harbor Road/East Chew Avenue area on Saturday, June 10, 2023 from 2:30-4:30pm at the St. Michaels Library, located at 106 Fremont St.

The public is invited to join Brent Jett (author of the initial Harbor and Stormwater Infrastructure Study) and others from GMB to discuss, ask questions, indicate concerns, and make suggestions relative to the various options and approaches. All members of the St. Michaels community are welcome to this information gathering session to speak with the GMB crew.

Based on input received at these meetings, GMB will then proceed to consolidate the preferred aspects of each option into a draft concept plan for the West Harbor Road/East Chew area.

GMB and the Climate Change/Sea Level Rise Commission look forward to meeting with you to discuss your concerns and suggestions for the future of West Harbor Road and East Chew Ave and surrounding area.

The Commissioners of St. Michaels (COSM) usually meet the second Wednesday of the month for a public working session and on the fourth Wednesday of the month for a public legislative session beginning at 6 p.m. which can be joined in-person in the Jane Lowe Meeting Room of the Talbot County Free Library – St. Michaels Branch, on 106 Fremont Street, enter via the Conner Street entrance, or on Zoom.

PUBLIC COMMENT: In accordance with the COSM meeting rules and procedures, public comments will be received one person at a time at the beginning and end of each meeting. There will be limited in-person attendance with social distancing of approximately 10 members of the public and masks are appreciated, but not required. The “Comments from the Public” portion of the Commission agenda shall have a limited time period as determined by the Commissioners. To be recognized, a member of the public should raise his or her hand (with the “raise your hand” feature or in chat in Zoom) and wait to be recognized by the President. Comments and questions should be kept brief and to the point, and be directed to the President. Citizens are encouraged to contact the Commissioners or Town Administrator in advance with meeting questions and comments.

COSM Legislative Session AGENDA
June-August, 2023, COSM Legislative Session Public Draft Agenda – No Meeting Summer Hiatus
June-August, 2023, COSM Legislative Session Public Draft Meeting Packet – No Meeting Summer Hiatus

Please note: All agendas are DRAFT DOCUMENTS until the day of the meeting.

Join meeting by computer or smart phone by clicking link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3264261778
Meeting ID: 326 426 1778

Join by phone with audio only:
+1 301 715 8592
Meeting ID: 326 426 1778

Other meetings will be added as necessary such as public meetings and hearings, working sessions, special working sessions, special legislative sessions and closed sessions — as set by the Commission on an as needed basis.

COSM Meeting Rules of Procedure

If you have any questions, please contact the Town Office at 410-745-9535 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.