Proposed Nanjemoy Rural Legacy

Area Application

County Commissioner Briefing and

Request for Approval

June 16, 2020

Presenter

Charles Rice, Assistant Chief of Planning

Cathy Thompson, Program Manager

Maryland

Rural Legacy

Program

• Enacted by the MD General Assembly in 1997 to provide grant funding for local governments and land trusts to preserve natural resource lands.

• The local government works with the Dept. of Natural Resources to designate a Rural Legacy Area (RLA).

• Typically these areas are designated because they have natural, agricultural, forestry, scenic and cultural/historic elements that are of high value to the locality.

Slide 2

Statewide Rural Legacy Areas

Slide 3

Charles County’s Rural Legacy Area

Zekiah Watershed

• Designated by the County and State in 1998

• Contains natural, agricultural, forestry, scenic, historic and cultural elements

• Largest natural hardwood swamp forest in the State

• Smithsonian Institute considers Zekiah Swamp to be one of the most important ecological areas on the East Coast

• Maryland describes Zekiah Swamp as the most diverse ecosystem in the State

Slide 4

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Charles County’s Expanded Rural Legacy

Area – Cobb Neck

• Expansion Application submitted February 2020

• Review and recommendation by the Rural Legacy Advisory Committee (Summer 2020)

• Recommendation by the Rural Legacy Board (Summer 2020)

• Consideration by the MD Board of Public Works (Summer/Fall 2020)

Slide 6

New Rural Legacy Area

• Charles County Planning Commission recommended a new Rural Legacy Area on the western side of the County, consistent with the Comprehensive Plan

• Charles County Commissioners agreed and asked staff to propose a new Rural Legacy Area for application to the state February 2021

Slide 7

Slide 3 Slide 8

Slide 9

Analysis by Preservation Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

CRITERIA

Slide 10

RESULTS – OPTIMIZING SUITABILITY

Maximizing the average value (highest

average suitability) of the combined data in a

given area

3 Options:

• Small –About half the size of the current

RLA

• Medium – Same size of current RLA

• Large – Larger than current RLA

Analysis by Preservation Maryland and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Slide 11

Attributes of this Proposed Nanjemoy RLA

• High value natural resources, productive farms, large contiguous blocks of forest lands, Tier II Stream segments, and cultural resources

• Includes extensive existing preserved land and parkland, including Mallows Bay, a National Marine Sanctuary and protected land by The Nature Conservancy

• Falls within a portion of priority area for Navy REPI Funding (Readiness & Environmental Protection Integration)

• Mapping & data analysis supported by Rural Legacy Program Scoring

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Slide 14

Commissioner Briefing/Approval

June 2020

Planning Commission Briefing

July 2020

Public Information Meeting

August 2020

Planning Commission Public Hearing

September 2020

County Commissioner Public Hearing

October 2020

Grant Application to DNR

February 2021

MD Board of Public Works Consideration

October 2021

Slide 15

S

Slide 15

Tentative Schedule

Request:

Staff is seeking Commissioner approval to begin the public process of requesting a new Nanjemoy Rural Legacy Area

Slide 16

Charles County

Rural Legacy Program

Presented by:

Charles County Department of

Planning and Growth Management200 Baltimore Street, LaPlata, MD 20646

(301) 645-0692

PGM/Planning Charles County

www.charlescountymd.gov

Mission Statement

The mission of Charles County Government is

to provide our citizens the highest quality

service possible in a timely, efficient, and

courteous manner. To achieve this goal, our

government must be operated in an open and

accessible atmosphere, be based on

comprehensive long- and short-term planning,

and have an appropriate managerial

organization tempered by fiscal responsibility.

Vision Statement

Charles County is a place where all people

thrive and businesses grow and prosper;

where the preservation of our heritage and

environment is paramount, where government

services to its citizens are provided at the

highest level of excellence; and where the

quality of life is the best in the nation.