BY JIMMY SHOCKLEY, Eastern Shore Post —
The Northampton County Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, in county board chambers to hold a public hearing on a zoning amendment that would allow for owners of land currently zoned town edge, or TE-1, to apply to have it rezoned to town edge residential, or TE-R, which would allow for higher density housing that is more affordable.
At the June 9 Northampton County Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Jon Dempster said the change is intended to create more housing opportunities.
Dempster said he talked to people whose “children are leaving here because they can’t afford to live here. They grow up here and they would love to stay here. There isn’t a place they can afford to live here.”
County resident Ken Dufty and others have been concerned that town councils have now been in the process of proposing higher-density zoning options in town-edge districts.
They also say the public has not been educated on the zoning options and that the proposal could create higher taxes and strain county services, among other concerns.
Dempster said the proposed change reflects an effort by Northampton County to fix a longstanding problem — the lack of affordable housing.
Officials said the proposed change would cluster development near areas with more services, infrastructure, and businesses, adding that smaller units and lots usually mean more affordable housing.
Speakers at the meeting asked for the upcoming June 16 public hearing on the zoning measure to be postponed and a public information session to be held prior to a public hearing on the matter.
Dempster questioned what postponing the hearing would accomplish, saying there will be more public hearings and information periods on the matter.
Further, he said the process to get the zoning amendment implemented will not happen quickly.
Dempster also said that 84% of the land in Northampton County is zoned either agricultural or conservation, adding that “on a single lot without density, you’re never going to build affordable housing. We’re trying to find solutions.”
Some citizens at the meeting also voiced concerns that the proposed zoning change would too closely reflect planned unit developments, or PUDs, which they said tend more towards retirement communities than affordable or workforce housing.
Board Chairman Dixon Leatherbury said that PUDs have never been brought up in this process. He said it has been six to eight years since the board has even mentioned them.
Many of the same people who attended the board of supervisors meeting also attended Monday evening’s Exmore town council meeting.
At Exmore’s meeting, Dufty said he has talked with the towns that would be affected by the zoning change and said that none are as informed about the proposal as they should be.
Dufty went on to say that the county’s comprehensive plan says that towns should be involved in proposals like this one.
“This is the biggest density change proposal I’ve ever seen,” Dufty said.
