BERLIN Revisions to a planned
residential community in West
Ocean City were given the green
light by the Worcester County Plan-
ning Commission this month. Some
of the commissioners weren't happy
with aesthetic choices made by the
developers, however, and made that
clear even if there were no technical
reasons to deny the application.
Located on the north side of US
Route 50, east of Golf Course
Road, the Seaside Village Residen-
tial Planned Community will feature
63 individual lots, which are already
being sold through Evergreene
Homes. On behalf of the develop-
ers, attorney Mark Cropper met with
the commission last week to ask for
revisions to the existing plan and a
preliminary and final plat review.
The commission immediately ex-
pressed dissatisfaction with the deci-
sion to use stone as an exterior build-
ing material in the village. However,
Jennifer Burke, zoning administrator,
ed on "personal judgment."
"We will certainly ask the archi-
tect, the developer if this is a big
deal to them and whether they
would consider something else but,
in all candor, you don't have guide-
lines for residential structures. You
only have them for commercial,"
Cropper said. "And I would submit
the whole reason we have them for
commercial structures is to avoid
this discussion."
In a technical sense and by the
letter of the code that is likely true,
Clayville acknowledged. But he still
couldn't vote in favor of the applica-
tion due to the use of stone.
"I know there's stone on Route
50 on commercial properties and it's
like nails on a chalkboard every time
I go by it," he said.
Commission Chair Marlene Ott
also had issues with the exteriors.
"My only comment is that, as a
professional real estate agent, I
don't think that's an appealing ele-
vation," she said.
Clayville's was the lone vote a-
gainst the application, which passed
4-1.
told the commission that the standard
design guidelines that prohibit stone
siding aren't valid for Seaside.
"The design guidelines, just so
you know, don't apply for this proj-
ect," she said. "But I wanted you to
review it as just guidance since the
project is in the general seaside area
even though it's not on the water."
Guidelines or no, Commissioner
Brooks Clayville wasn't shy about
how unhappy he was with the stone.
"Even though they don't apply, I
can't really support stone when
we've asked everyone else not to
do stone. I think stone looks nice in
a lot of places ... just stone isn't
something we use around here," he
said, "and I think there should be
something else there. I mean, any
kind of siding would be fine, but not
stone. I know this is my personal
taste, but this is the direction we've
gone in the guidelines."
Cropper promised to take Clay-
ville's complaints to the developer
and the architect but reminded the
commission that the usual guide-
lines don't apply and it wouldn't be
correct to deny the application bas-
Aesthetic Concerns Aired Over WOC Project
January 17, 2014
Page 31
The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
By TRAVIS BROWN
STAFF WRITER
SALISBURY The Salisbury Ci-
ty Council passed a resolution this
week approving the establishment
of a Foreclosure Task Force to es-
tablish, evaluate and review the ci-
ty's response to foreclosures and to
recommend appropriate policies
and/or legislation to address the im-
pact of foreclosures in the city.
"As we all know, the rate of fore-
closures is high across the country,
state and locally," Acting City Ad-
ministrator Tom Stevenson said.
According to the resolution, "the
City of Salisbury is well aware of the
economic, community and quality of
life impacts that foreclosures are
having in the City of Salisbury, Wi-
comico County and the region and
has undertaken several legislative,
policy and funding initiatives to sup-
port efforts to encourage retention
of homes and new homeownership
opportunities."
The resolution furthers, "accord-
ing to the Maryland Department of
Housing and Community Develop-
ment Office of Policy, Planning and
Research, Property Foreclosure E-
vents in Wicomico County for 2013
Q3 (third quarter of the fiscal year)
have increased 463.7 percent over
2012 Q3; Notices of Mortgage Loan
Default Issued in Wicomico County
for 2013 Q3 have increased 382.7
percent over 2012 Q3; Notices of
Foreclosure Sales Issued in Wicom-
ico County for 2013 Q3 have in-
creased 6290.0 percent over 2012
Q3; Lender Purchases of Foreclos-
ed Properties in Wicomico County
for 2013 Q3 have increased 79.1
percent over 2012 Q3; and Salis-
bury's 21801 and 21804 Zip Codes
have been identified as `High Hot
Spots' for Foreclosure Activity with-
in the State of Maryland."
the task force include associated
price tags with any recommenda-
tions made for the city that cannot
be done through partnerships or
with the resources at hand. Also,
the task force is to check with the
city attorney over the question of a
clean title on a foreclosure.
"Many of these foreclosures have
a title mess ... if there is anything
like that in their findings or recom-
mendation I would like to see some
sort of advisement as to what legal-
ly the ramifications are for us be-
cause while they may look like they
have enough funding for expense
they might have a backend ex-
pense," Cohen said.
Council President Jake Day add-
ed, having read the Prince George's
County Foreclosure Task Force
Report, which Salisbury's task force
is modeled after, the primary ex-
pense and funding source for that
expense was related to various pro-
grams to find alternative funding for
foreclosures. One of those funding
sources is the settlement the State
of Maryland, and many other states,
have with banks.
"Just a week ago there was a
new settlement that was reached for
$88 million to the state of Maryland
from a number of banks," Day said.
"This may be an opportunity for the
Foreclosure Task Force, once it is
formed, with the state of Maryland
and Attorney General's Office to
start to identify whether or not we
are a potential applicant for some of
those funds. In the previous settle-
ment, our city received just over $1
million through Salisbury Neighbor-
hood and Housing, and they may be
the appropriate recipient, but I think
there is an opportunity of funding
there."
The council voted unanimously
to approve the task force's forma-
tion.
The city hopes the task force will
be able to study all matters related
to foreclosure and come up with
suggestions and guidance on how
to cope with the new trend. The res-
olution the task force will craft, "the
city's response to foreclosures and
to recommend appropriate policies
and/or legislation to address the im-
pact of foreclosures in the city, in-
cluding an emphasis on foreclosure
prevention, maintenance of fore-
closed properties and Court and Ci-
ty administrative policies and proce-
dures for use in the foreclosure set-
ting."The Foreclosure Task Force will
be composed of nine members and
will include the Administrative
Judge of the Circuit Court for Wi-
comico County or her designee, two
representatives of banks or mort-
gage companies operating within
Salisbury with experience in resi-
dential lending, one representative
of a not-for-profit housing organiza-
tion providing foreclosure related
services within Salisbury, one rep-
resentative of the Salisbury realtor
community, two residents of the ci-
ty, the president of the City Council
or the president's representative, as
a non-voting member, and the dep-
uty director of the Salisbury-Wicom-
ico Department of Planning & Zon-
ing, as a non-voting member.
Mayor Jim Ireton will appoint the
members of the task force and the
task force will choose its chair from
amongst the nine appointed mem-
bers.The task force will present its
evaluation and recommendations to
the Mayor and City Council on or
before Sept. 1, 2014, and will then
reportedly dissolve.
Councilwoman Terry Cohen
made a request that the administra-
tion makes it clear of what the task
force's scope of work is and have
Salisbury Agrees To Form Foreclosure Task Force
By JOANNE SHRINER
STAFF WRITER
Regional Digest
FROM PAGE 30
businesses. So if saving lives is
not enough of an incentive to
give blood already, we hope the
fun giveaways will help as well."
Rackliffe House Tour
Planned For Saturday
ASSATEAGUE The Assa-
teague Island Alliance this
weekend is welcoming Jim
Rapp of the Rackliffe House
Trust for a presentation of the
history associated with the 18th-
century merchant planter's
home near the barrier island.
The presentation will be held
tomorrow, Jan. 18, at 1 p.m. at
the Assateague Island Visitor
Center. Although the recently
restored, historic plantation is
closed for public tours until May,
a special tour of the Rackliffe
House, located just a half a mile
away, will follow the presenta-
tion at the Assateague Island
Visitor Center. A $2-per-person
donation is requested for the
house tour, but the presentation
at the visitor center is free.
Rackliffe House was con-
structed in the 1740s and has
been restored to its 18th-centurt
grandeur through the efforts of
the Rackliffe House Trust and
the Maryland Department of
Natural Resources. The trust is
now operating the structure and
the surrounding three acres of
property as a Coastal Maryland
Heritage Center.
The plantation house is re-
portedly the only one of its kind
in the mid-Atlantic region that is
open to the public.
Minor To Manage Club
SALISBURY The Delmarva
Shorebirds, a Single-A affiliate
of the Baltimore Orioles, an-
nounced this week former Or-
iole infielder and South Atlantic
League All-Star Ryan Minor will
return to manage the team in
2014.Minor, who managed the
Shorebirds for three seasons
from 2010 to 2012, will enter the
upcoming season 45 wins shy
of becoming the franchise's all-
time winningest manager. Joe
Ferguson, who managed the
Shorebirds from 2000 to 2002,
won a franchise record 211
games.
Last year, Minor managed
the Orioles' advanced-A affiliate
in Frederick, leading the Keys to
a 61-78 record. Minor, a former
Shorebird player, had his claim
to fame when he replaced
Orioles' great Cal Ripken, Jr. at
third base for the first time after
his streak ended. The 2014 sea-
son will mark Minor's sixth over-
all on the Shorebirds' staff.
He also spent two years as
the club's hitting instructor.
During his three-year run as
manager, Minor compiled 166
wins. Joining Minor on the 2014
Shorebirds' coaching staff is for-
mer Orioles' reliever Alan Mills,
who will serve as pitching
coach, and Paco Figueroa, who
will serve as hitting coach.