News
Leveraging Maryland Recovery Housing Grants for Somerset County Development
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development just opened a new funding stream that puts transitional housing within reach for…
Reference sections
Land Use & Zoning29
- Maryland agricultural land preservation: application steps
- Somerset County zoning variance: five application steps
- Critical Area Growth Allocation: Maryland Rules Explained
- Agricultural easement applications: a pre-filing checklist
- Right to Farm Disclosures: Common Somerset County Errors
Community Development29
- Crisfield revitalization planning errors and fixes
- Somerset affordable housing: comparing developer incentives
- Princess Anne Historic District COA: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Somerset County Enterprise Zones: A Simple Guide
- Maryland CDBG Application: Steps for Somerset Projects
Infrastructure & Environment28
- Marsh Migration: How Somerset Wetlands Move Inland
- Private pier construction: a Somerset County checklist
- Living shoreline failures: correcting design errors
- Well disinfection after flooding: Somerset County guide
- Somerset County drainage projects: homeowner checklist
Civic Engagement27
- Citizen advisory committee seats: a Somerset checklist
- Planning staff reports: what they are and how they work
- Somerset public hearing sign-up errors and how to fix them
- Planning commission updates: choosing a tracking method
- Somerset citizen planning initiatives: a five-step guide
News
- Rethinking Local Zoning: Lessons in People-Centered Urban Development
- Strategic Growth: Navigating Maryland’s Long-Term Comprehensive Planning Mandates
- Richmond Unveils Third Draft of Zoning Code Modernization Plan
- Maryland Allocates $4.6 Million to Expand Public Trails and Preserve Local Farmland
- Baltimore County Begins Development of Its First Rural Small Area Plan
- Maryland PSC Opens Public Comment Period for Kent County Solar Project
Shoreline stabilization options for Somerset County landowners
Maryland’s Living Shorelines Protection Act of 2008 establishes the governing presumption for shoreline stabilization in tidal wetlands: nonstructural living shoreline methods must be used…
The feed
News
Why Worcester County’s Hazard Planning Matters for Somerset Residents
When our neighbors in Worcester County open the door to hazard planning public meetings, as CoastTV reports, it's worth pausing for a second.
News
Public Review Opens for Proposed 18 MW Solar Facility in Berlin
The Maryland Public Service Commission has docketed Case No.
News
Boston Proposes Streamlined Zoning for Small-Scale Clean Energy Projects
Per the City of Boston, the Planning Department this month recommended approval of new zoning for Small Clean Energy Infrastructure, advancing the…
Septic system failures: fixing high water table issues
A septic drainfield is a simple machine. Wastewater leaves the tank, moves through perforated pipes laid in trenches or beds, and enters the…
News
Talbot County Proposes One-Year Halt on New Data Center Approvals
A twelve-month moratorium on data center approvals is under consideration by the Talbot County Council, according to The Gazette. The measure, if…
News
New Staff Report Addendum Shapes Kingsbay Development Plans in Somerset County
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources has let us know that the Maryland Critical Area Commission has released a staff report addendum on the…
Main Street Maryland: how the revitalization program works
A downtown can have historic buildings, local businesses, community pride, and still struggle to turn those assets into steady economic activity.
Planning workshop formats: which meeting style works best?
Maryland Land Use Code §3-203 requires every local planning commission to convene at least one formal public hearing before recommending adoption of…
News
Assessing the Impact of Maryland’s $80 Million Rural Health Grant on Somerset County
According to the Maryland Office of the Governor, Governor Wes Moore announced that the Maryland Department of Health is awarding $80 million in…
Somerset County Tax Ditch Easements: A Landowner Checklist
A tax ditch easement can be easy to miss until you want to place a shed, fence, driveway, pond, septic feature, or landscaping project near a…
Planning commission testimony: citizen preparation steps
Somerset planning commission public hearing testimony is not a general statement of support or opposition. It is part of an administrative land-use…
News
How Maryland’s Annual MACo Conference Shapes Local Policy in Somerset County
According to reporting from Baltimore Brew, hundreds of local government leaders from across Maryland gathered in Ocean City last week for the annual…
Nuisance flooding: how tidal rises affect Somerset roads
A road does not need to disappear under a hurricane to become a serious transportation problem. In Somerset County, a high tide on an otherwise calm…
Community land trusts: choosing the right model for Somerset MD
Somerset County’s median household income is $64,943, compared with $103,678 statewide. Its poverty rate is 20.3%. Those figures establish the…
Community survey mistakes that mute citizen feedback
Somerset County closed its primary Comprehensive Plan community survey in mid-2024 with more than 360 responses — a number that beat the county's own…
News
Somerset County Development: Navigating New State-Mandated Critical Area Regulations
According to Citizen Portal reporting, the Calvert County Planning Commission has advanced a set of critical-area revisions at the direction of the…
Somerset County flood mitigation: five steps for homeowners
Somerset County adopted a FEMA-approved 2022 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, preceded by its 2021 Flood Mitigation Plan and followed by a 2024 Nuisance…
Somerset County housing rehabilitation: application steps
Walk through Crisfield's older blocks or the modest lots scattered around Princess Anne and you'll see the same thing: roofs losing their shingles…
Chesapeake Bay Critical Area: how the zone works
A development notice, a request to clear trees, or a new driveway proposal can look like an ordinary zoning matter—until the property is near tidal…
Rural development grants: choosing the right Maryland program
For Maryland’s FY2027 rural grant cycle, the Rural Maryland Council has $6,047,464 in allocated legislative funding. The principal deadlines are…
News
Public Input Sought for Proposed 2.25 MW Solar Facility in Somerset County
A proposed community solar project is moving into its public comment phase, and according to the Maryland Public Service Commission, neighbors across…
Somerset County public records: pre-request checklist
A public records request can begin with a simple question: what happened to the road project, zoning decision, property file, or planning discussion…
News
Aligning Municipal and County Growth Strategies: Lessons from Recent Planning Initiatives
County Planning Commission is advancing efforts to align the county's growth plan with the municipal growth plan adopted by the Town of Emmitsburg…
Shore Transit route deviation: how to request a pickup
Shore Transit buses do not roam freely through Somerset County. They run established corridors and published schedules, with limited room to leave…
Maryland Sustainable Communities: how the program works
A notice about a new housing project, a vacant downtown building, or a long-discussed streetscape improvement can leave residents with the same…
Public comment options: written vs oral testimony
Maryland Land Use Article §3-203 requires formal public hearings for proposed comprehensive plans and amendments. The statutory process includes…
News
Maryland’s 2040 Chesapeake Bay Restoration Targets and Their Impact on Somerset County Planning
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Governor Wes Moore announced on August 11 that Maryland has achieved nearly all of its…
Critical Area buffer clearing: a pre-project checklist
A tree-removal project can look small from the driveway: a few leaning trees, a strip of overgrown brush, perhaps a plan to widen a yard or stabilize…
News
Maryland Allocates $2.2 Million to Bolster Housing Counseling and Eviction Prevention
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has committed more than $2.2 million through the Maryland Housing Counseling Fund to…
Crisfield Facade Grant: Five Steps to Apply
Crisfield’s commercial blocks are deteriorating in plain sight. Paint is peeling from brick that has not been tuckpointed in decades. Storefront…
News
Calvert County Pauses Data Center Approvals Following AWS Project Withdrawal
Per Southern Maryland News Net, the proposed ordinance would suspend approvals while the Department of Planning & Zoning reviews zoning text…
Citizen advisory committees: choosing the right board
Under Maryland’s Land Use Article, a planning commission and a board of zoning appeals are not interchangeable bodies. One develops and administers…
Living shoreline permit errors in Somerset County
Somerset County loses measurable marsh acreage every year to erosion along the lower Chesapeake and its tidal creeks — and a substantial share of…
Princess Anne historic renovations: pre-project checklist
A historic renovation in Princess Anne can become complicated before the first wall is opened. A new porch, replacement windows, exterior paint, roof…
Comprehensive plan amendment petitions: a step-by-step guide
Maryland’s Land Use Article establishes the comprehensive plan as the principal policy document for local growth, land use, transportation…
Stormwater management plan: Somerset County approval steps
Somerset County sits under five feet of elevation across most of its landmass, and roughly a third of the county falls inside the Chesapeake Bay…
News
New Maryland ADU Mandate: Expanding Housing Options in Somerset County
According to The Maryland Wire, Maryland counties and municipalities with zoning authority must permit Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on…
Revitalization partners: how to select the right developer
Crisfield’s Low Income Housing Initiative illustrates the central problem in municipal revitalization: the city must select a development partner…
News
Charles County Planning Commission Evaluates Structural Changes to Review Boards
The Charles County Planning Commission convened to consider changes to review boards, according to SoMdNews.com. The August 8 session signals a…
News
Navigating the FY2027 Catalytic Revitalization Tax Credit for Somerset County Projects
According to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the Fiscal Year 2027 application round for the Catalytic Revitalization…
Planning commission broadcasts: how to watch Somerset meetings
The Somerset County Planning Commission does not broadcast its meetings. There is no YouTube channel, no public access feed, and no Zoom recording…
Salt marsh migration: how it works on the Eastern Shore
A field can remain productive for years and then begin changing faster than a property map can keep up. Ditches hold saltwater longer after a storm…
Housing site selection: choosing the right Somerset location
Maryland Land Use Article §3-102 requires Princess Anne and Crisfield to include municipal growth elements in their comprehensive plans. Beginning…
Public comment errors in Somerset planning hearings
A planning hearing can turn on a few lines of draft text, a map boundary, or a notice that most residents never read closely. That is the physical…
Chesapeake Bay restoration: project prep checklist
If you've stood on the bank of the Wicomico or the Manokin and watched a foot of marsh quietly disappear between last summer and this one, you…
Somerset historic property tax credit: five application steps
A qualifying homeowner in Somerset County may claim a Maryland state income tax credit equal to 20% of eligible historic rehabilitation expenses.
News
Wicomico County Implements One-Year Freeze on New Data Center Projects
The Wicomico County Council voted unanimously on August 5, 2026 to impose a one-year moratorium on data center proposals, according to Bay to Bay…
Planning workshops in Somerset: choosing the right format
Maryland Land Use Code §3-203 requires a local planning commission to hold at least one formal public hearing before recommending adoption of a…
Septic design errors in Somerset flood zones
In Somerset County, a septic system can fail long before the tank reaches the end of its service life. The weak point is often the soil beneath the…
Somerset County town halls: five steps to request a meeting
Maryland Land Use Code § 3-203 requires a local planning commission to hold at least one public hearing before recommending adoption of a…
News
Maryland Mandates Energy Efficiency Standards for Affordable Housing Developments
According to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the state has launched a new process designed to weave energy efficiency…
Maryland Watershed Implementation Plans: A Simple Guide
A notice about a septic upgrade, a wetland project near Crisfield, or a new Chesapeake Bay restoration effort can feel like three separate stories.
Somerset community grants: choosing the right funding
Somerset County received $350,000 in Fiscal Year 2026 federal Community Development Block Grant funding for a countywide housing rehabilitation…
Citizen-led planning initiatives: Somerset prep checklist
A notice about a proposed subdivision, a new solar facility, or a zoning amendment can arrive in a form that feels designed for people who already…
Tax ditch maintenance in Somerset: five request steps
A Somerset County tax ditch maintenance request cannot be routed correctly until the drainage system is classified. The county’s jurisdiction…
Neighborhood Business Works loans: Somerset application steps
Neighborhood BusinessWorks loans in Somerset County come with two dates and a hard ceiling. The competitive application window opens August 17, 2026…
Municipal Growth Element: Maryland planning rules explained
You get a notice in the mail — a public hearing on a proposed annexation, or an open house about the town's comprehensive plan. You flip it over…
Somerset community surveys: the right channel for your feedback
More than 360 residents responded to Somerset County’s initial Comprehensive Plan survey, exceeding the county’s target of 300 responses. That result…
CDBG application errors: how to save Somerset projects
The SFY27 competitive round closed on Monday, July 6, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. sharp. Once that deadline passed, the submission window was closed; a late…
Special exception permits in Somerset: application checklist
A proposed use can fit the general character of a Somerset County property and still require more than a standard zoning certificate. That is the…
News
Prince Frederick Pursues Main Street Maryland Status to Boost Local Revitalization
Per The BayNet's reporting on the meeting, the application was due at the Department of Housing and Community Development by Aug.
Public records in Somerset: MPIA request steps
A Somerset County public records MPIA request is not a casual email sent into a general government inbox. It is a written records demand directed to…
Resource Conservation Areas: Somerset County RCA rules
If you've stood on your own property here on the Eastern Shore and tried to make sense of the shaded strip running along the water's edge — or…
Somerset business incentives: Enterprise Zone or PFA?
Maryland's economic development framework operates on a layered incentive architecture. At its foundation lies the Priority Funding Area (PFA)…
Grandfathered zoning in Somerset: avoiding abandonment traps
“Grandfathered zoning” sounds permanent. It is not.
Somerset planning commission meetings: speaker checklist
That notice in your mailbox, or the small line in the back of the local paper, telling you that a developer wants to put a 40-unit project on the old…
Chesapeake Bay critical area permit: application steps
Somerset County adopted its Critical Area Program on September 10, 1988, pursuant to the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Act. The program's regulatory…
Crisfield revitalization grants: application steps
Three downtown Crisfield businesses secured inaugural Project Restore 2.0 grants in March 2025, drawing from a $150,000 state block grant subgranted…
Citizen advisory committees in Maryland planning explained
You got the postcard in the mail—the cream-colored envelope from the county, the one with the map on the back and the meeting time in fine print.
Somerset County flood mitigation: choosing the right method
Somerset County Ordinance No. 93 establishes a Flood Protection Elevation (FPE) defined as the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) plus one foot of freeboard.
News
Washington County Secures 256-Acre Farm Under Rural Legacy Program
The Washington County Division of Planning & Zoning announced on August 7 the permanent preservation of a 256.57-acre farm on Taylors Landing Road in…
Princess Anne Historic District: Pre-Application Checklist
You’ve probably been there: you walk past a house on your street in Princess Anne, the one with the wraparound porch and the dentil molding along the…
Somerset County site plan review: a step-by-step guide
Section 8.15b(3) of the Somerset County Zoning Code mandates site plan approval for every new commercial development within the unincorporated areas…
Public hearing testimony in Somerset County: submission steps
A public hearing in Somerset County is not a single moment when residents either speak or stay silent. For many zoning, legislative, and land-use…
Living Shorelines: How They Protect Somerset County
If you've driven down to the bay lately and watched the marsh grass pulling back from the waterline—foot by foot, season by season—you've probably…
Affordable Housing in Somerset County: How to Choose
Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended, establishes the framework for tenant-based rental assistance nationwide. In Somerset…
Rezoning petitions in Somerset: the change or mistake rule
One hundred point three eight acres of Somerset County land sat on the wrong side of the zoning map for years. In January 2020, Gary King filed a…
Stormwater plan submission in Somerset: a pre-filing checklist
You pulled the building permit packet off the counter, and somewhere between the cover sheet and the third sub-folder, the word "stormwater" started…
Somerset County Housing Rehabilitation: Step-by-Step Guide
For a Somerset County homeowner, the first question is not whether the roof leaks, the wiring is unsafe, or the house needs an accessibility…
Somerset County Farmland Subdivision: A Step-by-Step Guide
Seven lots. That is the hard line drawn in Somerset County's Subdivision Ordinance between a process you can handle administratively and one that…
News
Maryland Board of Public Works Allocates $6.38 Million for State Recreation and Land Preservation
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Board of Public Works approved more than $6.38 million in grants for…
Rural Development Grant Checklist for Somerset Projects
If you're running a nonprofit on the Lower Eastern Shore and you've sketched out a plan to expand a community kitchen in Crisfield, rehab…
Somerset MD Public Meetings: Workshops vs Hearings
Maryland Land Use Code §3-203 mandates that a local planning commission hold at least one public hearing before recommending the adoption of a…
Critical area buffer mistakes in Somerset County
The 100-foot Buffer does not negotiate. Neither does the possibility of a fine of up to $10,000 per day when Somerset County treats a Chesapeake Bay…
Somerset County zoning variance: step-by-step guide
In Somerset County, a zoning variance is not a general request for permission to build something the zoning code does not allow. It is a narrowly…