Annexation

Charles Town, W.Va., annexes new development sites By DAVE McMILLION / Staff Writer, Charles Town Under an agreement that calls for money to be paid to the city and to the county school system, the Charles Town City Council Monday night approved annexation requests that will allow the Huntfield and Norborne Glebe housing developments to become part of the city. To help offset the increased cost of providing services to the two developments, developers of both projects agreed to pay a fee for every house built.

charlestown@herald-mail.com CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - After accepting three annexation requests Thursday that will allow the city of Ranson to more than triple in size, the Jefferson County Commission called for a stopgap measure to control residential growth in the county. The commission instructed the Jefferson County Planning Commission to change the Land Evaluation Site Assessment scoring process to reduce the amount of development allowed in the county's rural zone, which makes up about 80 percent of the county's land.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Tensions rose between Charles Town City Council member Matt Ward and other council members during an emergency council meeting Monday night to consider a 5.5-acre annexation south of town. Ward complained that the council was given little information about the annexation and said he believed it was being rushed through the approval process before the city's May 24 election. Seven candidates are vying for four council seats in races that focus largely on growth.

Commission split on annexation requests CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday accepted an annexation from the City of Charles Town but delayed taking action on one from the City of Ranson. The annexation from Charles Town involved the 19-acre Davenport property off W.Va. 51, the site of a newly renovated train station. There has been an interest in using the station for office space but it was not zoned for that use in the county, said Paul Raco, head of Jefferson County's Department of Planning, Zoning and Engineering.

Washington County Commissioner Doris Nipps on Tuesday defended the secrecy surrounding the two-on-two talks that produced the blueprint for progress unveiled that night. Often in the past, she said, bits of information were used to create headlines that tended to create mistrust between the parties trying to negotiate. That suggests that it is the media's fault that it took so long to achieve progress. We suggest another explanation: In 2003, Judge Fred Thayer ruled that Hagerstown couldn't enforce its annexation policy in areas where it had already agreed to provide service.

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HAGERSTOWN -- When the Hagerstown City Council this week discussed a proposed annexation of the Doub property, known as the Doub Farm, much of the conversation centered around "big box stores. " The discussion Tuesday about the property at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Interstate 70 east of Hagerstown broached the question of whether such development suited the city's vision. Councilwoman Ashley Haywood expressed the opinion that the concept of a retail development is "contrary to our economic vision.

KEEDYSVILLE - The fate of a referendum on the annexation of 91.8 acres of land into the town of Keedysville is in the hands of Mayor Lee Brandenberg. The mayor said Wednesday that some signatures on a petition requesting the referendum were invalid and that the document did not certify that signatures had been witnessed by a designated person. "The petition is not legal ... now the choice is mine to allow it or not to allow it," he said. An informal town meeting Wednesday, was called to discuss the annexation, which was approved by the Town Council on Nov. 16. About 27 Keedysville residents, council members, William R. Atkinson of the Maryland Office of Planning in Cumberland, Md., attended.

HAGERSTOWN - The owner of a nearly six-acre parcel of land being considered for annexation has looked at building about 25 houses on the property off Eastern Boulevard, city officials said at a public hearing Tuesday. Antietam Drive residents, whose properties abut the land, told City Council members they are concerned that development would worsen water runoff problems and create traffic headaches. According to City Administrator Bruce Zimmerman, the city council could vote as early as its September meeting whether to annex the Shaool property.

State representatives told Hagerstown and Washington County elected officials Tuesday to move forward with plans to connect the city and county sewer systems, and not to mix annexation issues into a connection agreement. The planned connection is part of proposed amendments to the city-county sewer agreement. But approval of the amendments has been on hold because some city and county elected officials disagree on whether the agreement should be further changed to remove language some say interferes with a draft city annexation policy.