Annexation

Smithsburg offers reward in effort to curb vandalism SMITHSBURG -- Smithsburg will offer a $500 reward for information on who is responsible for vandalism that has cropped up recently throughout the town, council members decided Tuesday. It took town employees three days to clean up from a vandalism incident in Veterans Park last month, Public Works Director William Loughridge told the council. There have been problems with graffiti on stop signs and on the front steps of Town Hall, Loughridge said.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- About 50 people attended a public meeting Tuesday evening at Hagerstown Community College to comment on a shopping center that has been proposed near Interstate 70 and U.S. 40. The Washington County Commissioners hosted the meeting at the college's Kepler Theater to get input on a proposed annexation and zoning change that would allow the center to be built. County officials made clear at the beginning of the meeting that the county has no power to approve or deny the shopping center, which would be voted on by the Hagerstown City Council after the land is annexed.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Traffic, road improvements and quality of life were some of the topics addressed Monday night during a discussion of the Washington County Planning Commission. The discussion, which was requested by the Washington County Commissioners, focused on the possible effects of a shopping center proposed for the intersection of U.S. 40 and Interstate 70. Most of the planning commissioners said they agreed that the biggest concerns were with traffic, particularly at the center's proposed entrance on U.S. 40; buffering between the shopping center and residents of Landis Road; and a possible second access point off Landis Road.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- A multifaceted strategy to spur economic development in the City of Martinsburg has emerged amid continued interest by developers to have their property annexed into the city. On Wednesday, the Martinsburg Planning Commission approved a Falls Church, Va., developer's request to have land south of Apple Harvest Drive (W.Va. 45) zoned for commercial business investment. Uniwest Cos. President Michael D. Collier said after the commission's decision that he couldn't immediately comment about what he described as a "retail" project on the 26.2-acre site between Virginia Avenue Extended and South Queen Street near Kmart.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- The Washington County Commissioners on Tuesday tabled an annexation request from the City of Hagerstown, delaying at least temporarily the approval of one of two shopping centers proposed for the eastern edge of Hagerstown. Some of the commissioners said they would like more information before they decide whether to give what is called express approval to the annexation of 142 acres at the northeast corner of Interstate 70 and U.S. 40. The developer of the shopping center, Petrie Ross Ventures, has asked the city to annex the property so it can be connected to the city's sewer and water systems.

HAGERSTOWN -- The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday chose to hold off on deciding whether to annex and rezone property so a $242 million shopping center could be built at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Interstate 70. Last week, developer Phillip Ross, president of the Mid-Atlantic developing firm Petrie Ross Ventures, told the council and several residents that he would like the council to consider annexing and rezoning the land - a decision that...

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - Designers working on a proposed $13 million judicial annex behind the Jefferson County Courthouse downtown now have phased a community meeting room into the building's design, and officials said Thursday they could be ready to search for bids to build the facility by July. Although county officials said last week that the annex could be open by late next year, they said Thursday it likely will be 2010 before it is opened. County officials have talked for years about building a court facility to meet the county government's growing space needs, and there have been several proposals.

Alcohol in open containers allowed The Hagerstown City Council on Tuesday voted to permit people to carry alcohol in open containers at the following events: · Western Maryland Blues Fest, May 30 to June 1 · Augustoberfest Salutes Schmankerl Stube's 20th Anniversary, May 16 · Augustoberfest, Aug. 23-24 City Council approves contracts On Tuesday, the Hagerstown City Council voted to...

Workers on Thursday were relocating a utility line next to the Washington County Circuit Court Annex in Hagerstown, said Joseph Kroboth, Washington County director of public works. Kroboth said the lines have to be moved to provide power for an elevator inside the building. The job is expected to be finished in the spring.

The Washington County Commissioners on Tuesday supported the annexation of 52 acres into the City of Hagerstown. The county commissioners did not have to vote on the matter but reached a consensus to approve the annexation, which will go before the City Council for a vote. The owner is proposing a 376-home development on the Haven Road property, which is west of Pennsylvania Avenue near Rest Haven Cemetery. The land was approved for annexation in 2005 but that decision was reversed when city planners realized the annexation created an enclave around parts of a resident's driveway and backyard.