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* 1. Chesapeake Beach is in a beautiful natural setting on the Chesapeake Bay and Fishing Creek. Opportunities for public access to these waters is available and include Brownies Beach, the Boardwalk along the Bay’s shoreline between 11th and 17th Streets, the Railway Trail which spans Fishing Creek, and Veterans Park. During the public workshops, people stated a preference for expanding public access to the water in a variety of ways including as park space.

How important is it that Town residents have greater physical access to the waters of the Chesapeake Bay?

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* 2. Over the past 30 years, the Town has added neighborhoods such as Richfield Station, Bayview Hills, and Chesapeake Village. During that time, it has planned and built the Railway Trail which connects two of these neighborhoods into the traditional center of the Town.  The Town has also built the Boardwalk along the Bay at the south end of Town. Connecting the Town together like this has been a goal of the Town and opportunities to expand this network of trails are available to be studied.

 

How important is it that the Town continue to expand its network of walkways, trails and boardwalks to link up the many neighborhoods and districts that make up Chesapeake Beach and thus create a town wide recreational asset?

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* 3. In a small town like Chesapeake Beach, steady and moderate population growth and new development can renew real estate, restore public infrastructure, expand the tax base, and bring about more economic vitality (new shops, services, and restaurants for example).  However, by contrast, rapid growth can also quickly contribute to traffic congestion and strain public facilities like schools. Since 2000, the population of Chesapeake Beach has grown from 3,200 residents to about 6,000 residents, which computes to an average annual rate of 3.2 percent per year--rapid growth indeed.  In the next five years, homes for about 300 new residents will be built in the last phases of Richfield Station and a new subdivision on Cox Road called The Heritage.

 

At the recent public workshops people spoke favorably about the changes they’ve seen in Town over the past 20 years of strong growth and said the Town should continue to develop but in a steady and controlled manner with housing for all ages and income levels. We can assume that interest in property development in Chesapeake Beach will continue as a consequence of regional population trends and the Town’s enviable natural setting. The Planning Commission must prepare strategies to address growth and development.

 

What option best describes your preference for the Town’s growth over the next 20 years?

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* 4. Flooding from major storms and hurricanes presents a significant hazard in Chesapeake Beach. Furthermore, sea levels are rising worldwide, and the effect is especially significant in the coastal areas of Maryland and Virginia. The Maryland Commission on Climate Change has advised that communities along the Chesapeake Bay plan for daily high tides to increase by an estimated 2.1 feet by 2050 and 5.7 feet by 2100.  Should these estimates occur, maps show that the marshes surrounding Fishing Creek will be constantly submerged in open water.  Furthermore, as we approach the year 2050 and look further into the future, the Bay’s waters will inundate the low-lying parts of Town displacing some older houses and impacting some businesses and waterfront communities, and many public roads and assets.  The Planning Commission believes, as a coastal community, one of our highest priorities should be to plan now to become stronger and more resilient in order to minimize future public hazards related to this flooding.

 

To what extent do you agree with the statement: The Town should boldly plan now to become stronger and more resilient in order to minimize future public hazards related to storms, hurricanes, and the rising Chesapeake Bay sea level.

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* 5. Kellam’s Field is the Town’s largest improved green space, located near the Waterpark and the marina in the center of the Town. However, it is owned by Calvert County government, fenced-in, and managed for the benefit of rec football in a way that prevents its open and free use by Town residents.

 

How important is it that Kellam’s Field be improved and made accessible to all Town residents and children, as a year-round park, while still also accommodating rec football?

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