Aerial image of annexation and expansion plans for Estes Express Lines.
Aerial image of annexation and expansion plans for Estes Express Lines.
ELKTON — After the County Council’s approval during Tuesday’s legislative meeting, 37.7 acres between Chesapeake Blvd. and Maloney Rd. will be rezoned from High Density Residential to Business Industrial – allowing Estes Express Lines to expand their property and add a parking lot consisting of 843 spaces and a five bay truck maintenance shop on the plot of land.
The land is set to be annexed by the town of Elkton, which will allow the property’s new water and sewer requirements for the five bay maintenance shop to be met. The property can not be added to Elkton’s water supply unless it is first annexed by the town, and the construction of the maintenance shop and parking lot requires the county’s approval to rezone the property.
If the property maintained zoning for High Density Residential, and high density housing were to be put on the property instead, roughly two single family units per acre could fit on the property or 16 dwellings per acre if apartment units were to be built instead.
The council noted that the rezoning and annexation is a benefit to the residents of Maloney Rd. as the rezoning possibly saves the area from “thousands of residents having access to Maloney Rd.”
“The annexation saves upwards of one thousand high density residential units that would be exiting on Maloney Road,” said County Attorney Lawrence Scott. “In addition, it also stops any truck traffic from this business park from ever going on Maloney Road so for both reasons and economic development and our support for Elkton, we support this project.”
Estes has also come to an agreement with the county to allow for a road to be built across the property that opens to Maloney Rd., as many of the county’s emergency services are based on Chesapeake Boulevard, which the new road will connect to. The county promised that the road will only be used by emergency vehicles in the event that an exit is blocked.
“It is not meant to be a normal course of business for any of the county vehicles,” said Scott. “It is supposed to be used in case we have one exit that is blocked so we have a secondary egress from the emergency and county buildings through that property.”
Members of the public questioned how the county plans to monitor who is using the road that cuts across the property during Tuesday’s public hearing.
“I do not know how you’re going to monitor that that is all that is going to be using that road,” said Anne Guns, who lives on Maloney Road. “I have a grandson I take care of and I really do not like traffic.”
In an email response, Scott said that the road on the property will be a modified road that has access controls at both entrances.
The resolution passed the county council in a 4-0 vote, with the absence of Councilwoman Donna Culberson. A public hearing for the annexation of the property will be held by Elkton on Nov. 16.
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