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Good question. Easton is absolutely looking towards the faux town center/New Urbanism developments in place of the more traditional massive sprawl developments with stupid names that are all over central MD. The town/county is also allowing small, dense infill development, which helps to satisfy a lot of affordable housing demand. The goal is to allow plenty of new growth without eating up all of Talbot's farmland, which is ultra-fertile/valuable and running low.
So far the balance has been working quite well, but you have to hand it to the commuters and their reliable tax dollars to keep it pretty nice, clean and complete.
If I didn't care about the ocean and was 20 years older, I'd move to Easton in a heartbeat.
Thanks for the reply, much appreciated.
I see you live in OC, I am also in the area (outside of Snow Hill). What are your thoughts on Berlin and it's general expansion plan? Seems to be the same model, keep the downtown "charming" while annexing land and throwing up styrofoam shopping centers populated with the usual chain crapola and future condos/townhouses.
Difference here is it's not commutable to "real" areas of employment, and there are no jobs on a scale over here to actually support this model (imo). I could see if they went with a senior citizen focus rather than a town center mode as that could make sense as a retirement area focus, but they aren't doing that. They seem to be planning for an influx of youngish, hipish professional couples with a kid or two, but how on earth is that going to come to fruition over here with no real job base?
Do they expect seasonal help or service worker/low skill/low pay locals to keep the businesses that will inhabit the shopping area near WalMart alive all year? I don't see it. We eat at the new "Piazza" place by WalMart once and awhile and I have never seen more than three other couples in there. I like their pizza but I have little hope they are going to last as they must be hemorrhaging money each month. What I don't get is why Giant doesn't see an opportunity over here. Food Lion is the worst, and it's all we got. Another Chipotle is not needed, but cripes yes we need another grocery store choice. Another Pannera? Not so much.
Frankly, as long as this model of doing things stays away from the greater Girdletree metro area I'm good, but watching it happen somewhat close is bothersome.
Berlin is tying itself to the casino and spinoff business from it.
The State Legislature made annexations harder to do a few years ago at the request of the Counties. But, strangely enough, PlanMD encouraged annexations in a roundabout way.
It all boils down to what are called Priority Funding Areas which almost all the 157 municipalities are. That means that state funding is directed to them from various sources including the Flush Tax.
That's tied into the requirement that Counties designate tiers for water and sewer service ranging from 1 to 4. Tier 1 is where water/sewer already is, Tier 2 is where the water/sewer Master Plan says it will go at sometime in the future, Tier 3 is where it will never go and Tier 4 is Resource Conservation where it won't go.
Where the rub comes in is that septic requirements in Tiers 2 and 3 became incredibly stringent with no individual septics allowed if the development was larger than a relatively small size (I think for residential it was 7 houses maximum) or a full sewer treatment plant for the development had to be built or it had to be connected to an existing system.
The other hook on annexation is that it usually allows greater density, instead of 1 house/5 acres, say, you start getting 1 house/lot. Many municipalities set their lot sizes at 50X100. More houses=more tax revenue.
Counties hate annexation because of the loss of tax revenue to the County (many municipalities have a County Tax Differential which lowers resident's County Property Tax) and because of the impact development has on the school system. Counties can kind of control development to lessen impact on schools while municipalities don't have to.
An example of the above is here in Calvert County. We always required the payment of the County Impact Fee for new houses in North Beach so they had an idea of what was coming. We annexed about 15 years ago and even had an agreement with the County that no more than 25 houses a year would be built in the annexed portion. Our adjoining municipality of Chesapeake Beach didn't and all the development there really overwhelmed the local schools.
What are your thoughts on Berlin and it's general expansion plan? Seems to be the same model, keep the downtown "charming" while annexing land and throwing up styrofoam shopping centers populated with the usual chain crapola and future condos/townhouses.
First of all, I'm so happy you mentioned Girdletree on City Data haha. Shout out to Greenbackville lol!
Second, I'm not really sure what to make of Berlin's plan. Yet. I mean, on the one hand, you are right, they have a thriving downtown which is actually fairly prosperous. They have successful infill development. On the other hand, it really does seem unsustainable. And absolutely nothing has benefited the colloquial 'browntown' east of 113.
There are more jobs than you think in Northern Worcester; not necessarily in the resort industry but certainly in their support industries (think supplies, engineering, marketing etc.). Coastal Delaware has a weirdly large number of well-paying niche jobs too. You'd also be surprised with how much of an economic powerhouse Salisbury still is, especially for Berlin. All those jobs the Bury seems to be losing are hitting the city residents the most and its blue collar workers. The exact opposite is the case for the service industry and white collar professionals there. That employment sector is continuing to grow. And Berlin is the new, hip fancy suburb of the region, no longer Nithsdale or Deer Harbor/Nutter's. Only time will tell how long that will last. Taxes are already pretty damn high there. But people seem pretty happy with the services the town provides in return.
NBP mentioned annexation and the bizarre system PlanMD has set up. That Arbys and Exxon across from Stephen Decatur? Yeah the town annexed all of that and another effing Royal Farm is going in there. A senior-oriented apartment complex is going up across the Middle School too. All annexations. Weird right? It could be worse (Salisbury and Pocomoke)
Piazza is excellent btw. It's a busy freaking place during the weekday lunch hour too.
First of all, I'm so happy you mentioned Girdletree on City Data haha. Shout out to Greenbackville lol!
I love it down here in the Girdletree area, fan freaking tastic. Hopefully this area retains it's rural charm, from all indications were all good on that front for the foreseeable future. New construction requires two acres minimum, and we're just far enough to be off the path for most. Love it
Regarding Greenbackville, ever been to the Crusty Crab? The food is really good, worth the trip if you've never been. The deserts are homemade and amazing.
Quote:
Second, I'm not really sure what to make of Berlin's plan. Yet. I mean, on the one hand, you are right, they have a thriving downtown which is actually fairly prosperous. They have successful infill development. On the other hand, it really does seem unsustainable. And absolutely nothing has benefited the colloquial 'browntown' east of 113.
There are more jobs than you think in Northern Worcester; not necessarily in the resort industry but certainly in their support industries (think supplies, engineering, marketing etc.). Coastal Delaware has a weirdly large number of well-paying niche jobs too. You'd also be surprised with how much of an economic powerhouse Salisbury still is, especially for Berlin. All those jobs the Bury seems to be losing are hitting the city residents the most and its blue collar workers. The exact opposite is the case for the service industry and white collar professionals there. That employment sector is continuing to grow. And Berlin is the new, hip fancy suburb of the region, no longer Nithsdale or Deer Harbor/Nutter's. Only time will tell how long that will last. Taxes are already pretty damn high there. But people seem pretty happy with the services the town provides in return.
NBP mentioned annexation and the bizarre system PlanMD has set up. That Arbys and Exxon across from Stephen Decatur? Yeah the town annexed all of that and another effing Royal Farm is going in there. A senior-oriented apartment complex is going up across the Middle School too. All annexations. Weird right? It could be worse (Salisbury and Pocomoke)
Piazza is excellent btw. It's a busy freaking place during the weekday lunch hour too.
Yup, annexing the area near the Arby's seems.. just weird. Berlin seems to want in on the chain plaza/condo game, just make sure it's "over that way" lol. I dunno, I don't like to see it but what are you gonna do. It is what it is, and better up there than down here I guess.
I do hear you on the job scene, I am not plugged in at all really for the area (again, just going on personal observation), but it still seems hard to picture enough young hip folks with decent enough incomes to populate a ticky tacky town center bubble right there. Maybe it'll work, who knows. If not I guess it could always be overflow summer rentals for OC (albeit at a steep discount due to being so far from the beach). Worth noting is I work across the bridge, and I commute three days a week to DC. I'm in the somewhat rare category of "super commuter", but it's only for another two years and then I am done for good with working across the bridge. So I bring a DC income with me over here, I pay in the short term with a really long drive three days a week, but in the end the goal is to semi retire and start doing a little farming on my land here. Maybe grow some organic produce and free range poultry for some local restaurants.. (I digress into dream, sorry!).
You know, Snow Hill desperately wants in on Berlin's coattails which is worth mentioning. I know some folks who own businesses there and that town is trying to figure out how to cash in on the Berlin mystique. I'd REALLY hate to see Snow Hill go all "coolest town" and whatnot on me. I like it the way it is, and it does not need anything other than to retain it's super small town authenticity. I don't want to be able to buy a Chipotle bowl in Snow Hill, and god knows I certainly don't want it to turn into a slightly less priced St Michael's.. oh the humanity.. I am a curmudgeon however, and I realize I am anti progress. It's why I live here to begin with I suppose.
Piazza is tasty, I do hope it survives. The Mediterranean pie is super good, especially with added fresh jalapenos.
Back on the subject of Grasonville/Kent Island area, we just moved from Kent Island. While we liked living there, every time we need something we often had to cross the bridge or trek down to Easton to find it. There is a large concentration of homes in that area, that are not being served well by restaurants and retail, because they won't let any big box stores locate there. No Home Depot or Lowe's, which usually has a lot more to choose from than the two competing hardware stores on the island.
They would not let Walmart build there, so we were stuck with only one choice, Kmart. Now we are close to a Walmart and have noticed a significant savings in our grocery bill.
As far as restaurants go, with one exception, the choice was either a higher price sit down seafood restaurant, or fast food. Nothing in between, until the Cracker Barrel opened up. No Applebees, Ruby Tuesday, IHOP, or even Dennys. As much as we like Cracker Barrel, even that got old after a while, even though it was still the best combination of a decent meal at a good price. We will probably go less often, but to the one by the airport now.
One of the first things that we found in our mailbox in the new place was a flyer from Pizza Ravens. That night, I had a cheesesteak sandwich, that was better than any I ad for many years. We have gone to Outback, Carrabba's, and other restaurants close by, and feel like we made the right move.
The above situations were not the motivation for making the move. They are just the added pluses, that we are enjoying. The bridge is a barrier to those living on the wrong side of it, when the things they need or enjoy are on the other side.
What you described is an issue not only on the Shore but here in SoMD. People move from more urban/suburban areas but expect the same stores, services and conveniences they left.
I believe that comes down to people having a Norman Rockwell view of living in a rural area and little or no realization of the tradeoffs that entails. So one of the very first things they do is start requesting/lobbying for the same things they left. And, in some or even many cases, they moved away because of those things.
There are reasons, some very substantial, why various businesses and activities aren't located in rural areas.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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I think I'm the only person who doesn't get the appeal of Easton (or Berlin for that matter). Sure, they're cute to walk thru, but customer service/friendliness is generally lacking, IMO. Easton (and St Michael's, too) seems a bit snobby and pricey.
I have family in Easton and St Michael's and they enjoy going out to dinner. Always makes me cringe b/c I know I'll be subject to fairly bland, overpriced food and suffer thru mediocre (being charitable) service. I mean, has anyone been to In Japan? Do you know if its your birthday they stick a black haired wig on your head and bring out a gong? I'm not making this up.
Why would you make a comparison to Japanese culture in order to argue that customer service in Talbot County is poor? That's just silly. You almost had a good point there.
I personally don't find customer service any better or worse than anywhere else in the state.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Originally Posted by seanlax
Why would you make a comparison to Japanese culture in order to argue that customer service in Talbot County is poor? That's just silly. You almost had a good point there.
I personally don't find customer service any better or worse than anywhere else in the state.
Allow me to explain: the gong & wig thing was....weird. I mean, who wants to have a black wig (totally unsanitary, btw) stuck on their head and a loud gong rung in their ear? WTH? It was not wanted, my family member was trying to refuse and was clearly uncomfortable. The servers/manager never picked up on this. I mean, they were completely, inexplicably oblivious to. It was one of those situations where you nervously laugh b/c amid stares b/c, well, what else can you do? If that isn't bad customer service, I don't know what is.
I have many more examples of bad service and high prices, but I'll leave it at that. Suffice it to say, when I go to Easton, I bring my wallet, my patience, and a whole new set of lower standards. I have no idea why the locals accept this. They deserve better. I think they'd get better if they stopped patronizing some of these places. I guess that's my point.
Yes, IMO, customer service is worse than, say, Annapolis.
I hear you on customer service, but only as an observation.
Recently I was up in Kent County at a random seafood restaurant. When I was seated at the bar, I got great service and smiles, chatter etc. Real friendly. When the other people I was meeting arrived (with their Baltimore ID's), the level of service dropped dramatically.
It's not nice, but that's what I've noticed all over the shore. And, when you think about it, it makes sense to an ignorant server; locals come in often and you live or die off their tips; out of towners don't as much, and won't end up denting your bottom line really at all. What they don't understand is that the internet exists and people use the hell out of it. It's not right, but that's what is.
The funniest part? It was a longer drive for me to Kent County than them! So who is really the out of towner :P
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