November 3, 2022 Town Council Meeting - Citizen Questions

Exactly as extracted, unformatted — for checking against the original. The readable version is easier to read.

Centreville
Town Council
Meeting
Council Meeting
November 3, 2022
11/7/2022

“Neighbor to
Neighbor”
Conversations
on Carter Farm
11/7/2022 2

Overview
1. Overarching concerns as to project’s stated unknowns
(“We do not have a business plan for the farm yet”)
2. Increasing concern as to the project’s viability/sustainability
(What is the impact of the pandemic, rising interest rates, inflation, etc.?)
3. Perception that you “can get much more for less” $ elsewhere
4. Request for crime/education/environment impact studies
5. Lack of detail on the proposed club house
6. Parcel 3C (multi-family) and 4 (commercial) not addressed in HOA
7. Concern for the remaining Carter farm home—upkeep/preservation
11/7/2022 3

1. What is the business plan for the farm? It was reported that a
business plan of the farm does not yet exist. Why is that?
2. There are varying definitions of the term agrihood. How does the
Carter Farm Project qualify as an agrihood? Why does it seem so
different than other agrihood projects?
3. Clarify the benefits of being a mandatory CSA member and the total
individual subscriber cost. What does participation buy a resident that is
a member?
4. There are serious questions about the Carter Farm “numbers“ as a
whole. How were the property tax numbers/the tax base determined?
5. Is the Town subsidizing the project for the first couple of years until
there is a positive revenue?
11/7/2022 4

6. The town will not have a new/expanded wastewater treatment
facility for at least 4 to 5 years after funding is secured. How will Carter
Farm’s requirement for wastewater treatment be handled within this
timeframe?
7. Can the traffic study be released in its full version to the public?
How are the existing traffic issues being mitigated?
8. Has a crime impact study been completed and if not when will it be
completed? Can the results be provided to the community?
9. Has a school impact study been completed and if not when will it be
completed? Can the results be provided to the community?
10. Has an environmental impact study been completed and if not
when will it be completed? Can the results be provided to the
community?
11/7/2022 5

11. As a result of the current financial climate, is the project’s
business plan still viable? Considering the impact of the
pandemic, rising interest rates, inflation, and other variables, do
the market study and financial analyses need to be repeated?
12. Can the community see the full marketability study results?
13. What were the factors used to determine the Town of
Centreville as the best location for this project?
14. Why is a 5-acre farm preferable to a community garden?
15. The developer claims to have a plan for everything but the
entire plan is not shared. Can the community see the full plan?
11/7/2022 6

16. What is the benefit of a CSA farm versus developing more
lots?
17. Is section 8 a possible option in phase 2? What else are
potential options for phase 2?
18. Who is the builder? Project developers have indicated they
don’t yet know. Can the community meet with the builder and
look at the site plan?
19. There are concerns about construction costs. The average
cost for builder grade materials is $170 a square foot with a
structure costing approximately $300K to build a 1600 to 1800
square-foot home. With an average mortgage rate on top of that
at 7% or more, and having to subsidize a farm, a person could
buy much more for the same/less. How does a Carter Farm
home purchase make sense in light of these dynamics?
11/7/2022 7

20. In the site plan, the architect is shown as a contractor that works as
an individual out of his home. Should the developers be using more
reputable/robust architects and contractors?
21. The townhouse elevation has still not been provided. Can the
community see these plans?
22. There are concerns about the fourth note in the Growth Allocation
ordinance document. This note states that “the [Planning] commission
remains concerned about the viability of sewer capacity in the state and
condition of the wastewater treatment plan itself and wants the council
to make sure that they remain enough allocations to serve the full needs
of the PUD.” The EDU allocation must be approved in whole, rather than
by individual phase (one section at time). If all EDUs are approved (based
on a May 19, 2022 project hearing document… slide #23) the town’s
capacity will be at 102%! The town simply cannot approve more than
100% of its limited wastewater treatment units/resources. Can you
address this?
11/7/2022 8

23. The house property is used as part of a defined green space footprint
but then it is excluded in other documents. Can this be explained?
24. There is a lot of “this is what we hope to be able to do“ versus actual
plans in many discussions between community members and the
developer. Can you please help the community feel more confident in
more solid versus hopeful planning?
25. What are the specific plans for the restaurant? Noting that many
restaurants fail, what is the contingency plan for that space/building if it
is not viable over time?
26. In one of the project documents there’s an excerpt that says there is
“no limitation on commercial.” What, if any, limitations are the
developers willing to concede for the commercial footprint of this project
over time?
11/7/2022 9

27. The Carter Farm traffic study doesn’t reflect the actual traffic
numbers reflected in the previous project that is detailed in the Feb 2015
approved growth allocation. Why is there a discrepancy?
28. Some residents have spoken with prospectors/site reviewers from
Ryan Holmes that do not believe the Carter Farm Project buyers will
come. Please address concerns that residents have in light of this
dynamic and assure community members that buyers will in fact come.
29. Will the phase 1 residents know the farm around them will be
shrinking in size over time?
30. How will all of this land be tilled while the massive infrastructure will
be built?
31. Who is currently responsible for the old Carter farm house? It is
deteriorating inside, with reports of black mold. Is somebody going to
ensure upkeep and repair in the immediate future?
11/7/2022 10

32. Many of the project comparisons are for other states that have very
different communities and geographies. Can project developers point to
the one community that has an Agrihood project that is MOST like
Centreville/the Eastern Shore of Maryland?
33. Parcel 4 (commercial) is not addressed in the HOA, nor is parcel 3C
(multi-family) Why is this? How are these parcels to be affected by the
HOA?
34. There is no detail provided on the proposed “clubhouse.“ As it is
referenced in the HOA documents/benefits, only 25 houses in parcel 1
are responsible for the clubhouse. Is this correct? The source of this is
“HOA analysis; reserve replacement costs,“ 8/31/22 presentation)
35. Why are the second-story units of the parcel 4/commercial
structures referred to as “live – work”? What does this mean?
36. Can you describe in detail, and annotate specifically on the site plans,
the covered parking areas? Are these for golf carts?
11/7/2022 11

Next Steps
1. Publish questions on town web site (same location as traffic study)
2. Solicit continued answers from developers
3. Publish answers/additional info at next mtg and on town website
11/7/2022 12