A developer shall submit an environmental site delineation
(ESD) to the county for review and concurrence prior to submitting
an application to the county for approval of a subdivision plan, site
plan, grading permit, or prior to performing any activity regulated
by this chapter or the following chapters of the Carroll County Code:
An ESD shall be submitted on a base map prepared by
a licensed professional engineer or surveyor including background
information that fully delineates the legal ownership, configuration
of the site, zoning classification, ecological setting, and place
in that setting.
An ESD shall include a graphic representation of information
that illustrates the location and configuration of the site's environmental
and physical characteristics to be verified by the county. The ESD
shall include the following information:
Any known habitat for any federal or state listed
rare, threatened or endangered plant or animal species, or a letter
from the Natural Heritage Program of the Maryland Department of Natural
Resources indicating that a lack of evidence exists to support that
potential;
The location of any designated historic structure
on the site as listed on the county's inventory of historic structures,
sites, or districts or by the Maryland Historical Trust; and
A narrative that outlines explanatory information
needed to clarify and support the graphic delineation may be required
to be submitted with the ESD submittal package.
An ESD package shall be reviewed to determine its
completeness. When it is determined that the package is complete,
the county shall perform an office review and field-verify the submitted
information. After the review is complete and all information is verified,
the applicant shall be notified in writing of the county's approval.
The information collected and verified in the ESD
process shall be incorporated in the development design process. Site
design elements shall avoid or minimize impacts to sensitive resources
on the site and shall be configured to result in low impact. Site
development design shall minimize disturbance and conserve environmental
resources identified on the ESD and minimize the new impervious surfaces
that will result after the site is developed. The implementation of
low impact development practices is intended to provide a maximum
protection level for sensitive resources in a cost effective and minimally
intrusive manner.
Protection of on-site resources that may be impacted,
including but not limited to on-site streams and wetlands; stream
and wetland buffers; steep slopes (25% or greater); one-hundred-year
floodplains; habitats of rare, threatened, or endangered species;
carbonate rock areas; wellhead buffer areas; and public water supply
reservoir watersheds.
Potential impacts to elements delineated pursuant to Subsection B shall be minimized and the proposed development design shall manage those resources to maintain viability after the site is developed.