LES PREVIOUS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS AND S.W.O.T ANALYSIS

A. Jurisdictional Units

The Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland was formed by an Act of the Maryland General Assembly in 2001 and held its first meeting on July 24 of that year. The purpose of the Council is to facilitate regional planning and development in Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties. As stated in the legislation, the Council is a tax-exempt public body corporate and politic and is an independent unit.

The Council membership is made up of municipal, county and state elected officials as well as the county administrators from the three counties. Not all members are voting members, however. The voting members are the five Somerset County Commissioners, five of the seven Wicomico County Council members, five of the seven Worcester County Commissioners, one municipal representative from each of the three Counties, and the members of the General Assembly who represent the region and have a majority of their districts within the three counties. Currently, there are twenty-three voting members, fourteen non-voting members and the full Council meets quarterly.

There is a seven-member Executive Committee made up of the officers of the Council and one at-large member. The offices of the Council are: Chair, First, Second and Third Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. 

B. Planning and Economic Development Efforts in the Region

A number of collaborative planning efforts have taken place over the past few years, beginning with the each county’s Comprehensive Plan and their supplements developed in the 1990s. These were followed by The Governor’s Eastern Shore Economic Development Task Force Report in 2000. These planning documents point to a number of issues and factors affecting economic development planning in the LES.

As the region’s strategies become more focused, broad-based community support has developed for moving ahead to the creation of an action plan based on a set of core strategies. This Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) has been developed to promote and advance these strategies. It has been developed with the participation and input of a wide spectrum of community representatives serving on the CEDS Committee. In addition, public comment was sought and recorded.

1. Worcester County

According to the 1989 Comprehensive Plan, improved access generated considerable growth and development particularly around Ocean City. There has been some spillover growth from Ocean City in unincorporated northern parts of the County. This development has come with some costs, however, as summarized below:

By and large, development has centered on the ocean, and to a lesser extent the bays, all in the eastern section of the County. There has been some growth and development in the west, induced by Salisbury. Historically, many employment opportunities have been in the low-paying agriculture, retail and services sectors. The physical attractiveness of the County and proximity to the Baltimore and Washington areas has resulted in some growth in the retirement population.

Even though development has been accelerated, the Plan noted that no less than 75% of the land area of the County was in either agricultural or forested use.

The 1997 Plan Supplement noted that the 1989 Comprehensive Plan underestimated the level of in-migration and resort-based expansion in general. It noted the need to balance growth and environmental issues, noting that between 1987 and 1997 the County sustained a loss of 13% of its agricultural land to development. The Plan recognized the importance of Ocean City, but tempered it as follows:

Agriculture and tourism continue to dominate the economic sector as does coastal area development, accompanied by the continued growth in the senior citizen population. The area does experience seasonal infrastructure capacity issues as it attempts to serve an ever-increasing number of summer visitors and part-time residents.

Economic Development Goals
The 1989 Plan encourages the development of year-round family-sustaining jobs and a corresponding diversification away from over-dependence on the tourism industry. As noted earlier, the Plan recommends more intense development in the north, in and around Ocean City and to the west, moderate density in the villages, and the retention of the rural character elsewhere. It also recommends the preservation and strengthening of the agriculture and seafood harvesting industries, and encourages clustered commercial development. The 1997 Plan Supplement underscores the central-place concept of channeling development and growth in and around existing development while retaining resource areas in less intensively settled areas. It also encourages the development of an eco-tourism and cultural-tourism effort to complement the more conventional tourism focused on the ocean.

2. Wicomico County

Wicomico County does not have the same type of visitor/resort-based development and concerns, but shares similar economic base, land use and developmental issues and opportunities. According to the 1998 Comprehensive Plan, while the County has retained its rural/agricultural base to a degree, changes are occurring:

As is the case with neighboring Worcester County, Wicomico County has seen a decline in agricultural land. During the 1978-92 period, the County experienced a 14% reduction in agricultural acreage. Planners project a 1%-2% annual population increase. Residential developments are highly scattered in the County, mostly west of Route 13. Approximately three-quarters of these subdivisions occur in agricultural areas. The County has retained a rural character with numerous town centers, villages and other small settlements, although the Delmar-Salisbury-Fruitland corridor in the central section of the County has been identified as a Metro-Core area.

Tourism has increased slightly, especially in relation to historic and cultural preservation. The County is the home for two post-secondary education facilities, Salisbury University and Wor-Wic Community College.

Economic Development Goals
The 1998 Plan encourages the expansion and diversification of the economic base by recruiting small, select businesses and tourism facilities. The latter includes those pertaining to historic preservation and heritage tourism. The Plan emphasizes the retention of the agricultural base, noting that between 1978 and 1992, the value of County agricultural products grew by 52%, ranking 5th nationally in broiler chicken production. This Plan also reinforces the concept of channeling development and growth in and around existing development while retaining resource areas in less intensively settled areas.

3. Somerset County

The 1996 Comprehensive Plan notes a number of background and development considerations in relation to Somerset County. This largely rural county includes approximately 600 miles of shoreline, two major towns - Crisfield and Princess Anne - several islands and numerous small villages. Crisfield’s largest sectors are fishing, shipping, and tourism, while Princess Anne, the County seat capitalizes on its historic character for tourism. Approximately one-half of the County’s population resides in and around these two municipalities. 

The rural nature of the County is reflected in the following land use figures:

Overall, the State and Federal governments are important landowners, together holding title to approximately 14% of the land area of the County. The best agricultural land is located in the north and east of the County. The Route 13/413 Corridor has been identified as a Primary Growth Area with the capacity to sustain varied land uses. Conversely, the remaining villages and islands are identified as Secondary Growth Areas with planned development recommended to be limited to the in-fill variety.

C. Existing and Potential Regional Assets and Liabilities: S.W.O.T. Analysis

The following evaluation of the region was provided in two forums: the CEDS Committee and public meetings. Through a number of meetings, the Committee listed and discussed the regions’ assets and liabilities. This work will continue as a regular task of the CEDS Committee at its regular meetings.

In addition, public meetings were held in each of the three counties. These meetings included both an open discussion about regional development issues as well as a more structured session to gather the information in this section. The Tri-County Council used the services of a facilitator for this purpose. In general, the public input was very similar to that of the CEDS Committee. This is a positive outcome, as the Committee was chosen for its broad representation of the residents of the three county LES region.

Strengths and Opportunities
The LES region is particularly well-suited for development by its:

Other strengths and opportunities listed by the CEDS Committee are grouped below. The list is meant to be broad enough to allow for action plans to be developed. 

1.) Quality of life: This includes the recreational opportunities, proximity to the ocean and bay, low cost of living relative to the rest of the Mid-Atlantic region, and the character of the people.

Other Issues

The region has many historical, small, quiet villages. These are an asset for tourism attraction but also can be centers for additional growth, keeping and enhancing the area’s character. Eco-tourism is also growing due to the strong base in LES’s natural environment. 

In addition, heritage tourism is an emerging focal point in the tourism industry nationwide, and critical for the LES as well. Heritage tourism is simply tourism/leisure activities with the primary purpose of visiting historic, cultural, natural, recreational and scenic attractions to learn about the past. The Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Committee, Inc., a private, non-profit organization, has been involved with heritage tourism in the LES. The Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Area Plan proposes a heritage effort, including:

The preservation of critical sensitive areas is directly related to this approach given the fact that many of these areas (i.e. wetlands, stream corridors, shoreline) comprise the resources for heritage tourism. Heritage tourism is not a substitute for other forms of economic development, but has been viewed elsewhere as a part of an economic development strategy.

The retention of agricultural lands and natural resources has been an emphasis of Maryland’s Rural Legacy Program. Large tracts of agricultural, forest and natural areas were protected through this program via the purchase of conservation easements. Statewide, this program has protected approximately 10,000 acres since 1998. Recent news coverage on this program suggests that the State’s fiscal constraints may require substantial cuts in State funding for this program.

2.) Educational Resources: These include Salisbury University, UMES, and Wor-Wic Community College. These institutions have begun to fashion development plans as the Greater Salisbury’s U to U Technology Plan demonstrates.

Other Issues:

The existence of these institutions of higher learning provides the basis for creating/enhancing/incubating businesses that will benefit from the transfer of knowledge and technologies. The ability to locate business parks near these educational resources and tie them physically in to their communications systems is an asset.

3.) Regional Cooperation: The region has a common history and is currently engaged in many areas of cooperative planning. The committed agencies and political leaders are a strength that not all regions enjoy.

4.) Existing Regional Assets: The region already has a fairly well developed transportation system. It also has a regional general aviation airport. In addition, the large Federal complex at Wallops Island presents opportunities. Finally, the health industry is anchored by highly rated hospitals.

Other Issues:

The regional assets form the basis for achieving many of the outcomes envisioned by the Committee. Cooperative technology programs with the research at Wallops Island and involving the local universities could be the basis for growing technology industries. The popularity of the LES for retirees could also make the region a leader and research center for developing new services for the needs of this cohort.

Finally, among the assets of the region is the current base of large firms. These include the following major industries by county:

Somerset County:

Source: Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation. “Somerset County- Major Employer Lists, March 2005.”

Wicomico County:

Source: Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation. “Wicomico County- Major Employer Lists, March 2005.”

Worcester County: