Welcome to our weekly column in which a topic of interest, piece of news, relevant opinion, or general request for feedback is presented. We’ll offer the topic du jour and accompanying question, and you have the opportunity to respond with your thoughts.
Simply fill out the form below. A collection of each week’s responses will appear in the following week’s column. To view responses on last week’s topic "Primary Election Early & Mail-In Voting", click here.
Publisher reserves the right to edit responses for clarity and publish online and/or in our print publications.
Please let us know your thoughts!
This week’s Feedback Friday topic is:
Quaint Town Poised for Development & Growth
News of the week in St. Michaels, the quaint waterfront town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is that the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum has broken ground on its new Welcome Center, which is expected to be a boon for the museum and town tourism overall. The development is generally regarded as positive.
Attracting contrary opinion, however, is the planned development of a large-scale hotel in St. Michaels. A Hampton Inn hotel is sited to be built near the town’s entrance and it’s not without criticism. At the town commission meeting on Wednesday, a group of St. Michaels residents voiced their opposition and concerns of the plan, citing examples of other once-quaint towns that became inundated with commercial, chain businesses once they allowed one to be built. In other words, citizens are concerned that allowing a Hampton Inn to be built will open the floodgates to more development and, ultimately, change the landscape and fabric of the community.
What do you think? Is large-scale development inevitable in and around the Chesapeake’s charming, small towns? What do you consider smart-growth?
Please share your thoughts by filling out this form. Today’s responses—and all future Feedback Friday responses—will be published in our Monday newsletters after the weekend. AND, several responses from recent topics will appear in our upcoming print magazines!
