In April, the Shepherdstown Town Council approved the annexation of the Hurney Property, which comprises approximately 19 acres on East German Street opposite the Shepherdstown Day Care Center.

Over forty citizens of Shepherdstown and surrounding areas attended the meeting. Zenia Kuzma presented a petition that she said included more than 70 names opposing the annexation.

The second reading of the annexation proposal was passed four votes to one, with Mayor Lance Dom, Wanda Smith, Neal Martineau and Howard Mills all voting in favor. Frank Salzano was the only to member to vote against the measure.

Town Recorder Jim Ford was absent from the meeting. Jim Ford—who is on record opposing the annexation—had hoped he would be called by telephone during the meeting to allow him to vote. According to Dom, he wasn’t sure that voting by telephone was legal.

Former mayor and Town Council member Peter Wilson was absent from the meeting, as he has been from five of the past nine Town Council meetings. It is not clear how he would have voted on the annexation proposal.

Now that the annexation has been approved, the next steps for the Hurney property will be an application for subdivision and, following approval of subdivion, permission from the planning department to build homes. The developer of the land, Michele Hurney, hopes to build over 60 townhomes on the property.

Ms Hurney said, “We are committed to working cooperatively with the planning staff to design an innovative project. We have the opportunity to be on the cutting edge, working together to create a ‘New Urbanism’ design that will embellish the Town, benefiting its economy and meshing intrinsically with its unique historic character. We believe that the leadership in Shepherdstown has given our annexation petition a thorough and studied review for the past three and a half years. Many concerns and questions have been rightfully raised over this time, which have resulted in a positive and creative progression toward proactive town planning.”

For more information on the annexation see www.shepherdstown.us/annexation.