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Senior Homes for Kent Island Approved by MD Board of Public Works

msa.maryland.gov

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - A Maryland board has approved a wetlands license needed to build more than 1,000 homes for senior citizens on Kent Island.

The Board of Public Works voted 2-1 Wednesday for a license needed for the Four Seasons development, a project that has sparked debate for years.

Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford and Treasurer Nancy Kopp voted for it.

Kopp opposes the plan, but believes a ruling by the state's highest court constrains the board to support the license. The Court of Appeals concluded the board based a previous decision not to support the license on factors outside its authority. Kopp says she's confident the matter will end up back in court.

Comptroller Peter Franchot voted against it, saying it's a vote for sprawl that will discharge pollution into the Chesapeake Bay.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.