1960's & Chesapeake Bay Bridge

In the 1960’s, much of the land along the US 50/301 corridor from Stevensville on Kent Island across the Kent Narrows and into Grasonville was zoned for commercial development. Otherwise, the County’s vast agricultural and waterfront areas typically were zoned for one house per every one or two acres.

The maximum theoretical buildout of the County, based on the 1965 Comprehensive Plan, was approximately 261,000 dwellings, translating into an equivalent of 880,000 people based on 3.36 people per household; demographics have changed in the past 40 years leading to smaller households, but in 1965 this was the average.

However, with permitted densities of 1-2 dwellings per acre in the agricultural district, conceivably 66 percent of the development (172,000 dwellings or 577,000 people) could have been located in this area of the County devoted to farming. Also, under the proposals of the 1965 Plan 3,300 acres of commercial and industrial building coverage was theoretically possible.

Bay Bridge
The completion of the second span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in 1973 was long awaited by the many travelers anxious to “reach the beach.” The second span also played an important role in the development of Kent Island as the commute became easier to employment centers on the Western Shore in Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

As a result, the Kent Island and Grasonville areas became much more attractive bedroom communities and provided the catalyst for additional development pressures, such as retail services and marinas, which also necessitated new infrastructure. Sewer Treatment Plant