ST. MICHAELS, Md. - A proposed hotel might be heading back to the drawing board in St. Michaels.
The site plan of the Hampton Inn hotel proposed for 906 S Talbot St. might be looking for a makeover.
A letter sent Friday by the town planner to the engineer explains new ordinances that were recently passed by the St Michaels commissioners, that now will require major revisions.
Three major ordinances were passed May 10 by the commissioners to protect their town and its citizens.
One ordinance requires fire apparatus access throughout the property.
Town Planner, Steve Ball says, "It's a new requirement for fire access to have fire access around the entirety of the building instead of just around part of it."
Another is a franchise, chain, and formula ordinance that would require serious changes to make the hotel fit in to St. Michaels.
Ball says, "They look at how it looks, the scale, the form, the size, to make sure it fits in with the community." He added, "All of these were developed with the intent of looking at our entrances into the community, the commercial development and how it fits in with the overall quality of design which is what St. Michaels is known for."
Debra Alms, a local bed and breakfast owner who has not been the biggest fan of the proposed Hampton Inn says, these new ordinances will protect their town.
"It is looking to the future not only for protecting our town from franchises and for life safety issues but for any further development. We're not against businesses at all. We just want the more little mom and pop, little franchises, and little startups," says Alms.
Leaders and neighbors protecting their small, quaint town from big chains.
