A: Annexation allows a town to bring additional land into its municipal boundaries, according to state law. This process requires a petition to the Town — meaning to the necessary legislative body — and also requires public notice. The petition identifies the property and the requested zoning or use. The town has to undergo a public process of advertising and holding public hearings. It also requires notice to adjacent property owners.
The Land Use Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland stipulates that the petitioner has to address the parcel(s) of land being brought in and denote any critical elements such as ingress (entry) and egress (exit) points. The Town must also consider the infrastructure that will be needed to support the land. The latter is key because there must be a fiscal plan to ensure that the resources are there to extend the infrastructure or to absorb the impacts of development. Generally members of the public have an interest in these kinds of issues.
The HUB team has met all of the legal requirements to submit the annexation petition and has a website about the proposed project that has been up for several years. It has also engaged in other public communications and informational Town sessions.