Tag: western maryland

The state’s most recent known approval of activity within the protected Wild Youghiogheny River corridor is among topics to be discussed at a public meeting next week.

The Youghiogheny Scenic and Wild River Advisory Board at 9 a.m. Monday will discuss how it can get notice in advance of actions that could harm the environment the group was formed to protect.

The event will be held at the County Commissioners Meeting Room, Frederick A. Thayer, III Courthouse, 203 South Fourth St. in Oakland.

It will also be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/garrettcountygovernment/.

The purpose of the meeting is “to discuss the development of a protocol for timely notifications regarding activities and projects within the river corridor to foster communication and collaboration between the Local Youghiogheny River Advisory Board, Garrett County, and the Department of Natural Resources,” a public notice for the event stated.

“This initiative is vital for ensuring that all parties are aligned and that our actions are consistent with the Youghiogheny Scenic and Wild River: Study and Management Plan,” it stated.

“My concern is (for) plans and activities to be presented to the advisory board and discussed before action is taken,” Donald Sebold, chairman of the advisory board, said via email. “This is why the (Youghiogheny River) management plan calls for an advisory board.”

Steve Storck, who owns property in the Wild Yough scenic corridor, said he was pleased to hear the advisory board will meet.

“It is great to hear that the board has decided to take initiative to investigate and discuss recent actions by Maryland DNR in regards to their management of the Wild Youghiogheny,” he said via email. “From what I understand it was always envisioned that this group would be a partner in management of the Yough and their meetings a place to discuss and resolve issues related to its management.”

Bridge

Contributing factors that prompted the advisory board’s upcoming meeting include decisions made by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources in the last few months.

DNR in August conditionally approved Garrett County’s application to build a new bridge and road in an offset alignment of the Swallow Falls Road bridge.

Prior to that decision, DNR requested the Youghiogheny River Advisory Board’s recommendation on the issue.

In response, the board said the bridge should follow the same alignment as the existing structure with the road closed for the construction project.

DNR’s subsequent conditional approval contradicted the board’s recommendation.

for more information Yough advisory board to discuss Swallow Falls bridge project | Local News | times-news.com

With mortgage rates soaring and fewer homes for sale, Baby Boomers are dominating the housing market like a real-life game of Monopoly. The shifts in who is buying homes have been trending in that direction for quite some time, but it was confirmed this month by data released from the National Association of Realtors. As the Washington Post puts it, “grandparents have been edging out younger buyers who are struggling to get into the market for the first time.” The stats show that first-time buyers make up only 32% of home sales, down from 38% since 1981. Today first-time buyers are older—more likely to be in their mid-30s on average, as opposed to their mid-20s in the 1980s.

On top of that, repeat buyers, or people who have already purchased a home or two in the past, have a median age of 58 (it was 36 in 1981). These repeat buyers tend to have more money on hand because they sold past homes, with the typical seller in 2023 being age 60. (The youngest Boomers are 59.) “We are still talking about an incredibly difficult market for first-time buyers to enter, even if there’s slightly less competition,” Jessica Lautz of NAR tells the Post. “If there’s a multi-offer situation, an all-cash buyer or someone who has a lot of equity is likely to win. And that person is going to be older.” Along with older buyers being more likely to have generated wealth from recently selling a home, they also probably have great credit in their favor, and can make more attractive offers, throwing in cash sales or large down payments.

“They have the appearance of being more stable,” realtor Jennifer Dodd says, “and a sense of them being more able to complete this purchase.” CBS News reports that Boomers are buying more homes than originally expected—creating unexpected demand in an already competitive market. Reasons why older adults want to move include divorce and a spouse’s death, when they go on to form new households. In these situations, they are often in competition with first-time buyers, who are looking for similar types of homes: those with fewer bedrooms and minimal upkeep. NAR data also showed that 70% of recent homebuyers did not have children under the age of 18 (in 1985, that number was 42%). (Read more real estate news).