by Jackie Nunnery
HEATHSVILLE—Following a marathon session of public hearings on Thursday, September 12, supervisors rejected a permit for a No Wake Zone and modifications to a conditional use permit (CUP) for livestock on residential waterfront (R2) property. A request to expand a seafood operation to include parking and dry storage was tabled until the October 10 meeting.
Property owner Pamela Mackinaw (formerly Plaster), and Little Wicomico Oyster Company, applicant, were seeking a conditional use permit to expand the existing marina and commercial aquaculture/seafood processing facility on property zoned R2 on the Little Wicomico River.
Mackinaw said when she bought the 26.658-acre property from Grafton Cockrell in 1996, she was told that it was zoned agricultural and leased to a local farmer. She added that Myles Cockrell of Little Wicomico Oyster Company (LWOC), had been leasing part of the property for storage. “The agreement proceeded amicably for several months” with Cockrell later offering to purchase the property. “Over the years, I have been contacted by various individuals, LLCs and builders expressing interest in the property….
