Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Berlin’s moratorium on final site plan approvals, rezonings, and annexations will be lifted gradually and slowly as the town secures the servies of a new planning director.

On Monday, Jan. 13, the Berlin Town Council unanimously voted to lift the pause on final site plan review while continuing the moratorium for 45 days for rezonings and annexations.

The decision came at the same meeting town announced it has hired Ryan Hardesty, an experienced senior code enforcement officer with the City of Salisbury, as the new acting planning director.

The position has been vacant since April following the passing of Dave Engelhart. Rick Baldwin has worked as a consultant in the planning department since then, but a moratorium on certain actions, including final site plan approval, rezoning requests and annexation, was put in place in July to limit the burden on staff until a replacement for Engelhart could be found.

“The initial moratorium was enacted to ensure that the town’s growth remained aligned with the unique character that we have and to make sure projects don’t jeopardize our quality of life,” Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall said.

According to Tyndall, Hardesty will begin her new role on Feb. 3 and have a transition period before stepping into the full planning director position.

“From a town perspective, we are very excited to have Ryan start and fill that role,” the mayor noted.

After the mayor’s announcement at the council meeting, Berlin opted to lift the moratorium with a gradual, phased-out approach to ease the new hire into the position. The proposal includes lifting the ban on final site plan approvals while maintaining the pause on rezoning requests and annexations for an additional 45 days.

“The hiring of a full-time planning director is essential in lifting [the moratorium] fully,” Tyndall said. “We have to be understanding that we have a new candidate that is starting, and to throw the floodgates open in one fell swoop is probably not the best approach. It also allows us to have the candidate understand and us to hopefully further develop our strategic vision for Berlin and make sure the projects we approve maintain the character of our town.”

Hardesty graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2000 and immediately began working as a rental agent for Shoreline Properties in Ocean City. In 2010, Hardesty accepted a position as an administrative records clerk for the City of Salisbury before transitioning to the city’s senior code enforcement officer in 2014. After 10 years in the post, Hardesty is set to bring her experience to Berlin as the town’s planning director. Code enforcement has long been a weakness in Berlin.

The moratorium was initially enacted on July 8 and was set to expire on Sept. 15. As Berlin struggled to lock down a full-time planning director, the pause was extended to mid-October on Aug. 12, until Nov. 15 in September, and to Jan. 15 on Oct. 15.

Tyndall said the decision to lift the pause on final site plan approval is because of engineering support, which “can be helpful in getting those projects across the finish line while still onboarding the new candidate.”

While the 45-day extension for annexation and rezoning requests is a “ballpark” estimate, the town hopes to lift the moratorium fully around March 1. The mayor added that final site plan approvals are the bulk of the work, and rezoning requests and annexations are “one-offs.”

Councilmember Steve Green said it was noteworthy Baldwin remain on as planning consultant as Hardesty enters her new role and transitions to Berlin.

“It is important to the planning director talk to remind the public that our planning consultant will be involved and staying on through this transition,” he said. “I support the phased approach we have here. We enacted the moratorium in July with the idea that it would be a temporary pause. The clincher for me is knowing that we have direction … I think it’s a wise approach.”

Tyndall confirmed Baldwin has agreed to stay with the town through 2025.