Legislation Will Create Open Space Zoning Designation

At our February 6th meeting, Baltimore County Councilman Tom Quirk and I will introduce legislation that creates a no-build zoning overlay in Baltimore County.

The legislation creates a “Neighborhood Commons Overlay District” that would permit only open space or minor recreational structures within the property.  The overlay district could only be implemented during the Comprehensive Zoning Map Process, and would apply to a property held by a nonprofit entity such as NeighborSpace of Baltimore County within the urbanized part of Baltimore County.   It would also apply to common areas owned by homeowners associations.

This is the first no-build zoning overlay of its kind in Baltimore County.  Should the County Council adopt the legislation, the new zone could be used for this year’s Comprehensive Zoning Map Process. 

I am very proud of this legislation; there has been a significant amount of research as we crafted the bill, and I consider it a very important initiative.

Over the past thirteen months, the Baltimore County Council has enacted numerous reforms to the development process.  This bill will create an additional layer of protection for our communities.

Learn about the Citizens on Patrol Program

This Thursday, February 2nd, I will host a Fifth District Community Advisory Council meeting at the Perry Hall public library at 7 p.m. I established the Community Advisory Council to bring together civic leaders from Towson, Loch Raven, Parkville, and Perry Hall. The council meets quarterly to discuss legislation and issues of common interest.

The Towson Area Citizens on Patrol.

When planning for this meeting several weeks ago, I thought it would be helpful for Parkville and Perry Hall residents to learn about the Towson Area Citizens on Patrol program. While there are Citizens on Patrol units throughout Baltimore County, the Towson Area COP is by far the largest and best organized. If there is interest in starting a COP program in northeastern Baltimore County, the Towson Area Citizens on Patrol can provide strong insight.

I had no idea when planning this presentation that the area would soon experience a series of burglaries and other crimes.

I have great respect for the White Marsh and Parkville police precincts, which provide constant communication to me, to our state legislators and to community associations. Perry Hall and Parkville are still among the safest communities in eastern Baltimore County. Still, I am extremely concerned about recent events and urge the public to remain vigilant and observant.

A Citizens on Patrol program can help improve public safety. Volunteers learn how to recognize and report suspicious activity, and they often patrol neighborhood streets. But running a COP program can require a lot of work, which is why I have invited the Towson Area Citizens on Patrol program to brief the public on their operations.

Although the Community Advisory Council is targeted to civic leaders, anyone can attend this meeting. For more information, feel free to contact my office at dmarks@baltimorecountymd.gov.

Movies Returning to Downtown Towson

The Towson Circle III announcement.

I was very happy to join the County Executive and other civic and business leaders at today's announcement that Cinemark has agreed to operate the movie theatres at Towson Circle III.  Cinemark is one of the nation's premier theatre companies.  Locally, Cinemark operates the theatres at Arundel Mills Mall.

I have fond memories of going to the movie theatres at Towson Commons in the early 1990s.   There was an electricity in the air as the Towson Commons project sparked revitalization throughout the downtown core.  

I have been a strong supporter of the Towson Circle III project.  It's important to have a blend of restaurants and entertainment options in Downtown Towson, and I hope we can bring back some of the energy we had in Downtown Towson when Towson Commons opened in the 1990s.   Today's announcement was yet another signal that revitalization is underway.

A Guide to the Rezoning Process

Every four years, the Baltimore County Council looks at the zoning for land throughout the county.   Every property has a zoning classification, which reflects its development potential.      

In the urbanized part of Baltimore County, much of the land has a residential or commercial zoning designation.  Land designated DR 16, for example, means that 16 units can be built per acre; this zoning typically allows dense multi-unit complexes.   A lighter residential zoning might allow for one house per acre (DR 1) or two houses for acre (DR 2).   There are also numerous commercial zoning designations that allow for anything from smaller businesses (CB) to the type of intense development found along corridors like Pulaski Highway (BR).

Zoning is very important.   After nearly two decades as a community leader and now as a County Councilman, it is my experience that a development rarely gets dismissed if the appropriate zoning is in place.

This fall, property owners had the opportunity to propose zoning changes, and I submitted 30 issues in my role as County Councilman. All told, I want to review the zoning for about 480 acres of land across the Fifth District.  It is the most ambitious review of the development potential of land in the Fifth District in two decades.

Baltimore County needs development to recover from the recession. Development adds jobs, brings activity to our commercial areas, and expands our tax base—and while people often tell me they want no more houses built in their neighborhood, government cannot and should not take away private property rights. On the other hand, I am concerned about Baltimore County’s ability to pay for new schools, roads, and other infrastructure, and I want to make sure we have the right scale and type of development.

You can learn more about the rezoning process at Baltimore County’s Web Site.   The Web Site includes the log of issues and what each zoning classification means.  

The first opportunity to testify on the zoning changes is before the Planning Board on Tuesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. at Perry Hall High School (sign-up begins at 6 p.m.).  The Planning Board will forward its recommendations to the County Council.  Residents who cannot make this hearing will also be able to testify before the County Council at the Courthouse in June.

If you care about the future scale and level of development in northeastern Baltimore County, I urge you to follow this important process.

O'Malley's Teacher Pension Shift

Governor O'Malley's proposed state budget would shift $240 million in teacher pension costs to local governments.  Bryan Sears details the impact on Baltimore County in Patch. 

This shift has been debated at the state level for several years now.   State legislative leaders have repeatedly sought the change, but the governor held off such a move due to concerns raised by the Maryland Association of Counties and individual county leaders.   The Maryland Association of Counties has a good summary of the debate over pension costs at its blog, Conduit Street.

I will be following this issue closely as the Maryland General Assembly considers the governor's budget proposal.  Teacher pension costs represent another bill for Baltimore County to pay, even as we emerge from a difficult economic recession.  Money that Baltimore County will need to spend on teacher pensions could be targeted toward other priorities, such as schools, infrastructure, and economic development.

Legislation Will Further Reform PUD Process

At the Baltimore County Council meeting on Tuesday, January 17, legislation will be introduced that further reforms the Planned Unit Development (PUD) process.  Under Bill 4-11, any PUD application will be posted on the County Council Web Site once the application is filed with the county.

Under a Planned Unit Development, a developer receives zoning flexibility in return for enhanced performance standards and a community benefit package.  While PUDs have been controversial, they can play a useful role in developing and revitalizing communities.  The County Council recognized there needed to be reform of the PUD process, and in 2011, the Council passed legislation that required community input and agency reviews before a PUD resolution is introduced before the Council.  Bill 4-11 takes this one step further by requiring the PUD application to be posted on the Internet.

I commend Councilman Tom Quirk for coming up with this legislation.  I am pleased to cosponsor the bill along with Councilman Ken Oliver, and look forward to its approval.

County Council Starts Budget Process

This month, the Baltimore County Council began the process that will culminate with the adoption of the county budget in May.  

Our charter gives the County Executive strong powers; the Executive submits the budget to the Council, which can only delete from the proposal.   The County Council does, however, have an important responsibility that occurs several months before the submittal of the budget proposal.

In 1990, the County Council passed a spending affordability law to ensure that increases in spending do not exceed the county’s rate of economic growth.  The law mandates that the County Council’s Spending Affordability Committee make a recommendation each Fiscal Year on spending and debt guidelines.

I have been honored to serve on the Spending Affordability Committee for both of my years on the County Council.  The other two County Council members are Tom Quirk, who chairs the SAC, and Vicki Almond, chair of the full Council.  There are also two members from the private sector.  An Economic Advisory Committee assists with the assessment of private sector growth. 

Our first meeting was last week.  The Economic Advisory Committee noted some positive signs that  that the economy is slowly improving.  Economic growth in the housing and labor markets improved during the later months of 2011; December was the best month for home sales since 2007.  Still, personal income in Baltimore County is expected to have grown only between 4 percent and 4.5 percent this Fiscal Year, and while other counties have higher unemployment rates, there are still many residents who are out of work.

Add to this the likelihood of cuts from the federal and state governments, and the prospect of teacher pension costs shifting to the counties, and it’s clear that this Spending Affordability Committee must adopt a conservative budget threshold.  I look forward to working with my colleagues and the County Executive to ensure we maintain a fiscally disciplined approach.

Klein's Shop Rite to Open at Perring Crossing

I am happy to announce yet another redevelopment project for one of our shopping centers.  A Klein's Shop Rite supermarket will open at the Perring Crossing Shopping Center.  The supermarket is expected to open at the shopping center at 2305 Cleanleigh Drive, in the Parkville/Loch Raven area, by early June. 

Supermarket representatives recently held a meeting with community leaders. The 55,000 square foot space will be completely renovated. Construction is expected to begin in January, and hiring should commence in March. 

This supermarket will not only fill an important need in the community, but it will add over 200 jobs to the community. 

Term Limits for the Baltimore County Council

This month, I will introduce legislation to establish a three-term limit for County Councilmembers.
Under the bill, no person could serve more than three consecutive terms on the Council.   This would require a change to the county charter approved by the voters in the 2014 general election.   

Baltimore County's Historic Courthouse

Term limits represent an important reform of county government.    They provide for an automatic turnover of officials in government, and they require Councilmembers to make the most of the time they are given to lead Baltimore County.  Just as the County Executive is term-limited, I believe there should be term limits for members of the County Council. 

Those Councilmembers who have served multiple terms in office have undoubtedly made contributions to Baltimore County.  But there are other men and women who could have made contributions, but do not have same benefits of incumbency that improve the odds of getting reelected. 

At the very minimum, I think the voters of Baltimore County deserve the opportunity to vote on term limits.   An affirmative vote by the County Council gives the voters that opportunity.

Five Spaces to be Filled at Perry Hall Square Shopping Center

I am happy to report that five spaces at the Perry Hall Square Shopping Center totaling 9,500 square feet have been leased to two businesses.

Perry Hall Square Shopping Center, Source: Patch.

Salvo Auto Parts will occupy 8,500 square feet of land, or four spaces, near The Liquor Lady at the shopping center. Shi Yogurt will occupy 1,000 square feet near the bowling alley.

Both businesses should be operational by the late spring or early summer.

I have made the revitalization of Perry Hall's business district one of my top priorities in Perry Hall, and am excited that two job-producing businesses will be filling empty space at Perry Hall Square.  While everyone has their own wish list for what should fill Perry Hall Square, my emphasis has been filling the empty space and bringing new jobs to the shopping center.

I have remained in contact with Greg Reed, Assistant Director of Aquisitions and Development at Kimco Realty, since hosting a community meeting last fall that addressed the future of the shopping center.   The revitalization of the Perry Hall business district is one of my top priorities. 

Community Meeting on Towson Circle III

Towson Circle III is a development that would be built on four acres in eastern Towson, between Joppa Road and Delaware, Virginia and Pennsylvania Avenues.   This project has gone through many changes over the past decade.  Plans now call for restaurants and a 14-screen multiplex cinema. 

In December, the Baltimore County Revenue Authority approved an amended lease agreement that will allow it to build a larger parking garage at Towson Circle III.  This was an important milestone that advances the project to construction.

Towson Circle III is a critical ingredient as we revitalize Downtown Towson.   It brings new patrons to Downtown Towson and diversifies the community's entertainment and restaurant options.

I will sponsor a meeting on Wednesday, February 8 at 7 p.m. at the Carver Center (300 Lennox Avenue) in which the developers of Towson Circle III will be available to answer any questions from the community.