2012 Was a Year for Preserving Green Space

Source:  Baltimore Sun.

During my second year on the Baltimore County Council, we passed several bills that will improve Baltimore County's neighborhoods and help our families, including major reforms of the development process. But I am particularly proud of the work we are doing to preserve open space and improve the environment in Baltimore County.

Bill 21-12, for example, prohibits panhandle building lots in the hilly Parkville and Carney areas. Bill 23-12 expands a property tax credit for energy-efficient homes. Bill 36-12 adds "Little Valley" off Rushley Road to the list of protected historic landmarks in Baltimore County. I was a principal sponsor of all three bills.

I am particularly proud, however, of Bill 7-12, which created the first-ever open space overlay in Baltimore County.  With this legislation, the County Council was able to designate 174 acres in the Fifth District as open space, more acreage than in any other County Council district.

Development is needed to provide more housing and commercial areas, create jobs, and expand our tax base, but I also want to see more land left green and pristine throughout our neighborhoods. This year, we made real progress in reaching that goal.

County Council Approves Adding Park Properties in Perry Hall

On Monday, July 2, the Baltimore County Council approved a land transfer that will allow the county to acquire a large wooded property next to the Maryland Fish and Game Protective Association, as well as a small parcel next to the Perry Hall public library. Both parcels are situated along Honeygo Boulevard. 

With this transfer, Baltimore County will create an almost-uninterrupted chain of forests and parks from Joppa View Elementary School to Joppa Road.

The property to be acquired near Honeygo Boulevard
and Ebenezer Road.

The larger piece is a triangular property adjacent to the Maryland State Fish and Game Protective Association and Honeygo Park. It includes 10.8 acres of environmentally sensitive, forested property. It was once the proposed site for a gymnasium, and construction of an access road had started off Honeygo Boulevard. That land, seen to the right, will now be added to Honeygo Park and protected from all future development. 

The second piece is a rectangular, 1.2 acre property immediately south of the Perry Hall library. A committee I appointed has recommended a playground and ampitheatre at that site. 

The county will trade 9.3 of land with a developer to acquire the 12-acre sites. 

I supported this plan because there was a net gain of parkland for the residents of Perry Hall; because the plan preserves a particularly sensitive area from development; and because the transfer was supported by local community organizations, including the Tremper Farms and Northgate Hall homeowners associations.

Honeygo Park Picked for New Dog Park

I am very happy to announce approval from the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks for a dog park at Honeygo Run Regional Park in Perry Hall.

The dog park will be located on the eastern edge of Honeygo Park, at a small field that is isolated from the athletic fields and picnic pavilions.   This area has been informally used as a playing field for dogs for several years.

I would like to thank County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and the Department of Recreation and Parks for their support of the Perry Hall Dog Park.  We spent many weeks going back and forth about an ideal location, but I believe this will be a great new resource for the Perry Hall and Kingsville communities.  

I would also like to thank the committee I appointed last summer to advance this concept.  The committee will now focus on fundraising and the logistics needed to get a park open in 2o12.
 

For more information, visit the Perry Hall Dog Park page on Facebook.