Two New Greenways in Perry Hall

One of my priorities over the past two years has been to preserve open space in our communities.  During the 2012 rezoning process, at my request, the Baltimore County Council applied open space zoning to 54 acres in Towson, 47 acres in Parkville, and 72 acres in Perry Hall.  As a result, the Fifth District now has more land zoned for open space than any other County Council district.
 

I am very happy to announce that Baltimore County will protect more than 38 acres of forested land at two locations in Perry Hall, the largest dedication of open space in more than a decade in this part of northeastern Baltimore County.

The Seven Oaks Environmental Conservation Area.

The county will reclassify about eight acres of publicly-owned land in western Perry Hall as the Seven Oaks Environmental Conservation Area.  This is the wooded property in the 9200 block of Seven Courts Drive, north of the Seven Oaks Senior Center and southwest of Pinedale Drive.

Baltimore County will also preserve about 30 acres of publicly-owned land to the north and south of the existing Indian Rock Park, creating an almost-uninterrupted greenway from East Joppa Road to White Marsh Boulevard. This will become the Indian Rock Environmental Conservation Area.

Not only is this announcement important for the environment, but it is great for taxpayers.   The land was already owned by Baltimore County; the Indian Rock area, in fact, was the never-used alignment for Perry Hall Boulevard.   I did not want the property ever surplused for development, which is why this new status is so important.

Today's announcement is a very important milestone as we work to preserve green space in a fast-growing area of Baltimore County. 

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.

Chapel Road: A Unique Place in Perry Hall

Like hundreds of other families, we enjoyed the Perry Hall Apple Festival this weekend.   Chapel Hills Farm and Nursery and the Perry Hall Improvement Association deserve a lot of credit for sponsoring such a wonderful, family-friendly event.

Source:  Patch.

Chapel Hills Farm and Nursery is popular with families because it's a reminder of Perry Hall's small-town past.  During the fall, when Maryland's weather seems perfect, the farm sponsors hayrides and other seasonal events.   The rest of the year, you can always wander up to the goats with your kids or have them explore the pirate ship while you buy some flowers or vegetables.  It is one of my favorite places in Perry Hall.

Like Weber's Farm in Cub Hill, growth has encroached on the farm.   My goal as County Councilman is to make sure the Chapel Road corridor retains as much of a small-town, lightly developed feel as possible.

The Baltimore County Department of Public Works has, at times, supported widening Chapel Road.  In August of 2011, I obtained a commitment from the county that were no plans to expand the road.  I support resurfacing Chapel Road, but I do not want this to become an expressway that obliterates the homes along its route (Honeygo Boulevard was always envisioned as a corridor for traffic in this area).  At my request, the county has not required the builders of two pending housing developments to build their entrances any larger than the current Chapel Road.

Zoning will affect what can built in this area in the future.  Last month, at my request, the County Council downzoned 69 acres along Chapel and Joppa Roads.  This will lighten future development and take pressure off infrastructure in this area.  

I want to thank all those who made this weekend's festival possible.  I hope this area continues to be a very special part of our Perry Hall community.

Downzoning Decisions Will Lighten Future School Overcrowding

On Tuesday, August 28, the Baltimore County Council adopted my rezoning recommendations in the Fifth District. The recommendations lower the future development potential of 417 acres. Of the acreage that changed during the rezoning cycle, 95 percent was lowered in development potential, which means fewer new homes throughout the Fifth District.

Some of these changes were opposed by developers and landowners, but it is critical for Baltimore County to anticipate the future growth that could occur on undeveloped land. 
 
In Towson and Loch Raven, we lightened the impact of future development on 67 acres, the largest change ever adopted in this area. Some of the rezoning affects community parks and a city-owned reservoir, but the most substantial rezoning affected the Mount Pleasant Golf Course. The old zoning allowed hundreds of apartments or townhouses to be built at the Mount Pleasant Golf Course if the city ever sold the property for development. The new zoning prohibits any new development by designating the 38 acres as open space.

The county has poured millions of dollars into Towson’s schools, which are overcrowded largely due to demographic changes. I don’t want overdevelopment making the situation even worse.

In Carney and Parkville, we downzoned 87 acres, including 67 acres in the Cromwell Valley. I also recommended downzoning undeveloped properties near Northwind Road and Magledt Road. By lightening the zoning, we prevented the impact of growth on Carney and Harford Hills Elementary Schools, Pine Grove Middle School, and Loch Raven High School.

The Council downzoned 263 acres in the Perry Hall area, including 55 acres of wooded property southwest of Perry Hall High School between the Ebenezer Road corridor, Honeygo Boulevard, and Silver Spring Road. This is one of the biggest chunks of undeveloped land in Perry Hall. I believe that without the rezoning change, builders would have proceeded with plans to erect dozens of new homes here over the next two decade, maybe even sooner. 
 
I have advocated for more and better schools for the past 15 years, both as President of the Perry Hall Improvement Association and as President of the school system’s Northeast Educational Advisory Council. In my mind, the county should unquestionably have purchased land for new schools when money was more plentiful. During these tight times, our options are more limited.

Recognizing these limitations, I used my power as a County Councilman to reshape the zoning in the Fifth District to make sure that future development has a lighter and better impact on our schools.

Never Forgetting My Community Roots



Two years ago, I made the difficult decision to quit my job in the federal government to run for the Baltimore County Council.   My family stood by me, despite the threat to our livelihood.   We ran with strong community support and pinched pennies to buy the yard signs, bumper stickers, and handouts needed for a successful race.

Many of my contributions in that first race, and over the past year, have been from friends and neighbors who made small donations because they believed in me.  

I have never forgotten my roots as a community leader.   Anyone who has read the Patch--especially the stories written by the regional editors--knows of my work over the past 20 months:

During the rezoning process, we limited growth on 417 acres, the most downzoning in the Fifth District in two decades.

I worked with my colleagues of both political parties to pass legislation that created the first open space zoning in Baltimore County history.  Then, we applied it to 173 acres, more than in any other County Council district.

We banned panhandle building lots in the environmentally-sensitive Carney and Cub Hill areas.   During the rezoning process, our work eliminated homes from being built behind Summit Avenue and a 7-11 convenience store from being approved at Magledt Road near the snowball stand.

Many of my decisions have not been popular with developers and landowners, but they were best for our communities.

I am very proud of the good work we are doing for our communities, and of the many friends and neighbors who believe in me.   I will never forget my local roots, which is why I work nearly six or seven days a week to make our neighborhoods better.   Thank you for your support.

417 Acres Downzoned in the Fifth District; 174 Acres Designated Open Space

On Tuesday, August 28, the Baltimore County Council adopted my recommendations for rezoning in the Fifth District.   

You can view the adopted changes here.

By the numbers:

We downzoned 417 acres and upzoned 18 acres in the Fifth District.   That means that 96 percent of the land that changed during the rezoning process had its development potential lowered.  

About 174 acres received the newly-created open space zoning designation.  This means that no development can occur on this property.   No other district had as much land designated as open space.

More land was downzoned in Towson, Loch Raven, and the Cromwell Valley than during any previous rezoning cycle.  In Perry Hall, where development pressures are the greatest, we downzoned 263 acres, including much of the environmentally-sensitive area southwest of Perry Hall High School.

I believe these changes will lighten the impact of future development from Towson to Perry Hall, which will lessen the strain on our schools and roads. 

An Update on Rezoning

Since June, I have been announcing my recommendations on the 59 rezoning issues in the Fifth District.   Zoning determines the type and intensity of development on any property in Baltimore County.   Community organizations and private propertyowners are very interested in the rezoning process, which is why I waited until after the two public hearings to begin announcing my recommendations.

I have announced recommendations for 19 issues encompassing some of the largest acreage involved in the rezoning process in the Fifth District.  

I will support downzoning 237 acres in the Fifth District, 158 acres of which would receive open space zoning.   Since open space zoning was created by the County Council earlier this year, this will be the first time it has been applied during the rezoning process.

67 of the acres are in Towson and Loch Raven.  I believe this is the largest such downzoning ever proposed in this area by a County Councilmember.  The downzoned areas would include the Mount Pleasant Golf Course, community areas in Southland Hills and Burkleigh Square, and city-owned properties closer to Downtown Towson. 

69 acres would be in the Parkville area, mostly in the Cromwell Valley.

101 acres are located in Perry Hall, including the wooded area north of Seven Oaks Elementary School, the undeveloped property west of Perryvale Road, and common areas along Honeygo Boulevard.

I have not proposed any increase in residential density.   I will release my remaining recommendations over the next two weeks. 

We live in a system of private property rights.  People have the right to make a profit off their land, and a certain degree of development is needed to grow our economy and produce jobs.  At the same time, I believe we can preserve open space and lighten the impact of growth on our schools and roads with the right zoning decisions.

Preserving the Cromwell Valley

The Cromwell Valley stretches across the northern edge of Towson.   While its western part includes neighborhoods like Campus Hills, the eastern part is largely undeveloped.  This includes the ridge that once supported the Ma and Pa Railroad, as well as Cromwell Valley Park, Long Island Farm, and the woods near Loch Raven Reservoir. 

Years ago, community leaders were warned about high levels of zoning in the Cromwell Valley, and they were urged to downzone property.  That didn't happen.   Today, however, I am announcing that I will support lowering the development potential on more than 66 acres in the Cromwell Valley.   The acreage includes land owned by Baltimore City, a homeowners association, and private propertyowners south of Cromwell Bridge Road, east of Littlewood Road, and north of Satyr Hill Road. 

It is the largest downzoning in this area in county history, encompassing more acreage than exists at Loch Raven High School.  Earlier this year, I also supported the landmarking of "Little Valley," a historic property in this area. 

With this announcement, I have pledged to downzone more than 191 acres in the Fifth District, from Towson to Perry Hall.   The full County Council will vote on this and other zoning recommendations on Tuesday, August 28.

New Laws Protect Open Space, Reform Development Process

The current Baltimore County Council is now 18 months into its term. With five freshmen, this Council has brought new ideas and energy to the table, particularly in the area of planning, zoning, and development.

Bill 2-11 created the Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee. Already, we are seeing a renewed interest in new trails and sidewalk projects. Our office is working to extend the Indian Rock Park trail in Perry Hall and create bike lanes in the Towson area.

Bill 3-11 requires a Community Input Meeting for a new development to be closer to an affected neighborhood. I introduced this bill because I remember when Perry Hall residents had to travel to the Rosedale library to learn about a project in their own backyard. The same thing happened in Carney, where residents were required to go to the Perry Hall library even when there were closer places to meet.

Resolution 29-11 directs the Planning Board to review whether zoning regulations can better stimulate Transit-Oriented Development.

Many of our bills have reformed the Planned Unit Development process. A PUD is a special project that is not contingent on traditional zoning. Planned Unit Developments can play an important role, particularly by encouraging mixed-use development, but they must be done selectively. Bill 36-11 requires a Community Input Meeting and agency reviews before the County Council even considers a PUD resolution.

Bill 64-11 qualifies NeighborSpace of Baltimore County as a community benefit under a Planned Unit Development. Bill 4-12 puts the PUD documents on-line.

I am most proud of Bill 7-12, which creates the first-ever open space zoning designation in Baltimore County, "Neighborhood Commons." We should have areas that are specifically preserved from development. Bill 7-12 gives a County Councilmember this important tool during the rezoning process.

Bill 15-12 gives the public additional notice for a proposed variance or special exception, and it requires these changes to be posted on-line.

Bill 21-12 bans panhandle building lots in Carney, Cub Hill, and Parkville, blocking this type of infill development in a hilly and densely-populated part of Baltimore County.

Bill 23-12 expands the type of projects that can qualify for a property tax credit if the homes meet certain environmental standards. This legislation is good for taxpayers, as well as for the environment.

I worked on many of these bills with Councilman Tom Quirk, who also has a strong interest in planning and development issues. But here's what is extraordinary: not only did the legislation secure support from both Democrats and Republicans, but not a single vote was cast against any of the bills I just mentioned. We will continue looking for ways to advance public participation in the development process.

Planning Board Hearing Set for Tuesday, March 20 on Rezoning Issues

On Tuesday, March 20, the Baltimore County Planning Board will consider testimony on rezoning issues in the Fifth District. The hearing starts at 7 p.m. at Perry Hall High School. Anyone who wishes to speak may sign up at 6 p.m.

The Fifth District which I represent stretches from Charles Street to the Harford County line. While the Planning Board hearing is in Perry Hall, there will be a separate meeting at the Historic Courthouse on Monday, June 4 at 7 p.m. for those who cannot attend on Monday.

I will not attend Monday night's hearing. The Planning Board is an independent body and will make its own recommendations on the rezoning issues in each County Council district.

In preparing testimony, I recommend you identify the rezoning issue by number and succinctly summarize your thoughts. A list of all the rezoning issues in the Fifth District can be found here.

There are 59 rezoning issues in the Fifth District. Private propertyowners and community associations have raised half of them, and I raised the rest because I want a dialogue about the future of development in the Fifth District. I am concerned about the county's ability to pay for roads, schools, and other infrastructure, and I want to make sure we have the right level of growth for our communities.

A New Greenway in Perry Hall, at No Cost to Taxpayers

In the 1960s, Baltimore County had an ambitious plan for new roads that included the construction of Perry Hall Boulevard between White Marsh and Belair Road.   The road was never finished.   One section was built near Chapel Road at the Perry Hall Apartments, and another farther south at White Marsh Mall.   The two sections were never linked, mostly due to community opposition and environmental restrictions.

Today, some of the area between the sections has been built-out, but a lot of it remains undeveloped.   The original alignment for Perry Hall Boulevard is still owned by Baltimore County.  

The 2009 dedication of Indian Rock Park.

In 2009, the Perry Hall Improvement Association convinced Baltimore County to designate the 15 acres west of Perry Hall High School as Indian Rock Park.   The park is undeveloped, although there are plans to construct a hiking and biking trail.  Baltimore County has an opportunity to expand Indian Rock Park by adding the acreage north of Ebenezer Road that was once planned for Perry Hall Boulevard.  To the south, the county could add the publicly-owned land that stretches along Perry Hall Boulevard between Silver Spring Road and White Marsh Boulevard.

Imagine the possibility:  a slender, nearly unbroken chain of forests that stretches from East Joppa Road to White Marsh Boulevard, permanently protected from development.

Although there are no plans right now, I am concerned that at some point in the future, there may be an interest in selling the old Perry Hall Boulevard alignment to generate revenue for the county.   I will be downzoning this property to limit any future development, but the better opportunity is to add the land to Indian Rock Park.   And since Baltimore County already owns the land, it's an improvement that won't cost a penny for the taxpayers.

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.

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.