*TC For want of a stream, a multimillion-dollar development plan went down the drain yesterday.
And Green Spring Valley neighbors couldn't be happier.
The controversial Bridle Ridge development, proposed for 90 acres of the St. Timothy's School campus in Stevenson, was rejected by a Baltimore County official because a small stream and some wetlands did not appear on the plan, which details homesites, roads and landscaping.
In making his ruling, Deputy Zoning Commissioner Timothy Kotroco ended the hearing on the plan, which has been vehemently opposed by the community during the past 18 months.
His decision will force school officials to revise the plan to accommodate the stream and wetlands in the property's southeastern corner, and a forest buffer around them. It also requires them to hold another community meeting.
In his ruling, Kotroco wrote: "This omission is too substantial and too material to simply allow an adjustment to be made to the plan. It is appropriate to resubmit this development plan for full review by the Baltimore County reviewing agencies and the many citizens who attended the hearing."
The school's attorney, G. Scott Barhight called the ruling on the 63-home development "a minor delay. We are going to proceed with the development," he said, adding that a reduction in the number of homes was unlikely.
J. Carroll Holzer, attorney for the opponents, said he hoped the all-girls' school would take this setback as an opportunity to develop a plan that would satisfy the school and its neighbors.
Hundreds of community residents have opposed the development, claiming it is too dense for the rolling valley, will crowd schools and roads, and will foul the environment. The land the school intends to sell is woods, hayfields and riding trails.
"We're delighted. This plan is defective," said Holzer, the second lawyer hired by the Coalition to Preserve the Valleys from St. Timothy's School's Bridle Ridge Development.
"We feel that the hearing officer listened to the community, something St. Timothy's has failed to do," added Amy Kahn, spokeswoman for the coalition. "They should be willing to sit up to the table and listen to what we have to say and do a plan that is palatable to both sides."
No one in either camp would estimate how long the project might be held up.
Pub Date: 7/15/97
