Population growth leader, industrial growth laggard

WHETHER IT'S smart growth or not, Carroll County is among the hottest growth spots in the state.

Westminster ranks at the top of Maryland cities in population growth from 1990 to 1996. The county seat increased by 15.4 percent in that period.

Rankings obviously change over time. Much of Westminster is built-out, so some other town will probably be atop the growth chart next time.

No one is saying that Westminster attracted the largest number of new residents. That double-edged honor goes to nearby Frederick, which surpassed Rockville, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Population growth for Carroll County as a whole was about 19 percent, second only to Howard County (22 percent) in the Baltimore metro area.

Much of Carroll's increase, of course, came before the Interim Development Control Ordinance was enacted in May 1996. That measure put the brakes on new residential development in much of the county for nearly two years.

Meanwhile, Carroll was overhauling its master plan for land use and refining the growth-control plan that became the Concurrency Management Ordinance. That limits housing to 6,000 new units over six years.

So Carroll is apt to fall from the next growth-leader list. That will be welcomed by many residents who must deal with already overburdened roads, schools and other public facilities.

Industry needed

What Carroll needs is more industry, to ease the residential tax burden and to strengthen the base of its economy. That's been the repeated message of county government for many years.

To address this problem, the Economic Development Commission and private landowners recently proposed rezoning about 1,000 acres of farm and conservation land for mostly industrial use.

But the Carroll Planning and Zoning Commission rejected most of those changes.

Some parcels are being reconsidered and may be rezoned. With 1,900 acres of industrial-zoned land available in the county, the need is real.

One reason for the small industrial land inventory is that commercial development has been permitted on these properties.

$30 million shopping center

It's somewhat surprising that a major conversion of industrial land to commercial use is planned for the Eldersburg area. A developer wants to build a $30 million shopping/entertainment complex on 34 acres along Route 32.

Whether the project would spur sufficient economic development and job creation to outweigh concerns about inadequate roads and declining values of nearby homes will be a tough call for the county Board of Zoning Appeals.

Land zoned industrial does not have to stay that way. That's why land-use plans are reviewed and revised regularly. But the proposal to rezone industrial land to build yet another shopping complex seems inconsistent with county efforts to increase the supply of industrial land.

The county must consider why it should convert farmland to industrial land, and then rezone industrial land for commercial use.

'Smart growth' constraints

The governor's "smart growth" policy, emphasizing future development in established communities to prevent sprawl, also poses some constraints on economic development plans of the county.

Misunderstanding has arisen about the program in Carroll. Finksburg is a targeted growth area, yet it lacks a central urban area and the public water and sewer required by "smart growth." It would not get priority for state spending on roads and facilities under the program rules.

The recent proposal to build a state police crime lab on the Springfield Hospital Center grounds near Sykesville was another case. The state Office of Planning said it would not be consistent with "smart growth," preferring the facility be rebuilt at its current location in Pikesville in northwest Baltimore County.

That raised fears about the future of Springfield's Warfield property, which the state is giving to Sykesville -- specifically for development. It also raises questions about future use of the rest of the Springfield land (including 700 acres used as a state police training center).

A state planning official explained that the Warfield land would qualify as "smart growth," once it is annexed by the established municipality of Sykesville. The remaining hospital land would not qualify for funding under "smart growth" because of its remote location and lack of an urban center. The police firing range-driver training facility that opened last year required such a remote location, says the planning official.

Most state facilities, however, have more stringent requirements for where they can locate. For private economic development, the state can consider less rigid requirements in deciding whether to pay for infrastructure projects.

Mike Burns is The Sun's editorial writer in Carroll County.

Pub Date: 4/05/98