Our natural beauty and open space is one of our greatest assets. If we lose that we will never regain it. We can be smart in our approach to deal with the demand and still maintain the character of our county that makes it such a desirable place to live.
John R. Leopold
Republican
State delegate, District 31
Pasadena Age: 63
In preparation for a job boom at Fort Meade, County Executive Janet S. Owens has made upgrading transportation around the Army post a priority, directing millions toward Route 175, Route 198 and the MARC commuter train station in Odenton. As county executive, what are the priorities you would establish to prepare for growth around Fort Meade?
With the BRAC realignment generating more than 12,000 new jobs in the Anne Arundel County over the next decade and with eight of the nation's 10 largest defense contractors having offices here, the county lies at the heart of the informatics corridor and is poised to be a leader in the Baltimore-Washington region.
I support:
A. Planned housing and office space developments near Arundel Mills and the Odenton Town Center;
B. Expansion of the International Baccalaureate program and other rigorous academic initiatives to provide well-trained human infrastructure;
C. Planned transportation improvements to Route 32 and Route 175 and a Metrorail extension from the Washington area to Fort Meade and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport;
D. Revision of the General Development Plan to encourage employment growth and high-density residential development near mass transit;
E. Expedited completion of MARC parking.
Residents in Gambrills and Crofton have called for a development moratorium along Route 3 as state plans for overhauling the nine-mile corridor remain delayed. What would you do as executive to get the decades-long state project off the ground?
Growth management is the key issue facing the county, and the need for an independent executive who is accessible to, but not controlled by, the growth industry is critical. I support short-term moratoria only in specific instances, such as the one I supported on the Mountain Road peninsula because of its one-road access. When the reversible lane traffic solution was achieved for Mountain Road, the moratorium was lifted. Similarly, I would support a Route 3 corridor moratorium that was based specifically and temporarily on the need to protect land that reasonably may be needed to secure needed traffic improvements to Route 3.
A proactive approach should include:
A. Expedited replenishment of the Transportation Trust Fund, which I initiated during the 2003 legislative session and higher priority for Route 3 traffic improvements;
B. Strengthening the adequate facilities law to require an analysis of the aggregate impact of numerous subdivision requests in a given area, not just the impact of a single subdivision.
Large-scale development is largely absent in the county's southern tier, which is dominated by farmland. Given regional growth demands, do you believe this area should remain closed to such development?
Keeping South County rural is an important planning goal, which I strongly endorse.
I support:
A. Protecting environmentally sensitive land, creating parks and keeping farmland economically viable;
B. Protection of South County in a revised General Development Plan;
C. The preservation of large forested and agricultural areas of the county through use of incentives such as conservation easements, transferable development rights and acquisitions;
D. Establishing planning measurement goals in the county to ensure that the percentage increase in developed land does not exceed the percentage increase in preserved land;
E. Using the revision of the Critical Area law, which is planned for 2007, as a vehicle for land preservation and erosion control;
F. Continued support of the scenic roads ordinance;
G. Accelerated replenishment of State Open Space and Waterway Improvement Fund monies, which I supported in the General Assembly.
Gregory V. Nourse
Republican
Assistant Superintendent, Anne Arundel County public schools
Glen Burnie Age: 57
In preparation for a job boom at Fort Meade, County Executive Janet S. Owens has made upgrading transportation around the Army post a priority, directing millions toward Route 175, Route 198 and the MARC commuter train station in Odenton. As county executive, what are the priorities you would establish to prepare for growth around Fort Meade?
