Department Of Planning

Initial plans for a modest subdivision near the Patapsco Valley State Park have won approval. The development, Grovemont Overlook, would provide 33 single-family detached homes and 9 acres of open space - half of the 17.87-acre project. The property is on the east side of Landing Road, south of Norris Lane, in Elkridge. The state park and Belmont Research and Conference Center are to the east and south of the proposed project, and a 174-unit residential subdivision is to the north. The property of the proposed development is properly zoned, and there was no public opposition Thursday when the Planning Board unanimously approved the preliminary equivalent sketch plan.

A much-anticipated Howard County division overseeing environmental issues is drawing criticism from local activists concerned about its autonomy.The newly approved Division of Environmental and Community Planning was created to revitalize aging communities, protect the environment and help county officials form a strategy to preserve open space.But skeptics argue that the division's authority will be diluted because it is being staffed with planners from the Department of Planning and Zoning who have little experience in conservation and even less authority to oppose environmentally destructive projects.

Transportation plan needs smarter focus and better land useThe development of a regional process and ultimately a product such as the Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan is daunting for an area as diverse as the Baltimore region.Blending rural, suburban and urban interests is always a difficult task but necessary to develop a truly regional transportation plan. I understand and commend the diligent effort the region's representatives give to this process. I also understand and have witnessed the evolution of the current update of the Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan from the original plan of 1994.

TODAY, MARY Edmondson will conclude 30 years of service in Howard County's Department of Planning and Zoning.In a joint proclamation by newly elected County Executive James N. Robey and Howard County Council, Edmondson is recognized for "her extensive knowledge which has been invaluable as she capably and effectively helped to manage a complex department, promoting teamwork and harmony among employees and earning the respect of her peers and all those who...

Howard County could have another Main Street if the plans of a Baltimore developer for a parcel of land on Route 108 are approved.Christopher Kurz has filed a request with the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning to rezone 20.5 acres of the old University of Maryland Horse Research Center to construct four office buildings with shops and restaurants on their first floors.The plan entails building the office complex around a "Main Street" that would bisect the parcel and offer parallel parking, gazebos and park benches -- somewhat like Main Street in Ellicott City, four miles away.

County planners consistent on new post officeI am writing in response to an article that appeared in the Oct. 6 edition of The Sun in Carroll titled "Red Light for Post Office Proposal," because of comments made by the Post Office representatives.To our surprise, the Post Office claimed that the Carroll County Department of Planning and Development told it one thing, then changed its mind and told it the opposite concerning future location of the Eldersburg Post Office.First, it is important to note that the planning bureau has supported the need for an expanded post office in the Freedom area.

A Pasadena couple will ask the county Board of Appeals tomorrow to reverse a decision by the planning department that prevents them from expanding their assisted-living home.Edmund and Eugenia Janik say their Outing Avenue home for senior citizens is large enough to accommodate 15 people and has been approved by the county's Office of Aging.But county Department of Planning and Code Enforcement officials contend the home does not meet fire safety regulations.The two sides will present their positions at 6: 30 p.m. in Room 310 of the Arundel Center, 44 Calvert St., in Annapolis.

Like new homeowners who rush in to remodel, repaint and repaper their new purchase, every new board of commissioners in Carroll feels compelled to reorganize county government.The current board is no exception. It has redrawn the county's organizational chart in the hope of increasing efficiency and lowering costs. Shortly after taking office, the commissioners said they would retain a consulting organization affiliated with the University of Maryland to study Carroll government. Once they discovered the review would cost $10,000, commissioners W. Benjamin Brown and Donald I. Dell took a "stab" -- in Mr. Dell's words -- at reorganizing.

If you fear what will happen to the empty meadow next door, hate the way Ritchie Highway looks or think something must be done to spark life into downtown Glen Burnie, the Anne Arundel County Department of Planning and Code Enforcement wants to hear from you. The county is working on its "general development plan," a blueprint for zoning and regulations that will guide development for the next 20 to 25 years."

The Edgewood area has been designated by Harford County Executive Eileen M. Rehrmann for the first phase of a community planning councils program that she promises will increase citizens' involvement in government and the future of their communities.In time, 12 other communities in the county also will be represented by a group of citizens appointed by the executive to act as advisers to the Department of Planning and Zoning.Each community planning council will consist of seven to 14 people representing neighborhoods, businesses, employers, schools and churches.

A developer who wants to build 4,300 homes in a rural part of Allegany County and the county's elected commissioners have filed suit against Maryland's environmental and planning agencies, accusing them of illegally blocking the project. In the lawsuit, filed late last week in Allegany Circuit Court in Cumberland, Terrapin Run LLC is seeking $16 million in damages, contending that the state's denial has made it impossible to develop the 935-acre tract near Green Ridge State Forest. The county commissioners asked the court to make the agencies approve the project.

The Harford County Development Advisory Committee serves as a forum for the review of subdivision and site plans submitted to the Department of Planning and Zoning by those seeking building permits. The committee will review the following proposals at 9 a.m. Wednesday (in the second-floor conference room of the Harford County government building, 220 S. Main St., Bel Air: 500 W. Gordon St. Location: End of West Gordon Street, on the north side. Developer : Harford County/Bay State Land Services.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed - or to have something to look forward to. That's why people like to know what real estate developments are brewing in their communities. You can gather information with a visit to your local planning office, but you have other research options, too. Anne Arundel County, at www.aacounty.org/LandUse, has maps of subdivision activity and a list of scheduled "pre-submission" meetings between developers and residents. The Office of Planning and Zoning is at 2664 Riva Road in Annapolis, 410-222-7450.

The Harford County Development Advisory Committee serves as a forum for the review of subdivision and site plans submitted to the Department of Planning and Zoning by those seeking building permits. The committee will review the following proposals at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the second-floor conference room of the Harford County government building, 220 S. Main St., Bel Air: Chapel Road Sports Complex Location: North side of Chapel Road. Developer: Harford County/G. E. Fielder & Associates.

The National Association of Realtors released a survey this week about the housing market that suggests most Americans subscribe to the good-time-to-buy argument that both the Realtors and the homebuilders are making. From the news release: "This year's results show that nearly nine out of 10 consumers believe that buying a home is a good financial decision. Fifty-nine percent of respondents also agree that now is a good time to buy a home; that number is even higher (64 percent) in areas of recent home price declines."

Thomas Wayne Rimrodt, a Republican campaign manager who had been an assistant secretary in the Maryland Department of Planning until early this year, died of brain cancer Sunday at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. The Parkville resident was 41. Born in San Diego, Mr. Rimrodt earned an undergraduate degree at California State University at Hayward and two master's degrees - in public administration and in political science - from Claremont Graduate University in California. After serving as the city manager of Atherton, Calif.

Howard County government appears headed toward having a stronger, higher-profile environmental presence, but a group of volunteers is struggling with the question of what form such an agency should take. Pushing ideas to improve the environment is one thing, but having the power to make them happen is another, which is why members of the Commission on the Environment and Sustainability were examining the options this week at a meeting in the George Howard Building in Ellicott City. Should county government have a new, full-fledged Department of the Environment?

Kimberley Flowers, a former government employee in Washington and Baltimore, has been named deputy director of the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning. In the $104,187-a-year position, Flowers will serve as an ombudsman among the department, community and other government officials. She began her new job Monday. The position was recommended in February by a transition team for County Executive Ken Ulman, which said that there was a need to establish greater trust with the community.

Two departments, both of which are at the heart of some of the most contentious issues facing the county, have lost the public's confidence and lack accountability, according to a report to be released this week. It accuses the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Department of Housing and Community Development of operating without well-defined strategies. The document recommends broad changes and urges a "top-down analysis" of both departments. A subcommittee of the transition team prepared the report for newly installed County Executive Ken Ulman.

Initial plans for a modest subdivision near the Patapsco Valley State Park have won approval. The development, Grovemont Overlook, would provide 33 single-family detached homes and 9 acres of open space - half of the 17.87-acre project. The property is on the east side of Landing Road, south of Norris Lane, in Elkridge. The state park and Belmont Research and Conference Center are to the east and south of the proposed project, and a 174-unit residential subdivision is to the north. The property of the proposed development is properly zoned, and there was no public opposition Thursday when the Planning Board unanimously approved the preliminary equivalent sketch plan.