General Plan

A proposed townhouse complex for senior citizens in rural West Friendship has ignited a debate over whether Howard County officials can stop the project after it received the blessing of the Board of Appeals last month.Ahmad Bagheri's plan to build 25 units on 13.75 acres in the 11000 block of Frederick Road was approved Jan. 12 by the board, which overruled objections raised by the county Planning Board and the Department of Planning and Zoning.Now, Planning Director Joseph W. Rutter Jr. says he will not approve any building plans for the project unless compelled by the County Council.

Replace the Howard County Board of Appeals with an administrative hearing officer.Help farmers prosper in an increasingly urban setting.Give tax breaks to developers interested in revitalizing aging neighborhoods.Those are just a few of the suggestions offered last night by an advisory panel of civic activists and business leaders studying the county's 1990 General Plan.The 34-member General Plan Task Force met last night at the Columbia Gateway building. It was appointed by County Executive James N. Robey in April to help county officials shape the next General Plan, which identifies specific growth areas in one of the wealthiest jurisdictions in the country.

A hearing on one of the largest mixed-use communities proposed in Howard County since the founding of Columbia likely will be postponed until September.The Zoning Board was scheduled to hold a hearing tonight on Stewart G. Greenebaum's plans to develop the 507-acre Iager farm in Fulton, with 1,168 units of single-family houses, townhouses, condominiums, cottages, apartments and office buildings. But members of the County Council, which also serves as the Zoning Board, decided to postpone the hearing.

Howard County's General Plan Task Force meeting has been rescheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Burleigh Manor Middle School, 4200 Centennial Lane.The meeting originally was planned for tomorrow evening.Information: 410-313-2350.Pub Date: 10/13/99

At a public hearing last night, about 50 residents offered suggestions for the 2000 Howard County General Plan that will shape the county's future.The suggestions included improving information technology resources in schools and building more walking paths.The hearing at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City was conducted by the Planning Board, which will help draft the General Plan that shapes growth.Several residents complained about the rapid pace of growth in the county and said that the General Plan should not extend public sewer and water service in the rural western county.

Volunteers and professionals working on Howard County's new 10-year General Plan are entering the next phase in developing a guide for the county's growth.After months of work identifying dozens of issues the county will face in the next decade, the 34-member General Plan Task Force is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Burleigh Manor Middle School to consider its new role in the next phase of the long process."We were charged by the county executive to develop the issues and act as a review panel," Chairman Jim McGowan said.

Slowing growth and development will be the focus of Howard County's 2000 General Plan as it was in 1990, a member of a task force working on ideas for the document said last night."

With hundreds of new homes rising around historic Ellicott City, young mothers like Courtney Watson worry that Howard County's laws regulating development don't prevent crowded classrooms.Farther south, in Savage, William B. Waff is worried, too -- about how many more cars will whiz past his home when a new village-style development starts rising nearby, despite a law that tries to match development to the capacity of roads and schools.But Jim Eacker, who helped draft the county's adequate public facilities ordinance in 1992, said the law "has worked extraordinarily well."

A 34-member advisory panel analyzing Howard County's General Plan wrapped up two days of subcommittee reports last nightin a first-floor conference room of the Columbia Gateway Building.Five subcommittees of the General Plan Task Force identified priorities for the next General Plan, a document that directs growth in areas of the county.The Responsible Regionalism subcommittee was one of the last groups to make its presentation.The subcommittee suggested, among other ideas, coordinating public transportation systems linking residential and employment locations throughout the Baltimore-Washington corridor, developing an economic plan that would improve the fiscal health of those cities and working with governments to revitalize aging neighborhoods.

And the wait goes on.Sixteen months after the Howard County Zoning Board gave the Rouse Co. a green light to build a community of homes and businesses in North Laurel, and nine months after opponents filed a lawsuit to block the development, both parties went to Circuit Court yesterday.Judge Diane O. Leasure is not expected to issue a ruling on arguments posed by an attorney for the opponents for at least several weeks, but they said they are more than willing to wait for what they hope is a favorable decision.

The revival of Columbia's stagnant downtown by a Dallas-based developer is still in its formative stage, but the 30-year "smart growth" plan could generate more than $300 million annually in state and county tax revenue, according to the Howard County Economic Development Authority. Richard Story, CEO of the Economic Development Authority, disclosed that figure to the County Council on Wednesday night, one night after the developer, General Growth Properties, provided little in the way of details about its plan.

Article on car lot missed key point Larry Carson's article Feb. 1 on the effort of Concerned Citizens of Western Howard County to block development of a used car lot in Daisy missed one important point our community organization has been making about the need for rezoning in the county's rural west. That point is that if rezoning had been done by the county when it should have been done, we would not be fighting a proposal to build a used car lot in a rural community where the General Plan in 1990 and 2000 said such large-scale commercial development is impractical and undesirable outside of five designated rural growth areas, of which Daisy is not one. The problem was created by the failure in the 2003-04 comprehensive rezoning process to follow policy set in the 2000 General Plan that was adopted to protect the rural character and resources of the county's largest remaining area of agricultural preservation, rural conservation and rural residential land - nearly 70,000 acres.

Though an annual report shows that new home construction in Howard County dropped precipitously last year, land-use issues remain a pressing concern among politicians and activists. To be sure, complaints about land-use policy have been somewhat subdued in this period between elections. But the housing slump detailed in the annual county report hasn't completely quieted the conversation. "We have big changes [coming] in Columbia," said Mary Kay Sigaty, a Democrat who represents West Columbia on the County Council.

Planning process needs total overhaul In the editorial "Controlling growth" (March 13), The Sun states that "the current planning process is clearly broken." I strongly agree with that position. Here in Howard County, we have a beautifully written general plan, as is required by the state. The county executive and the County Council are responsible for implementing the plan through the comprehensive zoning amendment process, in which the status of all properties and regulations is up for revision.

In an ironic conclusion to months of contentious debate, the two chief protagonists were not around to hear the verdict as the Planning Board unanimously approved a plan to expand the luxury development of Turf Valley in western Ellicott City. The outcome was widely anticipated after opponents struggled to present relevant evidence of why the expansion should be stopped during hearings that stretched over six months. The board members Tuesday night refrained from responding to those who demeaned their integrity and challenged their competence during the hearings.

Nothing is ever treated as routine when it comes to Turf Valley. The next evidence of that is likely to come in November when a challenge is made contesting the Planning Board's right to consider the latest expansion proposal of the luxury development. Until now, the board's authority has gone unquestioned. It has spent much of the past 18 months on plans - and criticisms of them - to enlarge the project in western Howard County. But opponents are turning their attention to the board itself, says Marc Norman, co-chairman of a coalition fighting expansion of the development.

A central question has emerged in the fight over proposed zoning changes that would further restrict development in western Howard County: Are farmers being protected or punished? Not surprisingly, the two sides on the issue have starkly different answers on the proposals that could affect the future of land worth millions of dollars in potential development. The key proposals, announced last week by the county, would restrict cluster subdivisions in that part of the county to one unit per 10 acres from one unit per 4.25 acres; prohibit the selling of building rights on land zoned rural conservation; and reduce over three years to 150 from 250 the number of homes permitted on rural conservation property.

Volunteer Maryland coordinator sought for Neighbor Ride Neighbor Ride has been approved for a 2005-2006 partnership with Volunteer Maryland, a program of the governor's office that develops volunteer service and learning programs to meet critical needs in the state. Neighbor Ride, which matches volunteer drivers with seniors who need transportation to medical appointments, social outings, volunteer and paid work, religious services and other destinations, will receive the services of a Volunteer Maryland coordinator.

Relay for Life raises $300,000 to fight cancer Howard County's annual Relay For Life, held June 10 and 11 at Hammond High School in Columbia, raised $300,000 for the American Cancer Society. Money was raised throughout the year by 95 participating teams, through corporate sponsorships, donations for luminaria and a Kids' Walk. Last year's event raised $265,000. Some 200 cancer survivors and their guests participated in the Survivors' Reception. After opening ceremonies, survivors walked their traditional lap around the track; then team members began circling the track, and at least one member from each team continued walking through the night.

Five years after adopting its blueprint for the future, Howard County has made significant progress in implementing many of its goals but seems to be losing the battle on others, particularly in housing prices, according to a report to be presented this week to the Planning Board. The draft report monitors the status of the 10-year General Plan, adopted in 2000. The General Plan establishes policies and steps to address a myriad of issues, including orderly growth and development, environmental protection and the delivery of county services.