General Plan

From: Ridgely JonesSykesvilleThe 1990 General Plan projection of 2,500 housing units per year is out of touch with reality.The General Plan was worked on in the years 1987, '88 and '89. The economic conditions in that time framewere not the conditions that prevail today.The massive indebtedness of the federal government, which increases monthly, makes it highly unlikely that Howard County will get the financial assistance for capital improvements that it has received in past years.The financial condition of the state is also progressively getting worse.

A federal judge has declared unconstitutional a provision in Maryland law regulating who can carry a handgun, effectively loosening the restrictions governing firearm possession on the state's streets. In a 23-page memorandum opinion, made public Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Benson E. Legg said a state requirement forcing those applying for a gun-carry permit to show that they have a "good and substantial reason" to do so "impermissibly infringes the right to keep and bear arms," as guaranteed by the Second Amendment.

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

Robert and Maxine Walker are hoping for county approval allowing them to hold social events at their Woodbine farm, despite neighbors' opposition at two hearings this month that further delayed a ruling by the county's Board of Appeals. Back in 2009, the Walkers asked the county for permission to open an antiques store and rent out a portion of the property for private events for up to 150 people, but several neighbors fought back over concerns about noise, to increased traffic, possible drunk drivers and worries over a business operating in a agricultural area.

Howard Circuit Court Judge Cornelius F. Sybert Jr. has ruled that the county's 1990 General Plan and the 1992 and 1993 comprehensive rezonings of the county are valid.Five neighborhood activists had asked the court to overturn both the plan and the rezoning on the grounds that neither is subject to a voter referendum or a veto by the county executive."I'm shocked. Really, really shocked," said Jean Iampieri Quattlebaum of Ellicott City, one of the activists who brought the suit. "We had so much valid information.

Circuit Court Judge Cornelius F. Sybert Jr. said Friday that he will decide within 10 days whether to issue a summary judgment in a case brought by five neighborhood activists who want him to declare invalid the county's 1990 general plan and 1992 comprehensive rezoning of the west.A summary judgment is one in which both parties agree to the facts of the case and ask the judge for a binding ruling. If there is no such ruling, the case proceeds to trial.In the case before Judge Sybert, the facts are about the only thing to which the county and the complainants -- Susan Gray of Highland, Pauline Sieverding of Elkridge and three other activists -- agree.

Five activists wanting to slow Howard County's growth have filed suit asking that the county's 1990 General Plan and the 1992 comprehensive rezoning of the west be declared invalid.The suit also asks that the County Council sitting as the Zoning Board be enjoined from taking any further action to comprehensively rezone the eastern portion of the county."We're asking for a sweet, simple declaratory judgment," said Highland resident Susan Gray, one of the five plaintiffs.Ms. Gray said she and the other plaintiffs -- Thomas Horvath of West Friendship, Jean Iampieri Quattlebaum of Ellicott City, Gary Prestianni of Jessup and Pauline Sieverding of Elkridge -- filed the suit because they believe that most county residents are "almost overwhelmingly against" the General Plan and the rezoning.

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.

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."

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.

The plan to cluster hundreds of new homes in the northeast corner of historic Doughoregan Manor and preserve the rest of the estate took a big step forward Monday night when the County Council unanimously approved the extension of public water and sewer to the property. The next step is a county Zoning Board hearing May 12, when the board - composed of the five council members - will consider a zoning change for the land. The Ellicott City estate is the only home of a signer of the Declaration of Independence still in family hands, and the descendants of Charles Carroll have shown a determination for nearly 300 years to preserve their family home and keep the public away.

Extending public water and sewer lines to allow 325 new homes at Doughoregan Manor appeared to get a boost Monday during a three-hour County Council discussion of the proposal to develop part of the historic Ellicott City estate. Every county official questioned by council members on issues brought up by critics said the Carroll family's plan is the best way to proceed, though some issues - such as what to do with wastewater - defy easy answers. Under the proposal, the new homes would be clustered in the northeast corner of the 892-acre estate, 34 acres would be donated for the expansion of a county park and the money raised through the development would enable preservation of the rest of the property.

Simon Property Group Inc. said General Growth Properties Inc.'s plan for discussing Simon's proposed takeover of its bankrupt rival is "unreasonable" and asked the mall operator to reconsider its negotiating agreement. Simon, the largest U.S. shopping mall owner, said General Growth's draft of a nondisclosure agreement would prohibit Simon from talking with potential partners and wouldn't ensure the company receives the same information made available to competing bidders. Simon commented in a letter sent to General Growth Chief Executive Officer Adam Metz and distributed Friday in a news release.

Columbia, the planned Howard County town known for decades as a national model of rational suburban growth, is now poised for an urban heart transplant. The legal framework for a three-decade plan to transform central Columbia -- from an auto-dominated, disconnected series of aging buildings and a shopping mall into a lively urban downtown -- was unanimously approved late Monday by the Howard County Council. The votes follow more than 52 hours of formal hearings and work sessions over three months.

Columbia, the planned Howard County town known for decades as a national model of rational suburban growth, is now poised for an urban heart transplant. The legal framework for a three-decade plan to transform central Columbia - from an auto-dominated, disconnected series of aging buildings and a shopping mall into a lively urban downtown - was unanimously approved late Monday by the Howard County Council. The votes follow more than 52 hours of formal hearings and work sessions over three months.

A COUNTY'S "General Plan" may not compete with John Grisham as summertime beach blanket reading. But the document will have a lot more importance than any courtroom potboiler. And, in September, the Howard County Council will meet again to consider the document that will lay out directions for at least the next 10 years. In a sense, this exercise is designed to foresee and to shape the future. The planning occurs amid heightened concerns about growth, money to provide for it and the quality of life.

The Howard County Council approved last night a new 20-year General Plan and a bill limiting home building in areas where middle schools are crowded. The council also rejected an administration bill that would have applied strict maintenance standards for the exteriors of owner-occupied homes. "This bill is a terrible bill. This bill stinks," said Ellicott City Republican Christopher J. Merdon about the maintenance bill before he voted against the measure. Merdon said that "personal freedom is preserved in Howard County."