Rezoning

A man who lives on the eastern edge of historic Doughoregan Manor in Ellicott City has filed a circuit court appeal of Howard County rezoning to allow development of hundreds of new homes — a key part of a plan that allows some development in order to preserve the rest of the property. The Carroll family, descendants of Charles Carroll of Carrolton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, wants to develop part of the 892-acre property to raise money for restoration and maintenance of the estate that once comprised more than 10,000 acres, while keeping it in family hands.

A zoning change granted late Friday will enable descendants of Charles Carroll of Carrolton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, to build hundreds of new homes on a portion of Doughoregan Manor, their Colonial-era Ellicott City estate, while preserving the rest of the 892-acre property. The Howard County Council is due to vote Thursday on the final element of the complex arrangement: a contract that lays out all the elements of the deal between Camilla and Philip D. Carroll and the county.

Whom do you trust: Mary Kay Sigaty, a 60-year-old woman who lives between the Mall in Columbia and the Wilde Lake Village Center and has spent decades doing community volunteer work topped by two years on the county school board and four on the County Council — including preparing new zoning for what she believes will be central Columbia's revival? Or Alan Klein, a 56-year-old man whose family was involved in Columbia's first years, who says he's imbued with the values that James W. Rouse espoused, and who says the zoning for Columbia's town center redevelopment is a sell-out to master developer General Growth Properties — an example of elected officials being co-opted instead of standing up for constituents?

A prominent critic of the Columbia downtown rezoning will challenge Howard County Councilwoman Mary Kay Sigaty, who led the council to a unanimous approval of the two measures Feb. 1. Both are Democrats. Alan Klein, 56, a resident of Harper's Choice and spokesman for a group called the Coalition for Columbia's Downtown, said he plans to formally announce Monday his candidacy in the District 4 County Council primary. He would face Sigaty, 60, of Wilde Lake, who is seeking re-election after one term on the council.

Unhappy that their petition drive to put the housing portion of the downtown Columbia rezoning on November's ballot was disqualified by the Howard County Board of Elections, Russell Swatek's Taxpayers Against Giveaways group has asked for a review in Circuit Court, he said, and will seek federal court relief, too. County elections board administrator Betty Nordaas confirmed that judicial review has been requested and said the board has also taken...

A small Howard County group calling itself "Taxpayers Against Giveaways" is forming to try to put a key rezoning bill allowing the redevelopment of central Columbia on the November ballot. The group represents critics of the 30-year plan that would allow up to 5,500 new housing units, 4.3 million square feet of office space, and 1.25 million square feet of retail space, hotels, public plazas, walkways and other amenities intended to rejuvenate the 43-year-old planned town's center.

With a final County Council vote scheduled Monday on rezoning downtown Columbia, advocates for housing affordable to low-wage workers feel their hopes for a last-minute compromise are dead. The Howard County Council briefly discussed their ideas at a nearly five-hour work session Monday night, but it appears ready to adopt a requirement that builders provide at least 15 percent of new units for households with incomes under about $80,000 - too high, the advocates said, to meet the real need.