Zoning Code

Downtown should not only go green, it should be the center of a vibrant city-wide open space network. In suggesting Baltimore should have a leading edge central park that connects surrounding neighborhoods and business areas, Tom Wilcox ("Downtown should go green," Dec. 7) has acknowledged the elephant in the room. The recreation of downtown has greatly improved the economic health of the city. Now it's time to make it an exciting, cheerful and physically healthy place to work, live, visit and play.

It's time to put up a fight. Baltimore is right to defend its existing zoning code against a Department of Justice lawsuit concerning the placement of group homes in residential neighborhoods. The suit, filed last week in the U.S. District Court, seeks an unspecified amount of money for three organizations and seeks to compel the city to allow residential treatment facilities housing up to eight addicts in any neighborhood. It would invalidate sections of the city zoning code that require City Council approval for the placement of such facilities.

Almost a year after vetoing a comprehensive rezoning package and bringing an abrupt end to a contentious episode, Harford County Executive David R. Craig unveiled a plan yesterday to revise the zoning code and put the rezoning effort back on track. Last March, Craig struck down a rezoning package approved by the County Council, saying it allowed too much growth outside the county's designated development area. The move scrapped about 350 rezoning requests for parcels throughout the county and left hundreds of property owners unable to move forward on development projects.

Boisclair Advertising Inc. sued Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke yesterday for $3 million over what the company contends are broken promises in its nearly 2-year-old battle with the city government over 1,200 company-owned billboards in Baltimore.The suit filed in Baltimore Circuit Court alleges the mayor misrepresented his authority when he signed an 1989 agreement calling for the company to reduce the number of billboards in predominantly black neighborhoods in East and West Baltimore and to cut back the amount of tobacco and alcohol advertising they carried.

Pasadena community activists say they're tired of living in "the least desirable looking area of the county" and are calling for help from the county zoning office."

An article in yesterday's Anne Arundel edition of The Sun incorrectly reported which agency enforces the county zoning code. The Department of Planning and Code Enforcement handles that function.The Sun regrets the error.A Pasadena recycling plant that has a 60-day contract with the county to grind wood stumps into mulch apparently has been doing so without a permit and without proper zoning.The owner of A-A Recycle & Sand Inc. in the 8200 block of Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd. said yesterday that local and state agencies have told him he may continue recycling wood, which he said he has been doing for two years.

Westminster's five-year effort to develop a downtown histori district has taken some curious twists, but the one drawing the most attention is city attorney John B. Walsh Jr.'s recent admonition that council members must not discuss the issue with constituents or the press.At first glance, it is bizarre that an issue of this importance is out of bounds for discussion. However, as Mr. Walsh explains, his advice has to do with the form of the proposed historic district ordinance.The problem is that the council is trying to take two separate actions simultaneously.

Most Eastport residents have enthusiastically embraced a plan to preserve the historic character of their quaint Annapolis neighborhood, but some complain that they haven't been given much information about the zoning changes.The residents spoke at a City Council hearing Monday night. The plan was sponsored by Alderman Ellen O. Moyer, D-Ward 8, who ironed out details with the help of city planners during the last two years.The proposal is designed to save the 100-year-old working-class, maritime community bounded by Sixth Street and Horn Point, located just across Spa Creek from downtown Annapolis.

Builders and property owners will no longer be allowed to tear down older homes and build on underlying lots that are not large enough to meet current zoning requirements. The Anne Arundel County Council approved a bill Monday night that corrects a quirk in the zoning code that had frustrated community associations for years - especially in older waterfront neighborhoods that have grown increasingly popular. In many communities, such as Cape St. John and Bay Ridge, neighbors have watched as modest homes that straddled old lot lines were torn down and several homes were built in their stead.

The operator of Mother's Federal Hill Grille was ordered to pay $1,000 in fines yesterday for using the bar's "Purple Patio" parking lot as a party ground for tailgating bashes on Ravens game days. Baltimore's three-member Environmental Control Board, which hears cases on housing and sanitation complaints, found Mother's owner David C. Rather in violation of the city zoning code for converting the parking lot into a tailgating zone on game days. Rather, who was fined $500 on Aug. 5 and 12, the dates of two preseason games, said he will appeal the decision to the full, 13-member Environmental Control Board.