Zoning Code

David R. Craig brings to the job of Harford County executive a reservoir of strengths. A retired middle school administrator, he is an advocate for well-funded public schools that are neither overcrowded nor underperforming. As mayor of Havre de Grace, he oversaw redevelopment and revitalization efforts. A former state legislator, he understands the symbiotic relationship between state and local government and the latter's reliance on state funds for roads, transit and school construction.

Truck freight terminals in Hampstead would need special approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals if a town planning commission proposal is accepted by the Town Council.Commission members voted unanimously last night to recommend the Hampstead Council add truck terminals and warehouses to industrial restricted zoning.But concerns about the noise and traffic a truck terminal might bring led commission members to add the further restriction for that use."In my experience, truck terminals are typically one of the most troublesome uses," said commission member Dennis Wertz, who works as a planner in Baltimore County.

A group of Fallston residents has lost what its members had hoped would be a second chance to argue their case against a $6 million foster care complex that has been proposed for their neighborhood.County Zoning Hearing Examiner William F. Casey ruled Friday in favor of the dismissal sought by the attorney for the Board of Child Care, an agency of the Methodist Church that wants to build the 60-bed facility for abused and neglected youths at Harford and Reckord roads.Led by resident Salvatore J. Glorioso, the Fallston Meadows Community Association had appealed in February a decision by Harford County Planning Director William G. Carroll that reaffirmed his interpretation of the zoning law relating to group homes.

Zoning rules permit PUD for care center A recent letter regarding the Keswick Multi-Care Center's proposal for the Baltimore Country Club property misrepresents the zoning aspects of the proposal ("Roland Park proposal imperils zoning code," Jan. 5). Keswick's plan for its continuing-care community would require the City Council to approve a planned unit development (PUD) ordinance for the property but would not require the area's existing R-1 zoning to be changed. The R-1 zoning category was not designed as an exclusive single-family enclave but, in fact, expressly permits such nonresidential uses as schools, museums, community recreation centers and religious institutions.

Nonprofit supports fair land use laws Gregory Mellon's letter from April 9 was way off base. Regardless of one's occupation, every citizen has a right to express his or her opinion. Yes, I represent builders and developers, but I also represent churches, affordable housing groups, families and nonprofit groups. I am the founder and volunteer board member of the Anne Arundel County Alliance for Fair Land Use, which is a registered nonprofit organization. We are a diverse group of people who are affected by land-use actions.

Duncan moves from UM to private sector Douglas M. Duncan, the former Montgomery County executive, resigned yesterday from his vice president's job at the University of Maryland to take a job with a private start-up company, the university said. Duncan had served as vice president for administrative affairs for the past 17 months, at an annual salary of $255,000. Duncan will join CivicUS, a new firm that advises local governments on executive management, as a senior vice president. The university said the resignation, effective Nov. 7, is not related to a recent dust-up in which Duncan had said he was forced to back out of a political forum at the direction of Gov. Martin O'Malley's office.

After nearly two years of work, Harford County officials say they have drawn up a blueprint to guide growth for decades to come. The 800-page document, introduced to the Harford County Council last night, is designed to preserve farmland, direct growth to established areas and set the standards of development. The zoning code bill includes the first substantial changes to land-use regulations in a quarter-century - or longer, if, as one official said, the 1982 rewrite was simply a rewording of a 1957 code.

Wicomico County Council approves zoning code The Wicomico County Council approved a new zoning code last month, the first major changes to the county's development law since the 1960s. The changes are the culmination of a year of review by county planners. They picked up a process that started when the council formed an advisory committee to examine updates in 2001. The changes were prompted by the council's passage of a comprehensive plan in 1998. Zoning must conform to the ideas laid out in the plan.

In the tightly packed rowhouses of West Inverness in Dundalk, a new feeling of community pride is quickly making its presence felt.Days after officially incorporating on Nov. 4, the West Inverness Community Association sent letters to about 80 residents notifying them of zoning violations on their property.Louis Romeo Jr., association president, said the group's goal is simply to beautify the neighborhood and raise property values."Some residents feel we're making waves, but I like to think they're good waves," he said.