Zoning Law

A crowd filled a Carroll County hearing room last night to register disapproval of a new zoning law that many say will spur unwanted development across the county's rural landscape. Residents filled every seat in the room, and the crowd spilled into the hallway. An overwhelming majority of the more than 40 residents who spoke said they want to see the law repealed. The crowd of about 100 cheered each time someone bashed the law and booed whenever someone spoke in favor of it. "This [zoning law]

A crowd filled a Carroll County hearing room last night to register disapproval of a new zoning law that many say will spur unwanted development across the county's rural landscape. Residents filled every seat in the room, and the crowd spilled into the hallway. An overwhelming majority of the more than 40 residents who spoke said they want to see the law repealed. The crowd of about 100 people cheered each time someone bashed the law and booed whenever someone spoke in favor of it. "This [zoning law]

Despite a state ultimatum that could cost Carroll County $400,000 for farmland preservation, two of the three Carroll commissioners remain steadfastly in favor of the zoning law that has raised the state's ire. Commissioners Donald I. Dell and Robin Bartlett Frazier have reaffirmed their support for the law. But Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge will push for its repeal at a Tuesday night meeting with Carroll planning officials, preservation groups and...

Despite a state ultimatum that could cost Carroll County $400,000 for farmland preservation, two of the three Carroll commissioners remain steadfastly in favor of the zoning law that has raised the state's ire. Commissioners Donald I. Dell and Robin Bartlett Frazier have reaffirmed their support for the law. But Commissioner Julia Walsh Gouge will push for its repeal at a Tuesday night meeting with Carroll planning officials, preservation groups and...

In an unprecedented action, the state of Maryland has issued an ultimatum to Carroll County commissioners: Repeal a contentious new zoning law by Jan. 15 or funds for your vaunted farmland preservation program will be cut. The zoning law, now 3 months old, counters the goals of the state's farmland preservation program and, more broadly, Gov. Parris N. Glendening's Smart Growth agenda, said Roy W. Kienitz, Maryland's secretary of planning. "Indeed, this appears to be the single largest step backward in rural land protection in Maryland in recent memory," he wrote in the letter dated yesterday to the commissioners.

Ed Primoff got a preview Friday of the opposition he will face as he tries to push through a 41-lot development proposal for his farmland near Woodbine. A long line of neighbors said the development would strain roads, schools and wells in the area along Route 97 in South Carroll. Their complaints came despite Primoff's promise not to build houses on his 190 acres as long as he lives there. The exchange occurred at a meeting of the county's subdivision review committee, which cannot approve or reject a proposed development but gives the developer a list of technical issues that must be addressed before a project can proceed.

Ed Primoff will have to pay for soil and well tests on his farmland before his application for a 41-lot subdivision can be approved, the county commissioners decided yesterday. The county Health Department recommended the tests, a hydrogeological study. Such a recommendation is not common but seemed necessary considering the potential impact of the tightly clustered development on well and septic systems, said Charles Zeleski of the Health Department. "It's been a long time since we've had a development this size on well and septic," Zeleski said.

Reacting to widespread criticism, the Carroll commissioners asked yesterday for a meeting with county planners and farmland preservationists to discuss how the county will implement a recently passed zoning law that many say promotes development on farmland. Among the three commissioners, Julia Walsh Gouge appeared to be the only one interested in substantively changing the law. But it was Donald I. Dell who called for the meeting, saying the commissioners should at least respond to questions and concerns that have arisen in the past month.

Reacting to widespread criticism, the Carroll commissioners asked yesterday for a meeting with county planners and farmland preservationists to discuss how the county will implement a recently passed zoning law that many say promotes development on farmland. Among the three commissioners, Julia Walsh Gouge appeared to be the only one interested in substantively changing the law. But it was Donald I. Dell who called for the meeting, saying the commissioners should at least respond to questions and concerns that have arisen in the past month.

Reacting to widespread criticism, Carroll County commissioners asked yesterday for a meeting with county planners and farmland preservationists to discuss how the county will implement a recently passed zoning law that many say promotes development on farmland. Donald I. Dell called for the meeting, saying the commissioners should at least respond to questions and concerns that have arisen in the past month. Several county staffers expressed reservations about the wording of the law yesterday to the commissioners.