Bevins: Land Use Regulation Council's Most Important Role

Of the County Council’s various roles, responsibilities, and legislative functions, the regulation of land use is arguably one of the most important. 

“Zoning” is a legal mechanism used by many local governments to regulate the use of privately-owned land, in order to protect the public health, safety, and/or general welfare.  The Baltimore County Zoning Regulations define certain zoning classifications, and provide for specific uses, permitted densities, and various other development-related restrictions, while the Zoning Maps apply the zones to the land. 

In Baltimore County, once every four years on an exact schedule specified by law, we engage in what is known as “comprehensive” zoning – where any citizen may file a petition to request a zoning change for any property located in the County. 

This year, 2012, is one of these years, and for the past several months, the Comprehensive Zoning Map Process (CZMP) has been the topic of many of my daily conversations with constituents, community and civic associations, developers, design professionals and county officials. 

By now, many of you have seen the signs or received notices concerning potential zoning changes in your area(s), and many others have heard about a particular zoning change from their neighbors or community leaders. Over the past several months, my office has heard from many community groups and residents with questions about notices they received, signs they saw, neighborhood discussions, or conversations they heard regarding potential zoning changes.  

I find it encouraging to see community leaders and residents engage themselves in this process, and it is quite obvious that varying opinions exist regarding each specific zoning issue, and how any given change could potentially impact the surrounding communities. Given the importance of the CZMP, I wanted to take a moment to provide a bit more information on the process, and where we are at this point.
 
A request for zoning consideration, in CZMP terms, is known as a zoning "issue." In many cases, an issue involves a single parcel of land, but in others, the issue involves many adjoining properties or only a portion of a parcel. 

Likewise, many issues involve a fraction of an acre, while some include several hundred acres of land. Unless an issue was raised for a property before the application deadline, it cannot and will not be considered during the CZMP.  Similarly, once an issue is raised, it cannot be withdrawn before the end of the process, and there is no guarantee that the requested zoning will be approved, or even that the existing zoning will remain if the request is denied. 

Instead, for each issue, the County Council will ultimately vote whether to approve or deny a requested zoning change, to keep the existing zoning or to apply some other zoning classification to the property, or any portion of it. 
 
For CZMP 2012, a total of 43 zoning issues were raised in the sixth district between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30, 2011.  Since then, each of the issues have been analyzed, reviewed, and discussed by county staff, and many county agencies including the Department of Planning.

The Planning staff has been very busy preparing its “log of issues” along with preliminary recommendations, and the Planning Board is currently holding public hearings to consider CZMP issues within each of the seven councilmanic districts. 

A public hearing before the Planning Board for issues in the sixth district is scheduled for March 22 at Overlea High School.  The County Council will host its own set of public hearings in June (sixth district hearing on June 21 at Overlea High School), and we will begin voting on each of the issues later this summer.  By the end of the year, we will enact a revised set of zoning maps.
 
In my opinion, the CZMP is a great opportunity for the government to work together with citizens, property owners, residents, business owners, and civic improvement groups to ensure and promote successful communities.  Zoning is a great tool to enhance our communities, and can be used to improve blighted areas, and to create opportunities for renaissance, revitalization, as well as community preservation. 

I honestly believe the sixth district can, and should, accommodate growth without compromising the unique character of our older neighborhoods.  With the right balance and well-reasoned zoning decisions, we can manage smart growth, preserve open space, protect the waterways, and keep the district safe and enjoyable. 

As your elected official, I am committed to doing what is best for the sixth district, and I am confident that that any decisions I make during the CZMP will be sound and well-reasoned, and based on a careful and thoughtful analysis using the many resources available to me. 

More information and udates are available online, so be sure to follow along at the CZMP website.  I look forward to continuing to review these issues as the process continues.