Politics & Government

Essex-Middle River Zoning Requests to be Debated

The county will host a public meeting as part of the comprehensive zoning map process at 7 p.m. Thursday at Overlea High School.

 

Back in 2006 during the height of the real estate boom, the owners of 50 acres along Weber Avenue in Essex had just purchased the property and had grand visions of developing a waterfront community.

But that was before the economy went into a national recession and greatly impacted the real estate market.

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Today, the property located adjacent to the Hopewell Pointe community remains completely wooded with no signs of development.

The property owner—Weber Avenue LLC—has explored many options for the property, including selling it to the county. But with the county facing its own budget concerns, that option doesn’t appear likely either.

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To help make the property more viable, the owners are seeking a zoning change that would allow the construction of more than 260 homes on the site, even though there are no formal plans to develop the land.

The request is one of 43 zoning changes being sought for District 6 in Baltimore County as part of the Comprehensive Zoning Map Process.

(See the attached PDF for a complete list of requests in District 6)

A public hearing to discuss the request will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday at . The County Council will complete the quadrennial comprehensive rezoning process in September when it votes on each request.

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“We’re trying to figure out what’s best to do with the property,” attorney David Gilea, who represents Weber Ave. LLC, said earlier this month at the Essex Middle River Civic Council meeting. “We want to work with the community, although we understand it is difficult to support a zoning change without a specific plan to examine.”

The lack of a specific plan does concern members of the Essex Middle River Civic Council, who would like to see the county purchase the property and turn it into a park. But those fears don’t end with Weber Avenue, said civic council president Rocky Jones.

Among the council's other concerns are zoning requests for the 55-acre site off Eastern Boulevard and the 434-acre Lafarge quarry site located off Earls Road, he said.

The council’s concern, Jones said, is not fear of development, but fear of patchwork zoning that doesn’t take into account the impact of the entire community.

Jones said the council would likely hold off support of any zoning change until the county passes the Middle River master plan, a community outline to development that was formed several years ago but has yet to be implemented.

“We’re not against development,” Jones said. “We just want to see it done right without negatively impacting the existing community.”

County Councilwoman Cathy Bevins, who represents the district, said due to its long-term effect on the community. She is trying to visit each of the sites in her district to ensure she can make the proper recommendations when the County Council votes in September.

“I understand the community’s concerns,” Bevins said. “CZMP is a vital process and we will be examining every site thoroughly before making a final decision.”

What are your biggest concerns regarding the comprehensive zoning map process in Essex-Middle River? Tell us in the comments section below.


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