Plan 2040. Regional Planning. Comprehensive Rezoning. These terms have been used over the last few months in our county regarding development, and what our county will look like decades from now. Here’s a quick overview to shed some light on these terms, what to expect, and how all of them impact District 3.
In 2021, the County Council passed Bill 11-21 (Plan 2040). It passed on a party-line vote (4-3); Democrats voting yes and Republicans voting no. That Bill set out the land-use designations for AACO. The Bill set up a process for feedback on a regional level, with the county being divided into 9 regions. District 3 has areas included in Regions 1,3 & 4. Region 4 includes Pasadena, Severna Park, Gibson Island, Arnold, Broadneck and surrounding areas. Region 1 includes Curtis Bay, Orchard Beach, Stoney Beach, and surrounding areas. Region 3 includes Glen Burnie, Marley, Freetown, Sun Valley, and surrounding areas.
Following passage of that Bill, the county created Stakeholder Advisory Committees for Region 4 (as well as Region 2 and 7). Property owners were invited to then submit requests for rezoning of their property to the County’s Office of Planning and Zoning (OPZ). Those requests were reviewed by OPZ staff, then shared and discussed and debated by the SACs met throughout 2022 and 2023. Following the completion of the SACs review, the recommendations were submitted to the Planning Advisory Board (PAB). PAB reviewed the recommendations and made their own recommendations in November and December 2023.
At this point, the County Executive and OPZ are reviewing all the various recommendations to prepare the comprehensive rezoning ordinance (Bill) that will be presented to the County Council. For Regions 2 and 7, the comprehensive rezoning Bills are likely to be introduced in the next month. For Region 4, the timeline is less clear but probably in the next few months that legislation will be introduced.
After the Council deliberates, amends, and votes on the comprehensive rezoning Bill, it’ll go to the County Executive. Under the County Charter, the County Executive can then line-item veto anything in the Bill. After that, the Bill comes back to the County Council, which can override the veto(es). Then the Bill becomes law and those zoning changes become final.
With rezoning coming, many people have reached out to our office about the proposed rezoning at Mountain Road Golf Center where Rt. 100 and Mountain Road join. The land owners have asked to rezone that property from its current zoning, RLD and C2, to R10. If that rezoning is approved, it’ll permit townhouses or even multifamily housing. While the County Executive’s OPZ has recommended R10 zoning, I am opposed and will fight any efforts to change this property’s zoning because it needs to be kept zoned as-is.
If you want to add your voice to the conversation on our District and what you want to see, please follow on our website https://www.aacounty.org/county-council and please sign up for our newsletter https://www.aacounty.org/county-council/council-districts/district-3 where we will be sharing information as the comprehensive rezoning Bill comes before the County Council in the next few months.
