By Erik Robey & Robin Boggs,
Protect Our Lake Shore Peninsula
Let’s set the record straight – the County’s effort to rezone the Pasadena Golf Center (4358 Mountain Road) is not a “done deal.” This sentiment is one the Protect Our Lake Shore Peninsula (PLSP) team has aimed to dispel since pounding the peninsula pavement earlier this year to educate the Pasadena community about the issue and garner support to oppose it.
Opposition to rezoning the 31.8-acre golf center parcel started in December 2023 after PLSP team lead Erik Robey invited community residents to an informational meeting at Cookie’s Kitchen. From there, a small team started a grassroots preservation effort dedicated to spreading the word of the potential zoning change to Lake Shore’s more than 18,000 residents and gain the Council votes needed to disrupt the rezoning plan.
So, what’s the story on rezoning the golf center?
In April, the Anne Arundel County (AA Co.) Council introduced Bills 27-24 and 28-24 as part of Pittman’s Region 4 Comprehensive Rezoning Plan to add more housing across the county and develop “town center aesthetics” to support them. Comprehensive rezoning plans are introduced approximately every 10 years and many of the proposed properties to be rezoned are at the request of the property owner, like the golf center.
The bills proposed to rezone the acreage from Commercial-2 (C-2)/Residential Low Density (RLD) to Residential-10 (R-10). This zoning change would allow a potential developer to build more than 300 housing units at the head of the constricted 8.2-mile-long peninsula with only one way in and one way out.
The Lake Shore peninsula is made up of low-density, open space, rural, and agricultural zoning classifications. The proposed change of this large tract of land to medium-density housing is not only inconsistent with the surrounding community, but it also elevates concerns over public safety, infrastructure issues, and environmental impacts across the peninsula.
The proposed changes, supported by AA Co. Executive Steuart Pittman and the Office of Planning and Zoning, moved forward despite Pittman’s own Planning Advisory Board voting unanimously to reject the zoning change and town center overlay on the property last December.
As we waited for the Council to release the proposed Region 4 rezoning plan and associated bills, PLSP researched a variety of topics, such as Lake Shore’s history, traffic, infrastructure, schools, and even Pittman’s own words, to oppose the plan. A communication campaign was launched across the community to ensure residents understood these changes would cripple its main roadway and destroy the character of the community.
We broadened our messaging to include yard signs and our “signature” ugly yellow t-shirts and stayed in contact with our Council Member Nathan Volke (R-District 3). Volke, who grew up in Pasadena and knows the plight of Mountain Road all too well, is committed to the fight and plans to introduce an amendment at the hearing to keep the current C2/RLD zoning of the golf center property.
We also focused on which council members might support Volke’s amendment to help save the Lake Shore Peninsula. A quick Council civics lesson: AA Co. Council is composed of seven district council members. Presently, three are Republican and four are Democrat. For any bill or amendment to pass the body, four votes are needed. To avoid a line-item veto by the County Executive, five votes are needed from the Council to overturn it.
Right now, PLSP feels good that many Council members have heard our concerns and understand the challenges with this rezoning.
What should we expect on hearing day, Monday, May 20?
The public hearing on the Region 4 Comprehensive Rezoning Plan is scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, May 20, 2024 at 44 Calvert Street, Annapolis; it will also be available to watch online. Many of us attending are wearing our “ugly yellow shirts” to show unity and give greater awareness to our cause. This week we delivered “ugly yellow binders” filled with letters from the Lake Shore and surrounding Districts to the Council Members and the County Executive, as well as our research, showing opposition to the rezoning effort. With the support of several local businesses, two buses will take residents who reserved a seat to the hearing location as well.
The hearing agenda won’t be released until Monday evening before the start of the meeting; however, we expect the Council to come to order and then open to testimony. It’s likely a long list of residents has signed up to speak at the meeting, which is scheduled to conclude at 11:30 p.m.
Council Member Volke has committed to introducing the amendment to keep the zoning of the golf center as-is on Monday night, May 20. Once the amendment is proposed, we hope the Council will vote on it – and pass it.
Keep in mind the Pasadena Golf Center zoning proposal is not the only change in this comprehensive rezoning change. The bill will have additional public hearings and will probably be voted on as a full bill in early July. We are hopeful our amendment to change the golf center zoning back to its current form of RLD and C-2 is successful and makes it on to the legislation.
We know a change to R-10 would allow for development our peninsula cannot handle, this change would dramatically affect the character of the Lake Shore peninsula forever. Let’s hope our county leaders understand rezoning isn’t in the community’s or the County’s best interests and votes no to rezoning the Pasadena Golf Center property.
Learn more about PLSP and related activities by visiting the Protect Our Lake Shore Peninsula Facebook page or our website.
