Cassilly Administration Recommends Limited Zoning Changes

Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly today sent legislation to the County Council that approves all or part of 18 out of 65 requests for zoning changes under consideration in the county’s 2024/25 Comprehensive Zoning Review.

Required by the Harford County Code every eight years, Comprehensive Zoning Review allows property owners to request a change in their property’s existing zoning designation. Zoning determines a property’s permitted uses and includes agricultural, residential, commercial, and industrial classifications.

The nearly year-long review process begins with applications for rezoning submitted by property owners. Each request is reviewed by the Harford County Department of Planning & Zoning to ensure consistency with the county’s land use plan; the department also solicits input from other county agencies. Planning & Zoning’s recommendations are then reviewed by the county executive. Recommendations are also made by the all-volunteer Planning Advisory Board (PAB) comprised of county residents. General public input was solicited via email, letters and two public meetings.

After careful review, the Department of Planning & Zoning formalizes recommendations into new zoning maps. The maps are sent to the County Council in the form of legislation that is subject to additional public hearings and final decisions by the council.

The 2024/25 Comprehensive Zoning Review began under County Executive Bob Cassilly in June. To ensure transparency, all applications and public comments were posted on the county website, and notices were posted on affected properties. Of the 65 applications reviewed, Planning & Zoning approved or partially approved 18 of the zoning changes requested, which largely tracked the recommendations from the PAB. All recommendations will be posted in a zoning log to be posted here on the county website once the legislation is publicly introduced.

“Our primary goal was to achieve a balance between protecting our quality of life and allowing for appropriate business development and growth,” County Executive Cassilly said. “It was also important to make our process as transparent as possible to all our citizens by posting applications, public comments, and recommendations on the county website. I would like to thank the Department of Planning & Zoning and Planning Advisory Board and all those citizens who shared their input. Their dedication and thoughtful feedback have been invaluable throughout this process.”