Zoning Changes in Store for Districts 6 and 7

The Planning Advisory Board (PAB) met Wednesday night to review county planners' recommendations for Comprehensive Rezoning of individual lots and parcels in Council District 6 and Council District 7. The majority of requests were to rezone or "upzone" parcels from residential to commercial.

The hearing, which began at 6:30 p.m. in the Chesapeake Room of the Heritage Office Complex on Riva Road, ended just before 11 p.m. The hearing was packed to capacity with citizens spilling out of the hearing room into the adjoining hallway.

Comprehensive rezoning, which happens once every ten years, follows a legislative process rather than the usual administrative process for rezoning in the county. Citizens can request rezoning at any time. But in the administrative rezoning process, the final decision lies with a county administrative hearing officer. In comprehensive rezoning, the final decision lies with the County Council.

Those requesting zoning changes were asked to submit their changes from December 2009 to February 2010 to give planners time to study the proposed changes.

But first, county planners and the Planning Advisory Board -- a group appointed by the County Executive for his or her term in office, reviews the applications and proposals and makes recommendations for the County Council to review. Their recommendations are taken seriously, but not always followed, in the final vote.

The County Council's decision on the 100 rezoning applications for Districts 6 and 7 will take place later this year after the public gets and opportunity to address  the council at hearings slated for June, July and August.

Wednesday's meeting was the first time that county planners revealed the list of projects they felt met the Small Area Plan or General Development Plan standard, which varies by neighborhood, plot and parcel. Of the 100 projects submitted, only 50 were moved to the proposed list, signifying approval of county planners.

That approval (or lack of approval), does not mean that those projects won't ultimately pass muster by the County Council. It just means that planners in the office of Planning and Zoning didn't agree with the change as requested by the property owner.

Some of the changes on the proposed list were not actually requested by the land owner. In some circumstances, property zoning requests were made by county planners to bring property use into compliance with zoning.

For example, several existing restaurants are operating out of establishments in R1 and R5 zones, which denotes a residential zoning. County planners asked to move those properties to C1, or commercial.

County planners have asked to convert the corner lot at Martha Greenleaf Drive and Davidsonville Road in Crofton to commercial. The wooded lot sits in a commercial hub that includes CVS, Bank of America and Giant Food. The panel had questions about this property, since it also abuts a development of townhomes, but planners thought that its frontage on Davidsonville Road fit more with a commercial zoning and have agreed with the landowners request to move the land from R5 to C3 zoning.

Robert Jordan of Idlewilde Drive in Crofton had put in a request to allow him to subdivide his 173-acre property so that he could provide homes for his daughters. His request was to permit one home every five acres. A 27-acre portion of his property is zoned Open Space. He did not make a request to have that rezoned, but rather wanted his property split-zoned. A zoning change from agriculatural use to R5 could potentially allow the landowner to build up to 27 homes on the site, but he told the panel he was interested in building eight or nine homes to accommodate the needs of his adult children.

In District 6, those included the Knights of Columbus club's request to change their Edgewater location, at the corner of Admiral Cochran Drive and Solomons Island Road, from residential to commercial. Club president Fred Lautenschlager said that his club wants to convert the property because rezoning fits with the general development plan. The property is for sale, and would allow the club to reach a wider audience of buyers. John Summers, vice president of the Gingerville Community Association said that county planners got it right not to suggest a change. Summers argued to keep the zoning currently in place because the sale and development of the parcel as commercial would adversely impact the Gingerville and South River watershed, and impair the quality of life for Gingerville residents whose homes back to the Knights of Columbus parcel.

Other hot button parcels that didn't make it onto the proposed list but brought out citizens included applications to upzone three south county parcels. About a dozen residents showed up wearing "Keep South County Rural" stickers. They signed up to speak, but as the hearing ran three, then four, then five hours into the night, many left and just a handful stayed to testify.

The three applications in question include Lothian Circle, Boone's Mobile Home Park, and the undeveloped parcel on Solomons Island Road south of Central Avenue. All of the parcels in question are described in the PDF documents that accompany this article.

From here, the PAB next holds a public meeting at 6:30 on May 25, where the board will publicly debate the proposals and applications that they will forward to the county council. The public is invited to attend, but citizen testimony will not be accepted.

In the next week though, the PAB is asking for citizen input. PAB Chair Mary Akers encouraged all to submit their comments, including plans and drawings, by email within the next week. 

Date/
Deadline

Notices to be mailed to property owners and applicants

Apr 20

Zoning Proposals to be Posted on Web

Apr 27

Planning Advisory Board Hearing
(agenda)

May 11

Introduction of Bill

May 16

Council Work Session

Jun 13

Council Hearings (first 4 hearing dates)

Jun 20
Jul 5
Jul 18
Aug 1