Comprehensive Rezoning Comes to Conclusion With Veto Overides

The Anne Arundel County Council members completed the comprehensive rezoning process for Districts 6 and 7 by overriding 10 of 16 vetoes by County Executive John Leopold.

Leopold issued the vetoes after raising concerns over District 7 Councilman Jerry Walker (R-Gambrills) being too trigger-happy with commercial upzoning. But council members in large part stood by  Walker and his amendments on Tuesday night and overrode all but six of Leopold’s vetoes.

Among the rezoning amendments to survive was the former site of the Southern District Police Station, at 2974 Solomon’s Island Road in Edgewater. The site’s owner, George Criswell, plans to establish a Fiat car dealership on the lot thanks to a commercial upzoning from C2 to C4 being granted despite protests from community members and neighbors in Edgewater Beach.

Other than one hiccup, each of Walker’s 11 motions to override the vetoes received majority approval from the council. However, District 6 Councilman Chris Trumbauer voted against six of the motions.

One of the motions failed for lack of a second voice to support it, a requirement of the council’s meeting procedures.

After the meeting, Trumbauer said he stood up against the overrides because he didn’t believe the community wanted some of those rezonings, and they went against some of the county’s own plans.

“I stood with the community on these issues in keeping south county rural,” he said.

Five of Leopold’s vetoes were not challenged by Walker or the rest of the council. Trumbauer said that’s because there wasn’t support for them among the council members.

Walker said some of those issues will be worked out on an individual basis by county planning officials, who noted that there were some text amendments coming down the pipeline.

“Of those five, on three of them Leopold admitted there were issues I had raised that needed to be addressed, and they were willing to address those in changes to the zoning code,” Walker said. “I look forward to working with the administration in those amendments in the future.”

The issues Walker mentions include outside storage for businesses requiring a C4 zoning, and restaurants being prohibited from hosting outside banquets under a C1 zoning.

Walker took some blows from the public throughout the comprehensive rezoning process for his often-controversial proposals. On Tuesday night, a man publicly asked for Walker’s resignation. But in the end, most of Walker’s motions were approved by the council.  After the meeting, the councilman said he was relieved to finally close the book on the process and move on to other issues.

“From the second I was sworn in, I started receiving calls on this,” Walker said. “I’m relieved the process is over, because it has been stressful. I look forward to my time being a little more free to work on other issues, because this has taken up the bulk of my time as councilman.”

Leopold vetoes overridden by the council:

• 9  – RA-R1, 1308-1313 Defense Highway, Gambrills (5-2, Trumbauer, Grasso nay)
• 22 – RA-SB, 544 Central Ave., Davidsonville (6-1, Ladd nay)
• 25 – RA-R1, 3336, 3340, Solomon’s Island Rd., Edgewater (6-1, Trumbauer nay)
• 26 – RA-R5, 1027, 1081, 1085, 1131, 1133, Mt. Zion-Marlboro Rd., Lothian (5-2, Trumbauer, Grasso nay)
• 27 – RA-RLD, 1685 Underwood Rd., Gambrills (5-2, Trumbauer, Grasso nay)
• 30 – RLD-W2, 733 Crandall Road, West River (unanimous vote)
• 34 – RA-R1, 2256, Cox Road, Gambrills (6-1, Trumbauer nay)
• 37 – RA-C4, 1300 Defense Highway, Gambrills (unanimous)
• 43 – RA-SB, 1541 Defense Highway, Gambrills (unanimous vote)
• 46 – C2-C4, 2974 Solomon’s Island Road, Edgewater (6-1, Trumbauer nay)

Leopold vetoes that remain in effect:

• 18 – R2-W2, 1861 Crownsville Road, Annapolis (failed for lack of a second)
• 28 – C1-C3, 158-164 W. Central Ave, Edgewater
• 36 – C3-W2, 5517 Muddy Creek Road, Churchton
• 41 –C1-C3, 1581 Defense Highway, Gambrills
• 44 – RA-C2, Central Avenue (Maragousis property), Edgewater
• 45 – RA-C1, Lothian Circle, Lothian