Zoning Changes Pave Business-Friendly Future for Districts 6 and 7

The future of Anne Arundel County’s Districts 6 and 7 could have a more business-friendly face, should proposed zoning changes be implemented into a plan later this year.

The county’s Planning Advisory Board consists of seven county residents appointed by the county executive. The group is charged with filtering through the dozens of upcoming zoning changes that are proposed in a massive update of the county’s zoning maps.

Throughout this process, the board reviews county staff recommendations and hundreds of letters from residents, voicing both concern and approval for the changes.  The board then votes on whether to pass on their recommendation to the county council for final review later this year, or strike the proposal down.

But on Wednesday, the board ended up agreeing with most of the county staff’s 50 proposed zoning changes across Districts 6 and 7, with only a handful of hitches.

Council District 6 includes Annapolis and parts of Edgewater. Council District 7 includes Crofton, Davidsonville and the rest of South County, including Lothian and Deale.

The vast majority of the rezoning proposals on Wednesday would "upzone" select residential areas to commercial, or less dense commercial to denser commercial, showing that planners have a business-minded future in store for Anne Arundel County. Several other zoning changes would bring current property usage in line with the county’s zoning codes.

Though a prior meeting held on May 11 to air citizen concerns was so well-attended there weren’t enough seats in the room, Wednesday’s meeting held only two residents, and no public testimony was allowed.

At the outset of the meeting, Chairman Mary Alter said in consideration of time, it would be beneficial for the board to move through several proposals at once, if possible. They grouped more than a dozen proposals for District 7 that had garnered few or no citizen or board concerns into one vote with little discussion.

However, not every proposal survived the board’s scrutiny.

Members were split on a zoning change for a marina at 2806 Solomon’s Island Road, which proposed to upzone from C2 to C4. Some board members said they were concerned increasing the density would create even more traffic on that busy stretch of highway.

But freshman board member Rick Rall said he could sympathize with the property owner’s intent, saying he wanted to increase the boat storage capacity of the marina.

When the issue was put to a vote, it was split 3-3. The final determination came down to the chairman. However, Alter said she would abstain from voting, as she grew up in that area, and felt torn on the issue. The motion failed, and the recommendation will not be carried to the county council.

However, when the council ultimately votes on the zoning changes, they can pick up any discarded proposals and vote on them at will.

A network of properties in the 600-700 block of Bestgate Road were recommended to be rezoned to create a commercial hub for nearby residences in the future. The proposal was to change the usage from dense residential (R-15) to commercial, and passed unanimously after extensive review by the board.

An upzone residential to commercial use at 2007 Tidewater Colony Drive narrowly passed the board by a 4-3 vote. Some board members were concerned that zoning the properties as commercial could open pandora’s box for future development.

“If I were a resident there, I would be very distressed,” said Board Member James Morrison.

Though most properties were being upzoned from dense residential to commercial, there was one notable exception – a scenic, 14-acre bayfront property at 152 Riverview Avenue. The property is currently zoned as residential, but is only used as an open space.

It was proposed to be downzoned from R2 to RA, a rural residential zoning. The property falls under the Critical Zone criteria along bayfront properties, but can be developed into a single-family dwelling.

Board member Joan Turek said she had heard there were plans to build a mansion on the property, and that citizens wanted the county to buy the property and keep it as an open space.

“That would be great, I think. But I doubt the county can afford it now,” Turek said.

The staff recommendation of R2 to RA passed unanimously with one abstention.

At the end of the meeting, board members discussed dates for their next meeting, to review proposals for Districts 3 and 5. However, some members said they would have to check their calendar before confirming a final date.

The full list of comprehensive zoning proposals for Districts 6 and 7 can all be reviewed at the county's Long Range Planning Web site, located at http://www.aacounty.org/PlanZone/LongRange/CompZone.cfm