ROG Meeting: Metro Update, 'In-Law Apartments' Bill Tabled

The Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Coordinating Council (ROG) meeting wasn’t packed with water tower opposition like its previous two meetings, but residents still received updates on a variety of issues on Monday, Aug. 1.

Tony Baysmore, a special assistant to County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, mentioned that the county public works department will return in October to discuss the top five alternate sites for the for Owings Mills and Reisterstown.

Baysmore focused more on the coming , which last week. The transit-oriented development will feature the county’s largest public library, which will have 70 computers and a 142,000-item collection, and a Community College of Baltimore County branch with 27 classrooms.

This will allow the community college to expand several programs, and the campus will serve as a feeder to Stevenson University, Towson University and UMBC, Baysmore said.

This is the second phase of development at the Metro Centre, with the first being the parking garage. The third phase will include restaurants, retail and other amenities, Baysmore said.

“The idea is to create a boulevard effect,” he said.

ROG President George Harman applauded redevelopment on the parking lot at the Metro Centre, saying that it will not create more harmful stream runoff into the Gywnns Falls watershed because additional impervious services will not be installed.

Jon Saltzman, an intern for Baltimore County District 2 Councilwoman Vicki Almond, discussed county Bill 42-11, known as the “in-law apartments” bill. The bill would establish rules and regulations for secondary structures that property owners build for family members living with them.

Due to the complex nature of the bill, it has been tabled at the urging of several community associations, Saltzman said.

In-law or accessory apartments are currently allowed under county zoning regulations, but are not defined in county code.

The bill proposes to limit the use of accessory apartments to immediate family, grandparents and in-laws. Apartments inside homes would be limited to one-third the square footage of the home or 2,000 square feet, whichever is less, and stand-alone apartments would be limited to 1,200 square feet.

Property owners would not be able to rent out these apartments and would have to apply for a permit every two years.

Harman said this bill needs more public input because of its county-wide implications.

“Bills of this nature need 60 to 90 days of public review,” he said. “You really need to go out into the community and let them know what you’re doing.”

Baltimore County Political Reporter Bryan P. Sears contributed to this report.