Councilman Marks Proposes Downzoning 254 Acres to Open Space in Seven Courts Area

One of our largest zoning issues affects 445 acres of Perry Hall west of Belair Road, between Pinedale Drive and Northwind Road. Today, I am announcing my support to rezone 254 acres of land here as Neighborhood Commons, or open space, blocking all development.

Another 125 acres would be limited to one house per acre, including the strip of land behind Minte Drive near McDonalds. Seven acres near Gunpowder Falls State Park would receive the restricted zoning found in rural areas of the county. The remaining amount would remain at lower levels of residential zoning.

I am proposing to change a small triangle of land near the McDonalds restaurant to commercial zoning to accommodate the redevelopment of that site. This was discussed at the community meeting held at McDonalds in April.

These zoning changes will guarantee there is a network of green space throughout the Seven Courts and Northwind Road corridors, dense areas built with few public parks. One of the areas that will be downzoned is the Seven Oaks Environmental Conservation Area created in 2012.

The zoning maps will be adopted by the County Council on August 30th.