The Carroll planning commission approved yesterday the subdivision plan for conservative activist Ed Primoff's Woodbine farm, a proposal that was at the center of contention this year over the direction of the county's land-use laws.

The subdivision would put 30 houses on a section of Primoff's 200-acre property at Route 97 and Obrecht Road. The property is covered by woods and farmland.

Primoff's plans for his property entered the spotlight about a year ago, when he announced he would develop the parcel under a law he had helped create as a member of an appointed county committee. The law, which would have granted added development rights to many landowners, drew heavy criticism from county residents and state planning officials and was later amended. Primoff's subdivision plan meets all requirements of the amended law, county officials said yesterday.

Neighbors have complained that the subdivision will further stress crowded roads and eliminate open space in a part of South Carroll characterized by rapid growth.

Primoff, who ran unsuccessfully for county commissioner this year, counters that he has met all requirements set forth by county planners and that he is creating about 10 fewer residential lots than he could.

"I'm not looking to maximize the property the way most developers would," he said. "I'm doing this now because I don't want to lose the land rights I have. I don't want to see them legislated away."

As a property rights activist and Republican candidate for commissioner, Primoff has sparred with residents who say the county has grown too fast. He has predicted that moderates Julia Walsh Gouge and Dean Minnich, both of whom defeated him in this year's Republican primary, will unnecessarily restrict development rights of rural landowners.

The conflict reached its apex early this year during debate about the appointed Zoning Ordinance Review Committee, of which Primoff was a member. The committee drafted a law that would have allowed landowners across the county to put more homes on land zoned for agriculture and conservation.

The commissioners passed the law in September last year, setting off a six-month brouhaha. Primoff became the central figure in the battle when he said he would subdivide his land under the new law. His critics screamed conflict of interest and turned out at several public hearings to decry the plan.

"Simply put, an additional 30 homes in this already stressed area are not needed," wrote neighbor Sharon C. Dawson in a letter to the county. "The sad, sad song of a lack of infrastructure has been sung many times by the disenchanted public. The plaintive cries of the wounded have not been heard ... in the continued desecration and destruction of our once beautiful county."

But the agitation around Primoff's plans died down after the commissioners eliminated the contentious aspects of the law created by the zoning review committee. The planning commission approved the proposal with little opposition yesterday.

Primoff said he's not sure when he'll build the homes but that it was important to him to secure his right to build them.