Disturbingly enough, there's been relatively little in the way of public comment so far as the latest step in devising a new land use plan for Harford County draws to a close.
This process will culminate, after many administrative and political twists and turns, with a countywide comprehensive re-zoning, when there will be a big push to amend zoning maps to clear the way for development, largely residential development, based on the new land use plan.
That aspect of the land use planning cycle, however, is beyond the horizon. What's on the table now is the county's Master Plan, a rather general guide for how the people and government of the county want the county to look years from now. In general, the plan largely keeps development confined to the areas along Route 40 from Joppatowne to Havre de Grace and along Route 24 to Forest Hill.
Two important changes in the Master Plan in its current draft form, however, probably should have received a good deal more attention from the general public than they have to date: an increase in the development potential for county land between Aberdeen and Havre de Grace, and a similar increase in development potential along Belair Road in Fallston.
With regard to the area between Aberdeen and Havre de Grace, where the county has planning and zoning responsibility, the potential for increased development seems like a logical progression. The territory falls between the two cities, both of which have been fairly aggressive in their development policies, and it also is at the northeastern end of the Route 40 portion of the county's designated development area, known as the Development Envelope.
Logic fades, however, on close examination of the proposal. Modern housing developments live and die by two key issues of public policy: zoning laws and the availability of public water and sewer services. Changing the county master plan is an important step in the direction of putting pro-development zoning in place. Only the expenditure of a substantial amount of public money, however, can add the water and sewer service component to the mix.
The cities of Aberdeen and Havre de Grace have public water and sewer systems that serve their respective areas, but the county's system at that end of Route 40 is largely confined to water service. Moreover, Aberdeen's water service long has been somewhat lacking and the city is increasingly dependent on the county as a backup water source. Havre de Grace has plenty of water, but its capacity to treat more sewage than it already does is somewhat suspect.
The bottom line is development between Aberdeen and Havre de Grace will require at least an increase in sewage treatment capacity in the area. Such capacity increases historically have proven very expensive and have resulted in higher rates for all existing customers, financially deficient sewage treatment systems or both.
On the other side of the county, a situation strangely similar to that of the Aberdeen – Havre de Grace development issue has been playing out for decades. Situated along Route 1 in Bel Air and having the look on planning maps of an appendix or growth on the larger Development Envelope is an area known as the Fallston Sanitary Subdistrict. Though it was once outside the county's designated growth area, the territory largely had been built up well prior to the establishment of a Development Envelope, and without the benefit of access to public water and sewer service.
When well and septic systems in the crowded area began failing years ago, it was appended to the Development Envelope, and public sanitary services extended to the area. Since the time of that extension, the county government has largely resisted pressure to expand the area's development potential through up-zoning or further extension of sanitary services. Until now.
The latest incarnation of the county's Master Plan makes accounting for increasing the development potential around the Fallston Subdistrict, which means further extension of sanitary services into areas that have long been viewed as off limits for substantial residential development.
To a certain extent, the Fallston Subdistrict is a template for a brand of piecemeal development extension beyond what makes sense from the perspective of providing public water and sewer service. The notion of increasing development between Aberdeen and Havre de Grace seems to follow that template.
Both issues, however, are mind numbing in complexity, and the process of opening the areas to development is a long and involved one.
It's not surprising, therefore, that there has been so little comment on the proposal, even though it could prove to be a costly one when those of us who are already living here end up paying for public facility improvements so more people can move in.