With the deadline fast approaching for public to comment on Harford County's master plan, the Fallston community was pondering the question Tuesday of where Fallston wants to be in years?
Morita Bruce with Friends of Harford addressed the Fallston Community Council at their regular meeting Tuesday about the master plan. She posed a number of questions for consideration and urged the council to coordinate input on the county plan. She also spoke at Abington Community Council's meeting Monday.
Bruce said it's important for residents to consider what changes they would like to see, why they are here and what they want to see. She also suggested giving consideration to certain zoning issues such as rural residential infill areas and rural villages.
"It really depends on what we want to see here in Fallston," Bruce said.
The plan is expected to be posted online Oct. 10 and a public meeting will take place 10 days later at Harford Community College for the public to comment.
Bruce recommended looking at rural areas of Fallston in particular, and what she called an "accelerated destruction" of farms. She explained rural areas in Fallston have a maximum of one house per two acres and for a farm, one house per 10 acres. She said if certain areas were zoned for more dense residential housing, a community of 12 to 14 houses could be built without reaching a very high density.
"Because you know we're scattered here," Bruce said.
She said Fallston is supposed to have a farm zone and rural infill areas, but most of the rural infill is in areas it was not planned to be.
"It doesn't really match up," Bruce said.
She also said there is about 28 years worth of residential capacity in Fallston, land already zoned residential, that has no building on it.
She also recommended looking at impacts on traffic when considering zoning changes or development areas.
Bruce said a number of communities complain they can't get out of their development off Route 1 or Route 152 because of traffic.
"That's the kind of thing that happens when things aren't planned right," Bruce said.
She passed out maps of the 2009 zoning map and existing statements that accompany Falls ton's plan and urged those in attendance to consider the questions she had mentioned to ensure the community grows the way residents want it to.
In other news from Tuesday's meeting:
O Capt. Keith Warner with the Harford County Sheriff's Office said crime is down across the country and in Harford County. He also encouraged residents to lock their doors and windows and secure garage doors as well as lock car doors all to prevent crimes of opportunity.
O Denise Lynch with Harford County Planning and Zoning asked for volunteers to participate in a program to remove signs from the right of way at selected intersections throughout the county (please see related story, this page).
O Dave Williams gave an update on the fire service, outlining a fatal fire and fatal tree trimming accident in the area since the last meeting and reminding people to be sure fire alarms are in working order.