Proposed county master plan gets mostly favorable reviews

Reaction to the Harford County draft master plan for 2012 seems mostly positive, at least for now.

Representatives of the Greater Fallston Association and Friends of Harford were both largely pleased with the planning and zoning department's proposal, although Friends of Harford president Morita Bruce said she thought it was too soon to expand the development envelope.

More conversation about the draft was expected Thursday night, when the planning department had scheduled a public workshop at Harford Community College.

After that workshop, comments will continue to be accepted online, at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/planningzoning, through Nov. 10.

The planning department will then submit the draft plan to the Harford County Council sometime in January, and the council will hold its own public hearing on the proposal.

The proposed plan would expand the development envelope for the first time since 1997, planning and zoning director Pete Gutwald said.

Major land use changes include making several pockets of agricultural land, totaling about 730 acres, available for low-intensity redevelopment in the Havre de Grace and Fallston areas; moving five pieces of land in Forest Hill and Fallston from the rural residential designation to agricultural; and acknowledging the expansion of Harford Community College west of Thomas Run Road.

Low-intensity development is defined as containing densities ranging from one to 3.5 dwelling units per acre, and commercial uses such as doctors' offices and banks.

The biggest change targets an area between Havre de Grace and Aberdeen that Pete Gutwald, planning and zoning director, said has already been marked for development by both cities.

It includes two sites in the southeastern pocket between I-95 and Route 155, backing up to Havre de Grace city limits.

Neal Mills, planning director for Havre de Grace, said he was supportive of adding those properties to the development envelope, noting that Upper Chesapeake Health System announced several years ago it would buy 30 acres along that interchange for a possible future hospital.

"I have been working with Pete Gutwald and the others on the technical advisory committee, and that's something that we have supported," Mills said. "In terms of a course of future development, it means tax revenue, but it also helps us in terms of eliminating pockets within our city boundary."

Mills said the master plans of the county and the city need to be compatible.

"If there were an application for annexation, we would be compatible with the county's new land-use policy," he said. "If the landowners apply for annexation now, they would need a waiver [from the county]."

Mills said whether the city's water and sewer system can handle more development will depend on what is proposed to be developed or annexed.

In general, however, "we have excess capacity [in the system]," he noted.

In Fallston, about 30 acres at the eastern corner of Routes 147 and 152 would be designated for medium-intensity development.

Medium-intensity development is defined as density ranging from 3.5 to seven dwelling units per acre, and commercial uses including grocery and convenience stores, banks and professional offices.

Two smaller pockets on either side of Route 1, just south of Route 152, however, have been changed from high-intensity development to agricultural land.

High-intensity development means density of more than seven dwelling units per acre, or commercial uses like retail centers, home improvement centers, automotive businesses and professional offices.

Both the Havre de Grace and Fallston changes are outside the development envelope.

Plots in Fallston and Forest Hill that have long been zoned as rural residential would be reverted to agricultural land. Those areas include sites around the junction of Route 152 and Pleasantville Road; west of Routes 165 and 152; the junction of Routes 165 and 23; and an area north of Jarrettsville Road and Route 24.

Roman Ratych, president of Greater Fallston Association, said the group is "delighted" with those changes as they go along with recommendations the association put forth earlier this year.

The group had recommended the removal of the rural residential infill areas, improving the quality of waters in the Winters Run watershed, acknowledging that agriculture should be preserved, maintaining the boundaries of the Fallston portion of the development with a slight modification to address septic system issues in the area and reflect updated zoning and revising the Transfer of Development Rights program to insure Fallston does not receive the brunt of residential development.

The land-use change for the corner of Routes 147 and 152 just reflects existing zoning changes for an area mostly already zoned R2, Ratych said.

"We were quite concerned about the life of those residences that had failing septic systems," he said about homes in that area. "A lot of that is already R2. Our concern is that it remain such."

Morita Bruce, president of Friends of Harford, said the plan is generally good, although she has concerns about the development envelope being pushed at this time.

"Overall, we are pleased with what we see in the master plan," she said. "We do see some expansion of the development envelope, even though planning and zoning's own studies show it's really premature to do that."

Bruce said her main concern is the "transparency" of the map, as she did not feel it was detailed enough.

"It needs to be down to the parcel and property line, just like it was done for comprehensive zoning," she said. "Without this level of detail, no one can really tell where these boundaries are."

She also said the group recognizes the area between Havre de Grace and Aberdeen "will be developed," but questions about the need to allow for development so soon.

"That really cuts back the likelihood that anyone will redevelop and do infill in existing areas," she said. "There is a serious risk of degrading what is already here."