Many people don't know — or even care — what the 2012 Comprehensive Zoning Map Process is, nor that it's been under way since Sept. 1.

They may feel differently at the end of the process in December 2012, when they discover a row of old houses is about to become a strip mall, or that the field their home overlooks is slated to become a town house development, or that a high-rise office building is about to be constructed less than a block away — if the County Council decides to change the zoning.

"Zoning is the tool the county uses to regulate land use," said Towson resident Jeff Mayhew, deputy director of the county's Department of Planning and the county's point person for the CZMP.

"Every four years, through the Comprehensive Zoning Map Process, we allow petitions that ask for a change in zoning, which in turn changes how the land can be used," he said.

The county maintains maps of the seven councilmanic districts that show every parcel of land — whether it's a residence, office building, store or field. Each of those parcels has been given a zoning classification by the County Council that dictates what can be done with that land.

For example, a residential property might be limited to no more than three houses per acre, but if a developer wants to build a townhouse complex on the land, he can use the CZMP to ask the county to change the classification to 10 dwellings per acre.

Then again, if a property is zoned for 10 dwellings and neighbors who live nearby fear an apartment complex might be built on it someday, they can petition to down-zone the property to three dwellings.

Generally, each "issue" for the council to consider is a single property, but changes may cover adjoining properties and might even cover many hundreds of acres.

During the last CZMP, in 2008, there were 575 petitions requests for changes in zoning, according to Mayhew, who managed the 2004 and 2008 as well as this one.

The process to request changes opened at the beginning of this month. Through Oct. 14, any person, association, corporation, county agency or other entity may file for a zoning reclassification on any property in the county.

Between Oct. 3 and Oct. 31, members of the Planning Board or the planning director can add in their own requests; and between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30, members of the County Council may add their ideas to the mix.

Any citizen may request a zoning change on any property, though the usual participants in the process are individual landowners, contract purchasers, community organizations, county staff, the Planning Board and the County Council.

"You don't have to be the owner to ask for a change," Mayhew said. "People react differently to that. Some are surprised, even angry, but when we explain the avenues they have to influence the decision, they focus on that."

Trying to get the zoning changed on a property is not a free ride. The county charges $125 to $2,325 per request — depending on the location and size of the property and whether the petition has been filed early or late in the process, according to Mayhew.

A change in zoning can squelch new development or make it possible. More importantly to some, it can decrease or increase the value of the property — and the properties around it. Generally, the more intense the range of uses that are allowed, the more valuable the piece of land.

That's why a request for "down-zoning" — or placing more limitations on how the property can be used — may not sit well with the owner.

David Kosak, president of the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations, said the CZMP is "always on our radar."

"We want to make sure we are aware of potential zoning changes that will affect our community," he said, "and to make sure areas continue to be zoned the way we want them to be."

A double-edged sword

The county "works hard to make sure people are informed and able to participate in the decision-making process," Mayhew said. The involved properties must be posted. The county directly notifies adjacent property owners or residents.

Over the course of the winter — from Dec. 1, 2011 to Feb. 29, 2012 — planning staff will review the requests in order to make recommendations to the Planning Board.

The board, after reviewing the recommendations, will hold a public hearing in each district in March to hear testimony for and against the proposed changes before making its recommendations to the County Council.

Then the council, after reviewing the recommendations, holds its own public hearings in June.

The character of the hearings vary, though there is usually at least one issue in each district "that draws a lot of interest," Mayhew said.

"Some of the hearings go on very late into the evening," he said. "You can't predict it."

The county also welcomes emails and letters, he said. "Anyone can express an opinion. Both the Planning Board and the council will be trying to get as much input as they can to make informed, knowledgeable decisions."

The council then deliberates on the requests, and will vote on each issue before Sept. 16, 2012, according to the county website, which staes that the zoning map changes will be in place in December 2012.

Now that he is councilman who has the power to approve or deny requests for change, Towson's representative on the County Council, David Marks, said he plans to "let the process play itself out."

"I'm going to listen to property-owners and the community and not make any decisions beforehand," he said.

Marks has been through four CZMPs as a citizen representing the Perry Hall Improvement Association, and said the process is "absolutely important."

"Once a developer gets the density of zoning he wants, it is very difficult to stop a proposed project," he said, noting people should at least periodically check the Web site and the log of issues.

They can do this by going to http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov, click "Agencies," then "Planning," then "CZMP 2012."

As the process moves along, a section of that site, "My Neighborhood Zoning," will have an aerial photograph showing the issues and how properties are affected, he said. For help, call 410-887-3480.

"Private property owners have rights to deevlop their land," said Marks, "and the county is always looking to expand its tax base, but equally important is the need to protect quality of life, which is excellent in the Towson area."