Politics & Government

Howard County Citizens: 'Don't Wait for the Bulldozer'

What do you want Howard County to look like in the next 20 years? Have your say during the General Plan process.

“There has never been a perfect census,” said U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves, Ph.D., in a press conference Wednesday on the upcoming release of state-by-state redistricting data. “I’m willing to speculate that we will never have a perfect census—not in a democracy, at least.”

Still, the 2010 Census came very close—99.6 percent of the population was accounted for, versus 99.57 percent in 2000.

What will those numbers mean for Howard County? One resident asked the question at Monday’s General Plan Forum, sponsored by the Howard County Citizens Association (HCCA).

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General what?

The General Plan Forum was designed to educate citizens about the document considered by government officials to be a “blueprint” for Howard County over the next 20 years—guiding development and growth, infrastructure and preservation.

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“We have a staff working to digest what [census data] we have,” said Howard County Director of Planning and Zoning Marsha McLaughlin in response to the question about the census. “We track that information anyway,” she added, for zoning and educational purposes.

For the new plan, which will be in the works over the next 18 months, McLaughlin saw one area in particular as a priority: the Chesapeake Bay. "How are we going to accommodate growth in ways that don’t adversely impact the Chesapeake Bay?" she asked.

“Two thirds of residents drive out of the county to Washington and Baltimore,” McLaughlin said. “The state is concerned about sprawl across the Bay Bridge and Pennsylvania….We need to figure out a way to get jobs and housing in balance.”

Plan is a guide for resource needs

Like the U.S. Census, the Howard County General Plan was last released in 2000, and it, too, is imperfect. “Right now they’ve got more capacity in the western schools than they need, and they’re short in other areas,” said McLaughlin.

“Short” was an understatement, according to one attendee. “Our density is increasing every year, and there’s no land left,” said Valerie McGuire, a member of the Greater Elkridge Community Association. “We’re to the point now where we had a contract zoning situation, where the school site was proffered to the county and money attached. And I just feel like we shouldn’t have to come to this. Because right now we don’t have an answer as to where our schools are going to go…I want to see it differently in the General Plan.”

And that’s exactly why HCCA decided to hold its forum: to arm citizens with knowledge about how they can contribute to the plan.

How to give your 2 cents

Sixty-five people were in attendance at the General Plan Forum, not including the “guests,” said HCCA Board member Brian England. On the guest list: Maryland State Attorney Amanda Conn; Howard County Zoning Counsel Eileen Powers; Howard County Director of Planning and Zoning Marsha McLaughlin; and General Plan Task Force veteran Grace Kubofcik, who has lived in the county for 40 years.

“A lot of people have a hard time getting involved during the planning process because we have children that need to get to soccer and we have to do our work and we are balancing too many things,” said Powers. “And yet what could be more important if you’re driving your kids to a soccer game than trying to envision the future that this community will be for them in 20 years? I’ve been through several of these plans in Anne Arundel County…You will not have the same ability to have the same impact you can at this stage.”

In the coming months, the Howard County Planning Board will begin discussion of the General Plan. For dates, contact Recording Secretary Laura Boone at (410) 313-4303 or lboone@howardcountymd.gov.

The HCCA has also made working on the General Plan a priority for 2011. In a release about Monday night's forum, it stated: "If citizens wait until the bulldozer comes, that is too late. It is the General Plan that lays out the development process and what changes may occur. This is when it is imperative for citizens to participate." For more information, visit the HCCA website.


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