Our County has a unique land-use history, shaped by federal zoning law and housing policy, the Great Depression, World War II, the GI Bill, the 1st Eisenhower Beltway, the Plan for the Valleys, and the Urban Rural Demarcation Line. The upshot of this is that we are NOT like Harford County, Carroll County, Howard County or any other county in Maryland, for that matter. This unique history has resulted in a chronic shortage of open space that demands reasonable restrictions on what can be counted as public open space in development projects, as Bill 37-19 prescribes. I've tried to tell this story and highlight the justification it provides for the passage of Bill 37-19 in this 20-minute podcast:
A heartfelt thanks to those who testified in favor of the bill -
and to those organizations that formally signed on as supporters!
