From Friends of Harford:
The County Council has scheduled a public hearing on: Legislative Bill 13-29 Zoning – Field Houses
Meeting Date/Time: Tuesday, June 11th at 6:30pm *
Meeting Location: Council Chambers
Bill 13-29 creates a new use called “Field Houses” and allows them as Special Exceptions on agricultural (AG), rural residential (RR) and urban residential (R1 through R4) properties. It also permits them on Business (B2 and B3), Commercial Industrial (CI) and General Industrial (GI) properties.
To read the bill (it’s short) go to http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/council/index.cfm?ID=882 and scroll down to Bill 13-29.
* If you wish to testify either for or against the bill you must arrive early and sign up to speak. There is a time limit: 3 minutes for private citizens, 5 minutes for those speaking on behalf of a group.
So what private school wants to build a gym in Woods or Guthrie districts?
Or who is selling land to who, and where, to build an indoor sports field?
It is not in my district.
Noble you are spot on….my concerned taxpayer antenna thinks this is in regards to an Indoor sports arena outfit potentially offering to purchase the land the county overpaid for re the Peckler property. Now that the waste transfer isn’t moving in, it could be turned into an indoor arena that will charge residents to use for a variety of sports.
Gee…don’t have too many of those around already on Rt 40. Heaven forbid the county turn it into a greenspace for walking,running, etc….. Will possibly take some going in halfsies through grants or organizations, but you’d think they would open that up for the county residents to discuss without sneaking this bill in.
btw…watch the money trail….bet the county loses its tail on the sale vs what they paid for it.
I thought of Pleckers immediately as well, but it is zoned CI (commericial/industrial) apparently, so this change wouldn’t apply to that parcel.
I’m thinking it’s something else. Of course, if you try to ask anyone, you’ll get a bunch curious looks and shrugged shoulders. But county council members don’t just up and decide to change zoning because they’re bored. You can’t even get them to introduce a bill when you ask for it, so this didn’t just come out of no where.
Following Money Tree’s “Frog in the kettle” theory, the next step is to look for the Plecker Golf or some other property to get re-zoned to one of these.
You are right, this has nothing to do with the Pleckers property. But you have to remember the County is not done yet with trying to put some kind of a “Dump” at the Plecker property. I am still fighting that and have an amendment to a “bill” coming up for a vote Tues night to remove the County’s actions in this area.
I smell a rat on this one. Far too specific to not be somebody’s politically motivated gift. These folks at Friends of Harford have done and continue to do thier best to keep us informed – it’s up to us to watch these players. It’s all incremental. Build a gym then you need parking, put in parking and then you need to widen the road and then pretty soon a snack shop, walking trails and then heck condos because it’s already been developed. So predictable.
You are spot on. If you don’t watch the developer and the county council, you could wind up with a Wal-Mart or something even more toxic, like a waste transfer station redux.
Since you mentioned Walmart. The question I have is more basic. If the county counsel puts a bill up will they actually vote on it. Bill 13-16 is a good example. Where after the counsel amended it. The bill couldn’t even get a 2nd to bring it to a vote Counselman Guthrie was one of the 4 sponsors of Bill 13-16 and he did not second it.
Someone needs to add an amendment to that bill stating the county council has to approve the site, the building, the owner, the plans, parking, water run off….
Gee what else can we get the county council to approve on new commercial buildings?
Oh wait this isn’t walmart …. never mind.
There should be a limit to the size of the field house. These facilities can become quite large, over 100,000sf, with a dozen fields and courts inside. A building that size is of a different nature than a country clubhouse or 4-court tennis bubble.
Would say 99,999 sf be ok?
It is clear from this statement that you feel that the buildings should be limited to a much smaller scale. This contrasts with your earlier comment that suggests that government should have a limited role in commercial construction, even in the event of such construction being detrimental to the local community.
It would be helpful if you clarified your opinions.
I’m all in for 99,998 sq/ft.
Not a square inch more….. no way.
Oh and that’s only with a county council approval.
We need some accountability, I mean whats a good controversy without someone to blame?
Oh, I see. You don’t actually have an opinion. You just prefer to be snarky and hope that it comes off as thoughtful. My apologies for believing that you had something useful to contribute.
Can anyone say Arena Club?
I hope we are all paying attention. Changing zoning for exceptions like this means a one time exception isn’t possible – one guy gets a tennis club and the next guy wants a spa – tennis club and then try to define sports facility and where are the limits? Can of worms on steroids here.
The other shoe drops: Aumar in Fallston
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/fallston-joppa/ph-ag-fallston-cc-0531-20130530,0,5904684.story
I’m telling you, Noble, this project is on the front burner of the Arena Club.
I am so very disappointed in Mr. Woods. He can’t possibly believe that trying to push through this exception won’t end up undermining zoning regs of all kinds on many other parcels of ag property throughout the county. They shouldn’t have built a shopping center at that location in the first place and now because the owner is having issues so much so that he even floated the ridiculous idea of an RV park we have to bail him out. How about we just allow a tatoo parlor, bail bonds or liquor stores – why have any zoning regs at all. Feel sorry for the guy that lives next to that mess – notice they completely dug out the topography of that lot so much so that his lot line leaves him falling into a pit next door. Is that even legal – can’t imagine digging a 20 ft. deep ditch nextdoor to your neighbor and getting away with it but commercial owners are allowed?
What most people fail to realize is HC is big on the good old boy network, If your not happy with the county council than dont vote for them when their term is up.
More detailed info on the plan:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/harford/fallston-joppa/ph-ag-fallston-fieldhouse-0607-20130606,0,7440492.story
Incidentally, I love how plan renderings like this always have half empty parking lots.
From another newspaper:
To build the facility, Euler hopes to get the county to change the zoning law to allow him to build the facility, being referred to as a fieldhouse, on the agriculture-zoned property. Only golf, tennis, swim or country clubs are allowed to be built on agriculturally zoned land.
A fieldhouse is defined in the proposed bill as “A building(s) large enough to encompass a regulation athletic field usually providing seats for spectators, adjacent to an athletic facility where athletes prepare for sport and providing fitness, health and training equipment.”
The Harford County Council has scheduled a public hearing for the proposed zoning change on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. If the legislation, sponsored by Councilman Joe Woods, of Fallston, passes, Euler would then file for a special zoning exception to build the facility. The council would have the final decision on the exception in its capacity as the Board of Zoning Appeals.
The proposed zoning change faces opposition from Fallston residents.
At the Fallston Community Council meeting May 28, Fallston residents expressed concern that the new zoning language would have far reaching implications, making it possible to build athletic facilities on agricultural land anywhere in the county. People also said they were concerned the facility would increase traffic and strain, if not overload, the surrounding roads.
Because of the opposition, Euler has retained the services of the Fallston Group LLC, a company that handles crisis management and media relations, to help with the image of the project and improve the dialogue between himself and Fallston residents.
Google for more info.
Councilman Woods pulled this bill at the meeting last week 6/12. FYI.
To “work on it over the summer.”
Thank you noble for reporting back. Good information.