From Friends of Harford:
A Community Input Meeting (CIM) has been announced for Dunkin’ Donuts – Osborne Parkway – Located at 1324-1 Osborne Parkway. The proposed development on 1.825 acres currently zoned B2 will include a 2,448 sf Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant with drive-thru facilities and a 1,620 sf retail store along with associated site improvements.
Date/Time: Monday, December 2, 2013 at 6:00 P.M.
Location: Knights of Colombus – 23 Newport Drive, Forest Hill, MD 21050
The meeting particulars, including site plan may be seen at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/PlanningZoning/index.cfm?ID=32&PullPage=CommunityCalendar.cfm&InputID=153.
County government has a description of the CIM process at www.harfordcountymd.gov/cim.
If you have concerns you wish to raise or simply want more information, this meeting is your opportunity to do so.
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A Development Advisory Committee (DAC) Meeting has been scheduled for the following project(s):
– REDEEMED CHRISTIAN CHURCH AUDITORIUM: Located on the south side of Pulaski Hwy (Route 40); west of Edgewood Rd (Route 755). Tax Map 65; Parcel 1002; Lot 2. First Election District. Council District A.
– LEE COURT APARTMENTS: Located on the north side of Nuttal Avenue; west side of McCann St. Tax Map 65; Parcel 1070. First Election District. Council District A.
– THE HIGHFIELDS: Located at the end of Willow Vale Drive; west of Putnam Road. Tax Map 39; Parcels 462 & 443. Fourth Election District. Council District B.
Date/Time: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at 9:00 am
Location: Second floor conference room, County Office Bldg, 220 S. Main Street, Bel Air
The DAC meeting announcement with links to the proposed site plans is available at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/PlanningZoning/index.cfm?ID=106&DACID=298 . (It is always smart to check here for revisions or additions before you attend.)
The public is invited to attend, ask questions and voice any concerns.
County government has a description of the DAC process at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/PlanningZoning/index.cfm?ID=53
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A Community Input Meeting (CIM) has been announced for Eva-Mar site plan – Located at 301 N. Fountain Green Road, Bel Air, MD. This plan consists of a Continuing Care Retirement Community on 58.5 acres, more or less, and 120 single family homes, plus or minus, on 94 acres, more or less.
Date/Time: Monday, December 9, 2013 at 6:00 P.M.
Location: Southhampton Middle School 1200 Moores Mill Road, Bel Air, MD 21014
The meeting particulars, including site plan may be seen at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/PlanningZoning/index.cfm?ID=32&PullPage=CommunityCalendar.cfm&InputID=154 .
Do you want to know where this fits into the development process? Read A Citizen’s Guide to the Harford County Property Development Process by Friends of Harford.
650 apartments and 120 new houses sandwiched between Tudor manor and Amyclae, bet that’s going to be an interesting input meeting.
The 650 apartments are for senior housing, so they won’t have much impact on the roads and schools. I wouldn’t worry too much about them, plus they’re set back from the road and the site plan shows a multitude of trees to obscure the line of sight. The 120 houses will probably be in the low-300s, comparable to the other housing available in the area.
But given that there will be a large population of seniors there, a signaled, on-demand-only crosswalk to the shopping center across 543 would be a good idea.
650 apartments regardless of who lives there will generate an enormous amount of traffic. You think none of them will drive, no visitors, no home health care attendees, no medical staff, no administrators. Nice try Kharn…you come across as quite the champion of intensive development but at least present an honest argument because to try to claim limited impacts on the roads with an introduction of 650 housing units is dishonest and frankly kinda dumb.
And lets not forget the business’s that will be in that retirement village. Plans call for a bank, general store, bistro/bar, post office, beauty shop How many big trucks are going to be in and out of here on a daily basis and only during working hours? Anyone that thinks old people just sit around the house doing nothing all day long has never been to Shoprite on a Tuesday.
And for the price estimate on the 120 houses of low 300’s I doubt it. One house on blue bird court was recently on the market for 1.2 million.
I’m a little surprised by your postings on this article. In other articles, you appear to be very pro-development and concerned very little for traffic.
Why is this situation different? Have you been ID hijacked in the same way Money Tree often gets trolled?
The real issue here is our zoning code that was padded for CCRC development. That property is zoned R1 which to most means low density housing. To our surprise, one of the permitted developments on R1 property is a CCRC operation which on this particular property could (although not planned) put up to 1,475 units on 58.5 acres. Not exactly low density. Make no mistake about what this is – it is a major commercial operation complete with four-story buildings smack in the middle of a purely residential area with ALREADY congested traffic as noted in County traffic studies. Oh and wait did I mention that there is already under way another 100 – 150 units under way along Route 543 bringing the grand total to over 1,100 units in a two mile stretch.
Yes there is need a need for senior housing in Harford County. Yes a CCRC is wonderful living arrangement for seniors. But at whose expense? In this case it is at the expense of the surrounding community. We will most certainly see a decline in our property values because our leaders see fit to further a cause that benefits developers under the guise of helping senior citizens. Thank you Harford County government!!!
I had always heard that farm had given up it’s building rights to the local communities around it and was a wildlife refuge that could never be built on. Did anyone else hear this story?
Have you ever tried to make a left out onto 543? Older person, slower reflexes…hard enough for anybody to do, but factor in slower reaction time.
One of the key tenants of AARP’s class for older drivers is they should never make an unprotected left. They’re taught to always turn right and, as a last resort, find a suitable place to turn around.
Whenever I’m in the area, I’m surprised at the number of left turns in or out of the Royal Farms and Burger King (the WaWa isn’t much better, but at least it has the wide median so a car can wait for a clear break) and how many of them are executed with little regard for other vehicles and the near collisions that result. The county should install the flexible barrier like at the McDonalds and Oak Grove Baptist Church (near Thomas Run Rd & 22) on 543 at those two establishments.
While it’s within thier rights to develope this land it’s not within thier rights for the density to exceed existing zoning. That intersection at 543 and 22 is a death trap already as there have been at least 3 fatals I can remember and try getting through there at 5:00 or before the evening classes start at the college. Shouldn’t they at some point consider the danger of rescue trucks or fire trucks simply not being able to service that area during certain times of the day. Developers are destroying our towns and communities.
That is the problem with the zoning. The farm is R1 which is generally low density EXCEPT for a CCRC that the code allows for up to 25 units per acre. The developer is NOT violating the zoning code in terms of density. That is why it is so surprising. The policy rationale is to support senior housing which is a noble goal. BUT as I said before it should not be at the expense of the surrounding neighbors and general public. There will be more fatalities on 543 and 22, you can bet on that.
The sad thing about this project is that it really should be something that is welcomed by the community. But because our wonderful leaders make policy decisions for self-promotion without regard to consequence for the general public, the project is going to be shoehorned into an area where it does NOT belong, and WILL be demonized as though it were a Walmart. The poor seniors who move in there are going to be viewed as villains and cursed every time they go to Safeway. Not to mention David Craig who is running for governor and encouraged this project who will also be demonized by an entire community when he needs every vote he can get.
This is a fine example of politics gone wrong.
Ooops!! Wrote wrong ID to that last post, that was me. NOT Bel Air Bob.
Exactly how did you end up with Bel Air Bob accidentally being left in your Name block?
You really don’t know how this works do you?
No farms = No food
In the next 20 years Harford County will be so OVER-populated welcoming more trash from the city…..
No, Food comes from the grocery store. At least that’s what a majority of people believe.
Per the figures in the 2012 Master Plan prepared by the county, the area where this project is going and a few others had a population of 12,666 in 2010 and was projected to grow to 13,662 by 2020. 1,000 people in ten years. This project plus three others in a two mile stretch of 543 is going to add at least 1,100 households NOT people households. That probably equates to 3,000 to 4,000 people in only a two mile stretch in only a few years when only a 1,000 person increase was projected in 10 years. If you are concerned about population growth in Harford County, then attend the Community Input Meeting on December 9th.
Indeed no, so much smarter to farm the deserts with poor soil and no rain and ship the stuff all the way across the country and then pave over some of the most fertile soil in the world right here. Makes just so much sense.
Don’t fall for the farm preservation joke. Farmers get paid not to develop their land and after 25 years they get to build. A big waste of tax dollars.
Nope that’s not how it works at all. “In perpetuity” means forever. The development rights purchased are extinguished.
You’re both right. Sometimes the farmer is paid for an easment that lasts a fixed period time, like 25 or 30 years, and others are for perpetuity. It depends where the money is coming from.
The CIM meeting is required because the project will yeild at least 500 trips per day. So the developer already acknowledges at least that much.
This proposal is well over a thousand people classified as independent living, not bed-bound shut-ins. A ton of traffic will be generated from this development and it needs to be serviced by rt543 which is already inadequate for existing residents. People are risking their lives every time they try to get out of amyclae or the shopping center across from amyclae onto 543 as they attempt to jump into the bumper to bumper traffic going up and down rt543 from Pennsylvania to I95.
Maryland SHA should look long and hard at this.
Mix a plethora of older drivers with the young kids aggressively racing to the community college and you have disaster in the making. Very poor location for a facility for older folks. The Walmart location on Plumtree oddly enough is much more appropriate with proximity to emergency medical attention, across from a fire station and walking distance to a grocery store and a number of other shops.
Because no kids drive to Patterson Mill…. And old people walking to the grocery store? You must have one sheltered life. Seriously take a trip to Glen Meadows and see how terrible that place is and what it has done to the hood.
Or just keep ranting nonsense, your choice.
I’ve been on 22 many times in and around evening classes and it’s a race; nothing like the area around Patterson Mill. As far as your suggestion that old people don’t walk it’s not even worth responding to.
Here are some very interesting verifiable facts:
On October 1, 2013, David Craig introduced a seemingly random bill at the time that changed the maximum allowable height of buildings for CCRCs from 50 feet to four stories. That bill became law on November 5th. On or our about that VERY same day, plans for the CCRC became public as the lawyer for the project filed notice of the Community Input Meeting. Low and behold the plans for the CCRC call for four story buildings. Coincidently, that same lawyer who also happens to sit on the board for the Presbyterian Homes is David Craig’s campaign advisor. Hmmmm!!! Think about that.
A random change in the zoning laws becomes law the on or about the same day that plans are announced for a CCRC by an attorney who is also a board member of the CCRC and a campaign advisor to the county executive who introduced the “random” zoning change. I’m not making any accusations everything was done by the letter, but you can certainly connect the dots and read in between the lines. And you wonder why the neighborhoods are so upset.
This is similar to the proposed rec center in Fallston, where a seemingly boring zoning code bill was introduced to change the definition of something. Everybody zzzzz.
Then a week later a developer unveils plans to build a sports center in Fallston that happens to fit right into that new definition in the bill.
After this is noticed, the bill then gets pulled by the council member who sponsored it.
These things are happening all the time. But who goes to county council meetings? Pretty much nobody. Who goes to zoning meetings? Nobody.
Who’s the running the ship? Not us.
People need to wake up.
More from David Craig & Co. The change to CCRC zoning code was NOT the only beneficial zoning change they pushed through on the eve of announcing the development plans. They also changed the code section dealing with Natural Resources Districts. Under old code, if 30% or more of a property constituted an NRD, then for certain purposes the usable land could be bumped up to the next designation of density. In this case from R1 to R2. WELL now Craig & Co. reduced the percentage to 25%. And you guessed it . . . the developer is seeking just such a bump up on this property. Hmmm. . I wonder if the percentage of NRD on the property is a number between 25% and 30%.
But wait there is more . . . they also changed a third zoning code section, presumably for their own benefit. Why stop at just two??? They extended the time plan approvals were valid to three years.
Joking aside this is a serious serious ethical issue. Coming from a man who has his sights on running for governor. I want to write more but I am absolutely speechless on this.
David Craig makes my skin crawl. This entire county full of talented, conservative, smart, responsible, experienced people and we get this Boss Hog. He gets away with it because nobody stops him. Without Mr. Boniface questioning the HdG Water St. fiasco they’d have bailed out a developer using millions in taxpayers money. I have a lot of respect for Boniface and very high hopes that he’ll be an honest and ethical addition to the Glassman team. This county needs to be scrubbed. Too many useless tools acting for developers in the departments that are supposed to make sure this is done right.
We do have a lot of people of the sort you describe here in Harford, but people like that don’t go into politics, they get productive jobs and work for a living. Even if an honest person ran for office and got elected to a county position, how long do you think it would be before the developers would bend them to their will?
I don’t have much faith that Glassman will be any less helpful to the developers than was Craig. The names and faces change, but the development goes on and on.
Poor money tree clueless again. Boniface sponsored the changes at Craigs request…..
I have a broken clock that is right more often than you.
http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/Auditor/Documents/2215.pdf
The Money Tree – my sentiments exactly. As a life-long citizen of Harford County, my heart is broken when I look around and see what has been done to the County in the name of “progress,” “moving forward,” “staying competitive,” and other meaningless rhetoric. I have been sick to my stomach of the past two administrations, including Harkins who was also very cozy with the developers and had his own set of cronies. But is seems with this administration, there’s a lot more interesting “coincidences,” that are absolutely breathtaking. Maybe it should be investigated — oh, wait, forget about Cassilly. It just isn’t going to happen in good ‘ole Harford County any time soon. You are right, we have a lot of very talented people in the County who would be excellent….
Indeed – ill advised development has been going on for decades…started as soon as developers realized Harford had lots of farms and 95 was built. They moved in like jackals cozying up to county leadership because everybody knows if you’ve got friends in high places you get what you want generally. While the rest of us are distracted by work and raising families these people are making sure they know everyone in every department that might help them including our county executive. When they had the meeting where the Presby Homes people got the executive to change zoning regs for this development who was there? Did the neighbors in Amyclae have representation? Did the folks from Friends of Harford? Of course not. The neighborhoods have nobody representing them. Some of the corruption is simply being familial and on a first name basis, and some of it I’m sure is much more serious. I have no doubt money changes hands in some cases; no doubt – to believe otherwise is to be very, very naive.
Poor money tree ever the conspiracy theorist.
Sad.
The Money Tree –
The one of the primary economic reasons for the Interstate Highway System was to promote commerce, development and economic growth.
It should not be a surprise to you that I95 has created economic development in Maryland and Harford County.
You need to look at a map and find a remote place away from Interstate Highways and major metropolitan areas like Baltimore where Harford County is located and live there.
The island in the movie Castaway is available.
Sometimes defensive caterwauling gets louder when you get very, very close to whatever the cat is protecting.
Well that’s one explanation for your caterwauling.
What exactly is your point disgusted? That there is no land left in the i95 corridor and that therefore no one should complain when developers run your government? Both assertions are false of course.
No that’s not the point.
Community Input meeting scheduled for tonight has been cancelled and no replacement date as yet.