The Anne Arundel County Executive recently announced seven bills that would impact the development process in our area. Let’s take a closer look at these seven bills and what they would mean for development in Anne Arundel County.
Bill No. 17-18
Bill No. 17-18 details the possibility of implementing a temporary moratorium on certain rezonings in the county. Specifically, this bill reads that, “a temporary moratorium on the acceptance of applications for administrative zoning reclassifications for properties in all Councilmanic Districts is hereby established, which moratorium shall continue in each district until the draft General Development Plan is transmitted to the Planning Advisory Board or January 1, 2020, whichever occurs first.” Applications filed before September 1 would still be processed.
Bill No. 18-18
This bill would add onto the criteria a property owner would need to meet in order to be granted a special exception by either the Administrative Hearing Officer or the Board of Appeals. Currently, nine special exceptions exist, and this bill would create two more. It also clarifies that all exceptions need to be the same before either the Administrative Hearing Officer and the Board of Appeals.
Bill No. 19-18
Bill No. 19-18 would expand the notice requirements for applications before the Administrative Hearing Officer from 175 feet to 300 feet. This would significantly increase the number of people receiving notices of proceedings including variances and special exceptions in circumstances where the property in question “confronts or adjoins” large plots of land like golf courses, schools, or parks.
Resolution No. 06-18
This resolution would amend the Anne Arundel County Charter. Specifically, it would require consistency between comprehensive zoning bills and its amendments within the General Development Plan. In this case, legislative amendments would be much more difficult to achieve since any ones that are proposed during comprehensive rezoning would be subject to the final consent of the Planning and Zoning Officer as well as the County Executive.
Bill No. 21-18
Bill No. 21-18 calls for the reinstitution, development, and adoption of Small Area Plans. Specifically, the bill would require the development of no fewer than even new Small Area Plans following the adoption of the next General Development Plan, which should likely come in 2019. In addition, this bill would direct the County Executive to appoint citizen-members to Small Area Planning Committees to dictate the development of Small Area Plans.
Bill No. 22-18
In this bill, administrative adjustments of certain bulk regulations for individual building lots outside of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area would be allowed. If passed, this regulation could reduce the vast number of uncontested setback variances that are currently on the docket of the Administrative Hearing Office.
Bill No. 23-18
Lastly, Bill No. 23-18 would increase the notice requirements for community meetings. In this case, all property owners within 300 feet of the building going to be developed would receive notice of community meetings. This is an increase in distance from the current 175 feet and would significantly increase the number of participants in community meetings.
Contact us today for more information on zoning laws in Anne Arundel County.
