Finksburg, Md. (Map, News) - Improving the worn-down facades of businesses along the Route 140 corridor in Finksburg marks the first step toward creating the suburb that residents want.

“Doing something in the corridor without really looking at what’s going on in Finksburg itself is somewhat short-sighted,” said John Lopez, vice president of the Finksburg Planning and Citizens’ Council, which represents residents in the area.

Commissioners enacted a property tax credit this week encouraging business owners to fix up their buildings, but residents are looking past Route 140. Alice Altstatt, a member of the citizens’ council, said she envisions a well-planned community complete with a streetscape and shopping centers. The council has even discussed incorporating into a town.

The fast-growing community of about 17,000 has nearly as many residents as Westminster, the county seat, but it is governed by the county, which has a master plan that has stalled for several months because of a water shortage.

Talk of incorporation never turned into action in the past, but residents are hoping that a bill state lawmakers recently passed to expand the Board of Carroll Commissioners from three to five members elected by district will help organize their community.

Finksburg would have been split into two districts to keep towns such as Hampstead and Manchester together under a district map favored by town mayors but rejected by state lawmakers.

The map that was passed goes into effect in the next election in 2010 and will have one commissioner representing Finksburg.

And while the community fully supports the tax break to improve businesses’ appearance, the rows of billboards that tower above still need to go, Lopez said.

“We’d certainly like to see something done about the large number of billboards that are there,” he said. “That’s No. 1, because there’s just an awful lot of clutter.”

msilvestri@baltimoreexaminer.com