Residents protest bill fast-tracking Rt. 1 development

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Elizabeth Eggleston’s Elkridge neighborhood lacks a community center, the library is inadequate and the schools face overcrowding, she told county lawmakers.

Now a bill aimed at fast-tracking residential development along the Route 1 corridor threatens to exacerbate those ills, she and other residents said.

“We desire an infrastructure plan that is responsive to the needs of our community,” said Eggleston, who was representing the Elkridge Elementary School PTA and the Elkridge Landing Middle School PTSA at a public hearing Monday night.

The Howard County Council is considering a measure that would allow developers to take 125 additional housing allocations from future years to use for current projects.

County law allows for 1,850 housing units to be built each year; 250 of those are along the Route 1 corridor.

The change would allow a few projects waiting for housing allotments, such as the development at the Savage MARC station and the redevelopment of the former Aladdin mobile home park, to move forward.

The plan would help “maintain the momentum” of redevelopment until the county’s General Plan, which directs residential

growth, is revised in 2010, said Planning Director Marsha McLaughlin.

However, dozens of residents protested the measure Monday night, saying the change would add to the woes of an area grappling with a recent development boom.

Cathy Hudson, an Elkridge resident and activist, echoed Eggleston’s concerns, telling council members services in the area are greatly needed, and hundreds of units are slated for construction in the next few years.

“How much more do you want to stuff quickly in an underserved area?” she asked.

The developments still would have to pass the public facilities ordinance that ensures adequate roads and schools.

Bridget Mugane, head of the Howard County Citizens Association, said the public facilities ordinance was “too weak.” Often developers just have to fix two intersections nearest to the project, but other areas remain congested, she said.

However, some residents lauded the proposal, saying it would encourage continued revitalization and prompt more affordable housing.

“We have always supported higher-density districts,” said Sherman Howell of the African American Coalition of Howard County.

smichael@baltimoreexaminer.com

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