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Showing posts with label Carroll Co Govt Planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carroll Co Govt Planning. Show all posts

Monday, August 16, 2010

Carroll County Times editorial: Industrial growth is elusive

Carroll County Times editorial: Industrial growth is elusive

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/article_fa0ea2f4-a15f-11df-9b23-001cc4c03286.html

Monday, August 9, 2010

Editorial |

The heavy tax burden of homeowners and need for additional industrial development is an ongoing concern that comes up every election season, but while candidates and those in office recognize the problem and pledge to fix it, little progress has been for decades.

The reasons for the lack of change are many, but ultimately it comes down to the lack of a long-range vision and a specific plan for achieving that vision's objective.

Eighty-five percent of the property taxes brought in to the county come from residential development. The contribution from industrial development is just 10 percent… http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/article_fa0ea2f4-a15f-11df-9b23-001cc4c03286.html

20100809 CCTed Industrial growth is elusive

LABELS: , , ,

*****

Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Carroll County MD Planning Commission suspends Pathways Plan

News Release
Planning Commission suspends Pathways Plan
October 20, 2009 – The Planning and Zoning Commission today voted to halt work on the Carroll County Comprehensive Plan, known as the Pathways to Carroll’s Future Landscape, and direct staff instead to revise the County’s 2000 Master Plan.
That revision is to be submitted along with the state-mandated Water Resources Element by the end of November.
Comprehensive and master plans are different names for the same document, which is designed to direct growth outside of municipalities over 20 years.
Since 1992, the State of Maryland has required that such plans be reviewed every six years. Pathways would have been the first major update to Carroll County’s growth guidelines since 1964.
The Pathways process began in June 2005 with scores of community meetings, surveys and conferences.
Input from the community outreach effort was compiled by the Department of Planning.
In April 2009, a draft of the Pathways Plan was presented by the Planning and Zoning Commission for public review.
For more information, contact: Vivian D. Laxton,Public Information Administrator,
# # #
*****
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Friday, July 03, 2009

Carroll County recommendations for employment zoning campuses stem from 2007 study


Carroll County recommendations for employment zoning campuses stem from 2007 study

For more information click here:

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/search/label/Carroll%20Co%20Govt%20Planning%20Pathways

20090702 Pathways plan public hearing approaching By Schutt
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/07/pathways-plan-public-hearing.html
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/articles/2009/07/02/news/local_news/2_pathways_plan.txt

Pathways plan causing confusion for residents, officials By Charles Schelle http://www.explorecarroll.com/ http://tinyurl.com/m8c7ra
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/06/pathways-plan-causing-confusion-for.html

Culleton on Carroll: We need industrial land & insurance it’ll stay that way http://www.explorecarroll.com/ http://tinyurl.com/ksx7p6 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/06/culleton-we-need-industrial-land-in.html [20090625 Culleton We need ind land that will stay that way]

And especially read:
Carroll ‘unprepared’ to attract new jobs by Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2007/03/carroll-unprepared-to-attract-new-jobs.html Mar 2, 2007 [20070302 Carroll unprepared to attract new jobs kvbe]

For additional reading go to where you may find previous columns I have written on the history of the Carroll County Comprehensive Plan process in Carroll County: http://tinyurl.com/clkwbn and http://twitpic.com/4f7ie
Planning a pathway in Carroll County from 1961 into the future
http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2006/06/planning-pathway-in-carroll-county-from.html

20051005 WE Urban sprawl is no good for all weked http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2005/10/urban-sprawl-is-no-good-for-all-but.html

20050929 Agriculture’s new social contract http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2005/09/agricultures-new-social-contract.html

20090502 SDOSM Comprehensive planning in Carroll County http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/05/comprehensive-planning-in-carroll.html

Perhaps one of the best explorations of the Pathways comprehensive master plan in front of the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission is found here in Charles Schelle’s article: Carroll County recommendations for employment zoning campuses stem from 2007 study

So far, most of the feedback I have received from folks who are unhappy with aspects of the plan have based their displeasure on misinformation and incorrect conclusions. Of course the facts of the matter has certainly not prevented some folks with being particular unpleasant…

Perhaps there are indeed problems, maybe not. I’m trying to maintain an open mind.

Carroll County recommendations for employment zoning campuses stem from 2007 study By Charles Schelle Posted on www.explorecarroll.com 6/28/09

Proposals for new employment campuses at Taylorsville and Mount Airy have drawn increased scrutiny — and the wrath of some residents — toward Carroll County’s comprehensive master plan review, known as the Pathways Plan.

More than 900 packed a public hearing at Century High School on June 15 many complaining that the Taylorsville plan, in particular, has emerged without adequate explanation and justification.

[…]

The plan includes many different aspects — Pathways is designed to update the county’s blueprint for land-use, zoning, transportation, county facilities, parks, conservation and other facets.

Yet the biggest issue at recent meetings is residents’ claim of a lack of explanation about the proposed rezoning of residential land, especially in Taylorsville as well as land rezoned south of I-70 in Mount Airy for a new classification — office park and employment zone.

The classification provides space for employment campuses, office, light manufacturing and assembly and limited commercial uses.

Overall, Pathways proposes 3,500 acres of new employment zoning in the county. Taylorsville is the biggest at 1,700 acres; the next is a 600-acre parcel in Mount Airy south of I-70.

The remaining 1,200 acres are divided up in pockets in Finksburg, Woodbine, Westminster, outside of Winfield along routes 26 and 85, and a small parcel off Main Street in Mount Airy.

The current lands are a combination of agricultural, conservation, residential and business uses.

[…]

2007 study set wheels in motion

While residents say the employment campus proposals have come from left field, planners say they stem from a 2007 study, the “Carroll County Economic Development Land and Employment Needs Study.”

The study was performed by Parsons Brinckerhoff-PlaceMaking Team, a New York-based company the county contracted to look at Carroll’s employment zoning needs. Also involved in the study was the Jacob France Institute from the University of Baltimore’s Economic Research Associates.

The study determined that several factors would play in creating the strongest areas for business development in the county. Those factors included:

• Sites designated for growth in municipal plans.

• Land within two miles of a major highway.

• Vacant parcels larger than 25 acres.

• Proximity to high-income areas.

• And “underdeveloped parcels” — those where assessed land values are higherthan the value of the land’s improvements.

The study also recommended excluding agricultural easements. From those factors, the study plotted sites that would qualify — and that turned into the Pathways list.

The Mount Airy tract south of I-70 was a special case. The study stated that a study would be needed there because the 600-acre parcel has issues including lack of direct access, water and sewer service and the site’s designation as an aquifer protection area for the Patapsco River.

But Vivian Laxton, the county government’s public information administrator, said the county also based the recommendations on input from residents.

She said during a 2006 project called “Map It Out” — part of the Pathways outreach process — people suggested grouping development in Taylorsville and in southern Mount Airy.

[…]

… planners said, but they note the 2007 study suggested water and sewer construction — estimated at about $177 million, excluding the cost of new reservoirs — would be needed for all of the employment clusters.

The study addresses some aspects of water and sewer needs, but notes the Route 26 corridor water and sewer estimates are “based on a quick analysis rather than detailed studies.”

Brenda Dinne, bureau chief of comprehensive planning for the county, said consultants are working on a study estimating the water and wastewater needs that the Pathways Plan would present.

That study should be in the hands of the Planning Commission shortly afterJuly 10, she said. That timing, though, will leave only a few days before the commission’s Pathways public hearing on July 14.

But Dinne said a separate hearing will be needed for the proposed rezoning if the planning commission passes it along. That hearing won’t take place until after Pathways is adopted this summer, she said, and could take until December.

Communication issues

Dinne said the county is working to answer residents concerns. She said people are brought in from various departments to help at the information meetings and answer questions — though every staff member might not know all the answers.

“We’re doing our best to answer from the people available,” she said. Laxton said some of residents’ angst might be from misunderstanding the difference between land-use and zoning.

She notes that if a home is on land that is proposed to be rezoned for employment, nothing will change until the homeowner sells and the buyer decides to take advantage of the rezoned classification.

Or, she said, the current homeowner could also turn his or her property into an office park/employment use.

Essentially, she said, the county wants that land to ultimately be used foremployment — but until it is, residential uses would still be allowable.

[…]

Read the entire article here: Carroll County recommendations for employment zoning campuses stem from 2007 study


------

The Carroll County Planning Commission's public hearing on Pathways will be July 14 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Winters Mill High School, 560 Gorsuch Road, Westminster. Comments are limited to two minutes each.

Public comment to be reviewed by Planning Commission must be received not later than July 10 at 5 p.m. at Carroll County Planning, c/o Pathways Plan Comments, 225 N. Center St., Room 205, Westminster, MD 21157.

A hearing on any proposed rezoning will occur after Pathways is adopted.

Pathways Assistance

Click here to view the Carroll County Economic Development Land and Employment Needs Study. (This is a large file. Right-click to save as a file to desktop.)

Click here to view the executive summary for the Carroll County Economic Development Land and Employment Needs Study.

Click here to view the Frequently Ask Questions about the Carroll County Economic Development Land and Employment Needs Study.

Click here to view the full list of Carroll County studies for the Pathways plan.

Click here to view the Map It Out exercise where residents placed Lego blocks on area they wish to have development. Links to the maps are at the bottom of the linked page.

For more information on Pathways, visit
www.carrollpathways.org

20090628 Emp rezoning proves Pathway to controversy by Schelle

The Carroll County Times also has plenty of information:

Pathways Maps
Current Map
Proposed Map

Pathways: Explaining Carroll's Comprehensive Plan: (Published May 24 - 26, 2009)

Day 1: Overview, the Water Resources Element and how the municipalities fit into the plan

20-year plan provides blueprint for growth
What will Carroll County look like in 20 years?

County, towns work to address water needs
As the county grows over the next 20 years, the availability of water and wastewater and preserving water quality will be major factors.
Municipalities have own plans for future development
Highlights of Finksburg plan draft to be unveiled
Day 2: Residential growth and agricultural preservation

Protecting farmland a priority in Carroll County
With Carroll County’s agricultural and rural heritage, protecting farmland has long been a county priority. This was recognized in the first county master plan in 1964.

Officials anticipate challenges in downsizing zoning
Carroll residents have shown strong support for the ag land preservation program, and Program Manager Ralph Robertson isn’t expecting much of a challenge to those portions of the comprehensive plan. But the proposed changes to downsize the zoning on the county’s conservation zoning is another challenge altogether.
Plan aims to reduce rural development
Day 3: Economic growth and plans for transportation projects

Pathways goal aims to bring jobs to Carroll
Building a community where residents work where they live is the vision guiding Carroll County’s Comprehensive Plan. County officials hope that vision creates thousands of jobs and builds a diverse tax base.

Plan calls for improvement in transportation
Achieving Carroll County’s long-term goal of communities that are easily accessible for pedestrians and bicyclists will require improvements to the county’s sporadic network of sidewalks, paths and trails.


Monday, June 29, 2009

Pathways plan causing confusion for residents, officials By Charles Schelle


Pathways plan causing confusion for residents, officials

Related:

Culleton on Carroll: We need industrial land & insurance it’ll stay that way http://www.explorecarroll.com/ http://tinyurl.com/ksx7p6 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/06/culleton-we-need-industrial-land-in.html [20090625 Culleton We need ind land that will stay that way]

And especially read:
Carroll ‘unprepared’ to attract new jobs by Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2007/03/carroll-unprepared-to-attract-new-jobs.html Mar 2, 2007 [20070302 Carroll unprepared to attract new jobs kvbe]

*****
Pathways plan causing confusion for residents, officials By Charles Schelle Posted on www.explorecarroll.com 6/23/09

Carroll County’s comprehensive master plan draft, called Pathways, is causing some confusion for both residents and elected officials.

The biggest issues about the plan include lack of explanations about the proposed rezoning of some residential land, especially in Taylorsville, to an employment campus classification as well as land rezoned south of I-70 in Mount Airy for industrial and commercial use.

[…]

The two rezoning changes catching fire are both turning about 1,700 acres of residential land in Taylorsville’s routes 26 and 27 intersection to employment campus land and another being land south of I-70 in Mount Airy at the headwaters of the Patapsco River.

[…]

Krebs (Del. Susan Krebs (R-9B) of Eldersburg) said …

“There were planners to came to the Mount Airy and Eldersburg libraries a month ago and were suppose to answer questions,” she said. “The planners at the Eldersburg Library were not from the area; they had no idea to the questions they were asked. And you stood in line to ask a question about the map, they did not give you the proposal and you had to look it up online first.”

Krebs said it’s time for the county to step back and answer the unresolved questions correctly.

Read the June 28 edition of The Carroll Eagle for more on how land was selected to be rezoned and what your property rights are for the proposed rezoning and land use designations in Pathways.

Pathways resources

View information and studies about Pathways at
www.carrollpathways.org.

Residents with questions about Pathways can call the Pathways hotline at 877-349-8309 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Residents can also visit the Pathways Assistance Center at Room 205 in the County Office Building, 225 N. Center St., Westminster from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Staff will be available to provide assistance and answer any questions related to the draft Pathways Plan document, the proposed zoning text, and the proposed zoning maps.


Read Charles Schelle’s entire article here: Pathways plan causing confusion for residents, officials

20090623 Pathways plan causing confusion

http://www.explorecarroll.com/news/3057/pathways-plan-causing-confusion-residents-officials/#comments

And be sure to read the comments… One example:

user songbird says...

I am resident of Carroll who happens to think that the Pathways plan is an excellent way forward for the county. I was not sure at first about it because of all the noise being made by some people - but I attended the meetings and listened to all the negative stuff. But apart from just saying that they did not like the plan - there was little substance in what was said beyond anger and noise. I did not speak and neither did others who agree with the plan because it did not seem to be the place to do so. The shouting and ruckus at the Century High meeting really put me off. I was not going to stand up and be shouted down - because that is all that would have happened. They did not seem to be in the mood to listen to an alternative view. But I made a point of reading the entire plan - I am not sure how many of those who disagree have actually read it all because they do not seem to understand that there is ample consideration of conservation in it. In fact, if the plan is followed we will have more conservation land in Carroll than we did before - granted it will not be in the same areas. I live in one of the contested areas and have no problem with the idea of a business park. It is a far better alternative than having residences and business springing up in every corner of the county in a hap hazard way without any planning.

Posted 2:42 PM, 06.25.09
Permalink

Culleton: We need industrial land in Carroll County that will stay that way


Culleton on Carroll: We need industrial land, but also some insurance it’ll stay that way

By John Culleton Posted on
www.explorecarroll.com 6/25/09

Carroll countians want top ranked schools, low taxes and no industry nearby.

It is a case of pick two out of three. Half the County budget is for education, and our taxable base is 80 percent residential. The only way to lower taxes is to get some industrial development to increase the proportion of industry and hence decrease the proportion of residential tax base.

To put it another way, so long as most real estate taxes are paid by residences, the taxes on me and thee will be high compared to other counties.

This is not news, although the friends of the residential developers like to obscure that fact. Complaining about higher taxes won't help. Industrial development will.

The county shows foresight in proposing to rezone land from agricultural to industrial in large chunks and in suitable locations. But after the rezoning county officials need to consider worst-case analysis.

[…]


Read John Culleton’s entire column here: Culleton on Carroll: We need industrial land, but also some insurance it’ll stay that way

By John Culleton Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ 6/25/09

20090625 Culleton We need ind land that will stay that way

http://www.explorecarroll.com/opinion/3059/we-need-industrial-land-but-also-some-insurance-itll-stay-that-way/

Saturday, May 02, 2009

Comprehensive planning in Carroll County

19970320c-0979-Little-bit-o.gif
Comprehensive planning in Carroll County

~ May 2, 2009 Kevin Dayhoff

Recently some colleagues and readers have asked me to write an update of the Carroll County Comprehensive Plan - Pathways to Carroll’s Future Landscape, process.

Candidly, it was not on my radar screen; however, I’ll take a look into it…

Meanwhile, this is where you may find a previous column I had written on the history of the Carroll County Comprehensive Plan process in Carroll County: http://tinyurl.com/clkwbn





As the work continues on an update of the Carroll County Comprehensive Plan - Pathways to Carroll’s Future Landscape, it is a good time to reflect on some of the history of master planning in Carroll County and some of the past community leaders who worked hard to provide us with the firm foundation we have today, which allows us to confidently plan our future.

The methodology of developing our “Pathways” plan and the emphasis on community involvement and consensus building are once again highlighting Carroll County in a groundbreaking and leadership position throughout the state.

Then again, when it comes to master planning, leadership is something that comes quite naturally to our county. We have a history of excellence.

In November 1961, the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission issued the first Carroll County Master Plan, entitled “Agriculture.” The report was developed under the visionary leadership of George A. Grier, the planning director for Carroll County at the time.

Community leaders serving on the 1961 Planning Commission were Chairman E. Miller Richardson, Russell Royer, Walter Harner, and Clarence Shaw. The Agricultural Advisors were Chairman John Bixler, Frank Bushey, Jonathan Dorsey, George Tracy, and Lloyd Wilhide.

The 1961 Carroll County Master Plan was the inspiration of Mr. Grier who began his tenure with county government in 1959. He was the county's first planning director. He later served as the county administrator. Mr. Grier retired in 1983 after almost 25 years of public service.

Read the entire column here: Planning a pathway in Carroll County from 1961 into the future

20090502 SDOSM Comprehensive planning in Carroll County
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
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Friday, March 09, 2007

Carroll ‘unprepared’ to attract new jobs by Kelsey Volkmann


Carroll ‘unprepared’ to attract new jobs by Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner Mar 2, 2007

Carroll County - Carroll “is wholly unprepared to take advantage” of opportunities to attract new jobs, a new study reveals.

“Despite its size, location [and] educated and affluent population, Carroll’s economic performance is still that of a rural residential suburb,” according to a report from consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff, an international planning firm that built New York City’s first subway.

“Carroll’s current inventory of zoned industrial land is in the wrong places, too broken up and outside existing sewer and water services areas.”

Consultants presented their findings Thursday to the Economic Development Commission. The county hired them to:

» Evaluate the obstacles blocking new businesses from moving in.

» Offer suggestions on breaking Carroll from its status as a bedroom community.

» Help update the Pathways Plan, or road map for growth.

Land prices and the build-out of neighboring jurisdictions will push development here, consultants found, but Carroll has a “sparse network of state roads,” and 90 percent of its commercial parcels are five acres or smaller.

Consultants recommended that Carroll create more types of industrial and commercial zoning. Carroll has five basic kinds, while most nearby counties have between eight and 11.

This prevents Carroll from offering more mixed-use options where, for example, a factory sits next to offices, county spokeswoman Vivian Laxton said. The more businesses Carroll fosters, she said, the less of a tax burden residents will have to shoulder.

If officials don’t change their zoning, they will perpetuate tax-base imbalances, lose potential employment lands to houses and increase rush-hour traffic, the study shows.

All economic development hinges on Carroll finding more water sources in the face of looming shortages, County Planning Director Steve Horn said.
Meeting water and sewer demands for 2030 will cost $153 million, according to the study.

Tax bases

Commercial and industrial assessable tax bases by county

» Baltimore: 19 percent

» Howard: 18 percent

» Harford: 14 percent

» Carroll: 12 percent

Source: Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation

(Parsons Brinckerhoff used counties closest to Carroll for comparison)

Percentage of commuters who work outside county

» Carroll: 51.7 percent

» Howard: 51.6 percent

» Harford: 44.6 percent

» Baltimore: 29.5 percent

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

20070302 Carroll unprepared to attract new jobs kvbe

Kevin Dayhoff: www.westgov.net Westminster Maryland Online www.westminstermarylandonline.net http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Planning a pathway in Carroll County from 1961 into the future


Planning a pathway in Carroll County from 1961 into the future
June 14, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff (639 words)

As the work continues on an update of the Carroll County Comprehensive Plan - Pathways to Carroll’s Future Landscape, it is a good time to reflect on some of the history of master planning in Carroll County and some of the past community leaders who worked hard to provide us with the firm foundation we have today, which allows us to confidently plan our future.

The methodology of developing our “Pathways” plan and the emphasis on community involvement and consensus building are once again highlighting Carroll County in a groundbreaking and leadership position throughout the state.

Then again, when it comes to master planning, leadership is something that comes quite naturally to our county. We have a history of excellence.

In November 1961, the Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission issued the first Carroll County Master Plan, entitled “Agriculture.” The report was developed under the visionary leadership of George A. Grier, the planning director for Carroll County at the time.

Community leaders serving on the 1961 Planning Commission were Chairman E. Miller Richardson, Russell Royer, Walter Harner, and Clarence Shaw. The Agricultural Advisors were Chairman John Bixler, Frank Bushey, Jonathan Dorsey, George Tracy, and Lloyd Wilhide.

The 1961 Carroll County Master Plan was the inspiration of Mr. Grier who began his tenure with county government in 1959. He was the county's first planning director. He later served as the county administrator. Mr. Grier retired in 1983 after almost 25 years of public service.

Before Mr. Grier, a Harford County native, came to Carroll County, he was working as the Harford County planning director. However, he is another of the many examples of leadership attracted to Carroll County as a result of McDaniel College.

Carroll County was not new to Mr. Grier when accepted the commissioners’ offer of employment. He had attended, then – Western Maryland College, for three years, before he served our country in World War II.

The 1961 plan was only 54 pages, but it was an innovative approach to planning in the state in the early 1960s and many folks credit our “Master Plan” approach as the model for the Maryland Planning Act of 1992.

Once again, yesteryear’s trauma is today’s routine. .The concept of doing a master plan for the county was extraordinarily controversial in 1961. Now, state law mandates that local governments develop and update a master plan every six years.

When it comes to planning, to give folks, who have moved to Carroll County in recent years, some perspective when they complain to my generation about congestion and a loss of quality of life in Carroll County - - when folks from my generation joke that when we grew up in Carroll County, there were more cows than people, we aren’t kidding.

In November 1961, there were 48,274 head of cattle, plus 19,193 milk cows, 21,222 hogs, 333,546 chickens, 1,762 sheep and 1,045 horses. The population of the county in 1961 was 52,785.

In 1961, Carroll County was ranked number one or two in the state for land in farms; total number of cattle, hogs, and chickens; production of wheat, barley, hay, and sweet corn; and total number of tractors, grain combines and corn pickers. 77.5 percent of Carroll County was farmland.

Page 42 of the 1961 report contains a series of recommendations that are amazingly just as relevant today. In a future column we will review those recommendations and compare them to the current goals of the Pathways’ plan.

Meanwhile, we no longer have more cows that people in Carroll County. The need for careful land use planning is more important than ever.

Growth and development are some of the most difficult and challenging issues of our time. If you care about our county’s future, make time to visit the “Pathways” website at www.carrollpathways.org. Please get involved and be part of the solution.


20060614 SDOSM WE Planning a pathway in CC from 1961 p1.doc


Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.
####

Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Art:
www.kevindayhoff.com
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster:
www.westgov.net

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Agriculture’s new social contract


Agriculture’s new social contract

September 29, 2005 by Kevin Dayhoff

More than ever, agriculture in Carroll County understands that, like it or not, it now has a new "social contract" with the greater community to operate.

Agriculture understands that simply feeding us, at prices below the cost of production, is not enough and that in today’s world; farmers are obligated with paying for and providing non-farming Carroll Countians with a great view and open space.

Well, I have a surprise for you. There is no such thing as a free lunch or a free view. This is a two way street and non-farmers also have a social contract obligation to become better informed about state mandated water and sewer master plan allocations, land use, zoning laws and the comprehensive planning process.

Economics, population pressure and market forces from outside of Carroll County are going to continue to drive up the value of farm land and ultimately we are all going to have to dig into our pockets and put more money into agricultural land preservation or pay for roads and schools and infrastructure. Read: Roads, schools and other infrastructure costs a great deal more then investing in agricultural land preservation.

For more information on these dynamics, please see two excellent columns written in the Carroll County Times by columnist Tom Harbold on August 30, 2005 and September 27, 2005.

The time to discuss future land use, growth and development in Carroll County needs to take place long before the housing development is in the public hearing stage or the subject of a moratorium. The discussion needs to take place long before the business of a farm has been rendered unprofitable or a property owner has been awarded certain legal development rights.

It is important that folks attend the community meetings, entitled Grassroots Gatherings (http://www.carrollpathways.org/), which are scheduled for residents to get involved in the Carroll County Comprehensive Plan. Go and ask questions. Many of Carroll County’s public servants are the brightest land use experts in the state.

Folks need to comprehend that a contract is an agreement between two parties in which both parties have obligations. Unless we want many of these great views to become great houses, we are all going to have to contribute.

The end users of agricultural products are now so far removed from the actual production of food that the public is no longer familiar with the day-to-day struggles of food production.

Non-farmers seem unwilling to give farmers any logical leeway in understanding a farmer's stewardship for the environment; the impact on profitability of increased regulations and bureaucratic expense or how a farm is to remain profitable in the face of increased urbanization.

Many agree that Carroll County is no place for urban sprawl development in the middle of farmland, far from any municipal infrastructure. Not only for the obvious reasons, but because most of the folks who move into these developments are horrible neighbors for farmers and contribute to the domino affect of the farm next to it becoming unprofitable and ultimately sold, for you guessed it, more houses.

We can start by increasing the funding for agriculture land preservation and increasing the funding of the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service, both of which are the immediate life preservers for the business of agriculture in the state.

If we can fully fund the $1.3 billion Thornton school aid plan, we can fully fund the Maryland Cooperative Extension Service and agricultural land preservation. If Maryland can use its bond rating for a low interest loan program for first time homebuyers, we can bond out a low interest-borrowing program for first time farm buyers.

Most Carroll Countians certainly understand that “more” houses means more schools, roads and infrastructure, and increased demand for government services and before too long, someone wants into our pockets to raise our taxes to pay for it all.

Market forces and population pressure from outside of Carroll County are going to continue to drive up the value of the land and ultimately we are all going to have to dig into our pockets and put more money into agricultural land preservation or spend a greater amount for roads and schools and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the more farms that are put out of business, the more we increase development pressure by way of putting that many more acres of land on the market for growing houses instead of food.

In the next 20 years, Maryland's population will increase by another million. Not all one million new folks have to live in Carroll County, but if we make the land available, they will come.

Here’s where the conversation slips into “The Twilight Zone.” Friends take me aside and tell me; “Kevin, people gotta live somewhere.” My response is that they all don’t need to live in Carroll County. Development needs to take place in municipalities because that is where the infrastructure is but the new houses don’t pay for the increased infrastructure needed and the increased demand for services.

I believe that incentives, such as fast-tracking need to be in place to encourage commercial and employment tax base development in the municipalities so as to provide revenue stream. But when one approaches Mr. or Mrs. Nimby and say how about an employment campus so that you don’t have to travel so far on inadequate roads for a meaningful job, the answer is I want it to be a farm. Well, the tract of land in question, farming is not profitable and can’t pay the bills so that it can remain a farm. Most likely because you hassled the farmer or killed a bunch of her cows by throwing your trash into her hayfield.

You go to the developer and say, how about developing an employment campus, with high end architectural and design standards and lots of trees and landscaping. The developer says I can’t because it is not zoned for that and I can’t get the zoning changed because the neighborhood became an angry mob when that idea was suggested.

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(Originally from: 20050909 Outtakes Civility Listening session Gathering Places - C:\Media20040630WE\20051005 WE ListSessionP2 Urban Sprawl Hurts us All)

20050929 Agricultures new social contract