A Howard County planning and zoning staff member should attend community meetings with developers to address questions from residents, community activists said.
“It?s an opportunity for [residents] to connect to the department and the department to connect to them,” said Grace Kubofcik, co-president of the Howard County League of Women Voters, at Tuesday?s public hearing.
Residents want this provision to be included in a bill introduced by Council Member Courtney Watson, D-District 1. The proposal requires the so-called pre-submission meetings between the community and developers be held in a public building within five miles of the site, extending the current three-mile requirement.
But “we?re short on a lot of staff to do a lot of things,” said Planning and Zoning Director Marsha McLaughlin, who instead suggested providing more guidance to the developer on what questions they should be prepared to answer or issues to discuss.
The department also could provide a handout for residents explaining the zoning process and answering some frequent questions, McLaughlin said.
Last year, 121 pre-submission meetings were held, often two or more on the same night. The county requires developers hold pre-submission meetings to present the plans to the community before formally submitting plans for residential developments.
A county staff member should certainly be present when discussing projects with which the county is involved, such as the contentious low-income development Centennial Gardens planned for Frederick Road, said John Lederer, head of residents? group Friends of Font Hill. The Font Hill neighborhood is next to the proposed development.
The bill comes on the heels of complaints that meetings with developers are often held on site, outside and in the cold.
A recent pre-submission meeting for Centennial Gardens was held at the county office buildings, after residents complained that an on-site meeting was not safe or accommodating for residents on a cold night. About 400 people attended in protest of the development.
