Sparks Glencoe Community Planning Council
 

News from The Sparks-Glencoe Community Planning Council



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Download Spring 2012 Newsletter>>



Visit our Events Page for Meeting and Hearing Information>>

Balt. County Recycling Division Internships>>
SGCPC Introduction to CZMP>>
MD CREP Video>>
Did You Know...>>

News Archives>>


Baltimore County's Big Tree Sale

Each spring and fall, Baltimore County hosts the Big Trees Sale, featuring a selection of 150 to more than 200 trees representing 10 to 15 different native species. Many Big Trees are supplied by Baltimore County’s reforestation nursery. For Spring 2012, you can order your trees, and they will notify you about available pickup dates at our nursery.

If you need assistance or have questions, Click Here to Visit The Website>>


Promote RECYCLING as a PAID INTERN with Baltimore County's
Bureau of Solid Waste Management, Recycling Division!

There are up to 3 openings for summer and/or fall 2012 internships. For best consideration, please apply (details below) by Tuesday, May 1, 2012. The Bureau accepts resumes (on an ongoing basis) from motivated, talented individuals with an interest in promoting recycling and waste prevention. As a paid ($8/hour to start) Baltimore County employee, our interns:

• Gain purposeful work experience in an office environment;

• Apply and develop skills in public relations, marketing, research, writing, video production, data analysis and/or other areas;

• Provide input and receive feedback as part of a team promoting recycling, waste prevention, and best solid waste management practices;

• Learn more about how local government works; and

• Work flexible schedules customized to academic, job, and other commitments!

If this internship program seems like a good fit for you, why "waste" any more time? Become part of a proud tradition (more than 80 interns since 1991)! Submit a resume and cover letter to Clyde Trombetti, Public Information Specialist, via e-mail (ctrombetti@baltimorecountymd.gov). For more information, call 410-887-2791.

Not a candidate for such an internship? Please pass this information on to others who might be interested!


SGCPC Introduction to CZMP and Summary of Issues:


SGCPC Response to CZMP News Articles:

Dear North County Neighbors,

Those who have lived in the north county for a while will not be surprised to learn that the Sparks-Glencoe Community Planning Council has filed petitions for rezoning during the Comprehensive Zoning Map Process that takes place every four years. Thousands of acres of north county land have been downzoned by the county government over the last couple of decades in response to petitions filed by our organization and others in the north county. You probably enjoy the fruits of those efforts as you admire the long stretches of greenery that set northern Baltimore County apart from nearby areas that have seen intensive development.

We decide which land to include in our petitions by studying GIS maps compiled by North County Preservation, which are based on information from the State Department of Natural Resources and Baltimore County agencies. We read Baltimore County’s Master Plan and consider whether the current zoning upholds the goals of the Master Plan. For instance, the Master Plan states that growth and development must be managed sustainably in order to protect resources providing for the basic needs of all citizens, including local food production and high quality water supply. It states that there are places where development should not occur, such as agricultural properties, and places near drinking water supplies and other land with environmental resources. We use the GIS database to identify land containing these resources, and then consider whether the development allowed by the land’s current zoning would be detrimental to the resources.

Much of the land that Sparks-Glencoe has included in our petitions contains rivers and streams that ultimately empty into the Loch Raven Reservoir, a water supply system that is already under federal orders to reduce phosphorus. By reducing the density of future development near waterways flowing into the reservoir, the amount of phosphorus being added into the Reservoir will be reduced, as will other threats to water quality, such as sodium and chlorides.

Some of the land included in our zoning petitions is wooded. Trees serve many environmental purposes, including protecting water quality, cleaning the air, controlling flood damage, and providing wildlife habitat. Efforts to protect forests are enhanced by Resource Preservation zoning which we have suggested.

Baltimore County’s zoning methodology is to place large blocks of land in the same zoning category. This prevents incompatible uses from being close together. In some cases, the Resource Preservation zoning we have requested has no effect on a given piece of property, because that property has no more development potential. The land is still included in our petition in order to achieve zoning that is comprehensive.

We recognize that some landowners disagree with our opinion-- they are entitled to explain to the county that they want to keep the development rights afforded by their current zoning. Hopefully, landowners’ sense of stewardship will lead them to support Resource Preservation zoning to protect the resources on their land for their own enjoyment and for the well-being of the larger community. As Baltimore County’s Master Plan says, “Reducing and mitigating negative impacts on natural resources and the environment is crucial to the long-term success of any community. Clean air and water is essential for all living beings to survive and flourish.”

The Board of Directors of the Sparks-Glencoe Community Planning Council

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Maryland CREP Partnership Video

Maryland Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Partnership from Chesapeake Bay Program on Vimeo.

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Did You Know...

Maryland created the Smart Growth program to direct new growth away from rural areas and into more urban areas with existing infrastructure to support the growth.  A new study has found that the program did little to prevent suburban sprawl. 

Study Calls Maryland Smart Growth A Flop
By Lisa Rein, The Washington Post

An innovative policy to fight suburban sprawl catapulted Maryland into the national spotlight a decade ago and became then-Gov. Parris N. Glendening's principal legacy.   Read More>>

That our reservoir system was impaired? The beautiful Gunpowder Falls River system which winds it way from Prettyboy Reservoir to Loch Raven Reservoir tracking the NCR trail has phosphorous levels that are too high and must be reduced. The Maryland Department of Environment has declared the Prettyboy and Loch Raven Reservoirs are impaired by 50% and in violation of the Federal Clean Water Act.

When development occurs, there is more storm water runoff flowing from increased impervious surfaces such as rooftops, driveways, and roads.  This causes increased sedimentation in the Gunpowder and its tributaries.  The sedimentation carries phosphorus from development into the Gunpowder and ultimately into the Loch Raven Reservoir.  Phosphorus from residential development comes from three sources:       

lawn fertilizers
pet wastes
improperly maintained septic systems        

Protecting land in the watershed from additional development will reduce the growth of pollutants and help protect these vital water supplies.

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Sparks-Glencoe Community Planning Council

PO Box 937
Sparks, MD 21152
Email: info@sgcpc.org

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