News from The Sparks-Glencoe
Community Planning Council
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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
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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
