News from The Sparks-Glencoe Community Planning Council

Important Hearing and Meeting Dates>>
Wind Turbine Comments>>
Growing Home Campaign - Plant a Tree in Your Yard and Save $10>>
Did You Know...>>
Download Current Newsletter (PDF)>>

Adobe Reader may be required to view newsletter. Click here to download>>

Important Hearing and Meeting Dates

Wind tower hearings are open to the public, and will be held at the Jefferson Building, 105 W. Chesapeake Ave in Towson. Letters can also be emailed to the Planning Board at bweaver@baltimorecountymd.gov or mailed to Baltimore County Office of Planning, 105 W. Chesapeake Ave, Towson, MD 21204. Current regulations proposed by the County would allow a 150 foot tall wind turbine as of right, meaning that no hearing would be held. Since these towers would be as tall or taller than cell phone towers, it would be appropriate to regulate them in a somewhat similar manner. Cell towers must go through several rounds of hearings. We think one hearing should be held prior to erection of a wind turbine to allow neighbors and surrounding community members to express any concerns about the location of a turbine near them.

The public hearing for proposed cell towers on Belfast Road will be continued at 9 am on October 14th, also at 105 W. Chesapeake. Letters can be mailed to Mr. William Wiseman, Baltimore County Zoning Commissioner, Jefferson Building, 105 W. Chesapeake Ave, Room 104, Towson, MD 21204.

The Board of Appeals hearing on the CZMP rezoning request was held on Sept. 15, 9 am. This is a request to upzone a parcel included in Sparks-Glencoe's successful petition to downzone property in the 2008 CZMP cycle. SGCPC raised concerns that the property is part of an area appropriate for Resource Preservation zoning, because of its proximity to Prettyboy Reservoir, the Gunpowder Falls, and Gunpowder Falls State Park. Current zoning upholds the County's Master Plan goals of protecting environmental resources and restricting development in watershed areas. The request would undermine the integrity of the comprehensive zoning process.

Wind Turbine Comments

Comments on Amendments to the Baltimore County Zoning Regulations Regarding Wind Turbines

The Sparks-Glencoe Community Planning Council is dedicated to preserving the natural resources and rural character of northern Baltimore County. Obtaining electricity through wind power has both benefits and disadvantages. Environmentally, wind turbines help by supplying “clean” energy, but they are harmful to birds and bats. Financially, turbines may help the owner by lowering his energy expense, but they may hurt his neighbors by detracting from the value of their property. Other negative effects of turbines, including aesthetics, shadowing, noise, and safety concerns, can lessen the neighbors’ enjoyment of their property. The rural character of our area would be marred by a proliferation of these industrial-looking towers. The proposed amendments to the County zoning regulations do not adequately protect the community from the negative consequences of wind turbines.

Most importantly, wind turbines should not be permitted as of right in a rural conservation zone. A special exception hearing should be held to provide community members with the opportunity to express their concerns about a project, and to determine whether the turbine could be built in a way that would minimize the harmful impact on the surrounding community. The County’s Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management should also certify, as part of the hearing process, that the location of a proposed turbine would not endanger wildlife, or otherwise harm the environment.

A special exception hearing would allow concerns such as noise, shadowing, and potential safety hazards, to be addressed. Rather than specifying a minimum lot size which guarantees a right to build a turbine, a special exception hearing could ascertain the proximity of neighbors to the proposed site, and it could be determined whether and where a turbine could be built that would not adversely affect the neighbors. It is conceivable that someone who owns one acre in a remote location would not disturb any neighbors by erecting a wind turbine on his property, but someone with 25 acres who wants to put a turbine near his property’s edge would disturb a neighbor next door. It would be better to take such considerations into account during a hearing process than to attempt to set one standard for all situations. During the hearing, the turbine manufacturer’s recommendations for safety issues and other operating information should be produced by the property owner to ensure that minimum setbacks and other standards are followed. Safety considerations and noise levels will vary with turbine models; rather than specifying one setback for all cases, the requirements of the various models can be taken into account during the hearing.

The same level of scrutiny should be applied to wind turbine proposals as is applied to proposals to build cell towers. Both wind turbines and cell towers have an industrial appearance that does not blend in with the rural landscape. While cell towers may directly benefit the surrounding community, individually owned wind turbines would provide electric power only to the owner. Cell towers are required to go through several hearings prior to approval. It would be inconsistent and inappropriate to allow wind turbines to be erected with no hearing process whatsoever.

A 150-foot tower would alter the character of a rural area; it would loom over neighboring properties and create an eyesore. Members of our community have gone to great lengths to protect the natural beauty of the area. Some have participated in programs funded by the government to preserve their property in its natural condition. It would be inconsistent to allow such an industrial type of intrusion into an area that was deemed worthy of publicly funded protection.

In sum, wind turbines may be a helpful alternative energy source. However, one person’s right to pursue such options should not detract from his neighbor’s enjoyment of his property. Stricter control is needed to protect the rural character of northern Baltimore County and the interests of the surrounding community.

Respectfully submitted,
The Sparks-Glencoe Community Planning Council

Growing Home Campaign - Plant a Tree in Your Yard & Save $10

The Growing Home Campaign, the national award-winning tree planting program for homeowners, begins its fourth year this spring. Regional expansion of the Growing Home program to include Baltimore County, Baltimore City and Harford County enables over 1.6 million residents to learn more about selecting and planting trees to beautify their properties, save money and improve the environment.

The Growing Home program is an innovative public-private partnership between Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Harford County, 50 local retail nurseries and garden centers, and homeowners to increase the tree canopy in our region by offering homeowners comprehensive education about planting trees and a cash incentive, the $10 Growing Home Tree Coupon redeemable toward the purchase of a qualifying tree with a retail value of at least $25.

Homeowners can obtain the $10 Growing Home tree coupon from the Growing Home brochure, which is widely available at county and city facilities, and the Growing Home Campaign website www.growinghome.info. Information about the value of adding trees to one's property and within existing neighborhoods, guidance about site considerations and tree species selection, and instructions about tree planting and maintenance is also available in the brochure and at the website.

The Growing Home Campaign's goal is to plant 10,000 new trees on residential land in the Baltimore region. Studies show that the best opportunities for increases in urban tree canopy in the area are available on private land. Planting on residential property is crucial to successfully increasing the Urban Tree Canopy in the Baltimore region.

Educational material and coordination for the Campaign is funded in part by a Chesapeake Bay Program Small Watershed Grant. The Campaign is coordinated by Baltimore County Dept. of Environmental Protection & Resource Management. For more information about the program visit www.growinghome.info or contact Diana Cohen at 410-887-4488 Ext 287.

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.

Sparks-Glencoe Community Planning Council

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