Charles County Commissioners should grow a set...
of teeth since there are none in the Smart Growth Policy laws.
The case against sprawl
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What's needed is Smart Growth - or more specifically, a Smart Growth program that transcends the modest efforts of a decade ago. Maryland's current Smart Growth law offers small carrots (money for roads, water, sewer and other infrastructure) to encourage counties to concentrate growth and redevelop urban areas. It's time the law had teeth - and perhaps some bigger carrots, too.
That can start by making "priority funding areas" - the neighborhoods eligible for Smart Growth funds - a part of every county's comprehensive plan. Too many counties are allowing too much development outside these areas, making the designation superfluous.
Next would be to make sure local zoning laws are consistent with comprehensive plans. Plenty of counties and municipalities set goals for containing growth but don't back them up. State authorities ought to help keep track of local decisions and make sure they comply with growth criteria.
Maryland also needs specific goals and measures to make sure Smart Growth is more than a feel-good idea. Too much farmland lost to development in a given year? Policymakers ought to be made aware and have a chance to tighten growth controls, if necessary.
Comment by Pauleen Brewer: A perfect example of this absurdity is the Chaney Rezoning Request.
One problem is that the Comp Plans are mandated by the state, BUT the state has no oversight!
I think the state must review and approve ALL Comp Plans before they're adopted by the local governments.
The way it is now, the local governments have carte blanche to do whatever the heck they please without any input from the state.
Remember, Comp Plans are NOT enforceable and are only "guides" to be used at the discretion of the local officials.
Until this changes the Comp Plans remain a "paper tiger" and literally are not worth much more than the paper they're printed on....
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