The Howard County Council appears set to approve a list of criteria for developing green neighborhoods, but a few members want an annual review of the program.
“This is a very new initiative for the county, and I think it’s wise to have a reporting provision in place, so that it triggers us to look at it once a year to see if it’s working,” said Councilwoman Courtney Watson, D-District 1.
Watson introduced an amendment that would require the county’s planning officials to report on:
» Number of residential projects that received green neighborhood allocations.
» Number of checklist points each project received.
» Feedback from local engineers.
» Recommendations for improving the checklist.
Councilmen Calvin Ball, D-District 2, and Greg Fox, R-District 5, co-sponsored the amendment.
“While we look at this model program and work through the process, I want to make sure we have regular evaluations,” Ball said.
The checklist outlines environmentally friendly techniques developers must achieve to qualify for a green neighborhood allocation, which is a portion of housing set aside as an incentive.
The measure was set aside in July for more work and has been changed so the land and building are evaluated separately.
A residential development must score 90 out of 167 points, or 55 percent, on the site portion of the checklist. For example, points are granted for pedestrian-oriented and transit-oriented development, protection of wetlands with buffers and use of recycled materials.
To get a building permit, a project must score 46 out of 84 points, or 55 percent, on the home part of the checklist.
Points here are granted for use of photovoltaic panels, on-site energy generation and recycled materials.
The list could change after the first couple of years, as developers get a sense of what standards are possible or too hard to accomplish, said Joshua Feldmark, executive director for the county’s Commission on the Environment and Sustainability.
“It’s meant to be an evolving process,” he said.
IF YOU GO
» What: Howard County Council legislative session
» When: 7:30 tonight
» Where: George Howard Building, 3430 Courthouse Drive, Ellicott City
