Attorneys for the Country Club of Maryland announced on Friday their clients are willing to make concessions to appease residents who oppose the club?s development plans, ending a controversial county hearing before it started.
About 30 members of the Idlewylde community in Baltimore County signed up to speak against the country club?s plans for 46 houses on its golf course at the continuation of a zoning hearing Friday, but didn?t when attorneys said they are willing to discuss changes to the plan.
Despite rumors the club has downgraded its plans to 36 houses, club attorney Lawrence Schmidt said “nothing is concrete.”
“We discussed the possible resolution of the differences and decided just to continue the hearing in August,” Schmidt said. “We?ll use the time between now and then to come to an agreement.”
Residents of the Idlewylde community, which is adjacent to the country club?s golf course, said they are worried about the proposal?s effects on the environment and local schools.
Last week, they asked Zoning Commissioner William Wiseman to postpone the hearing until county agencies could finish reports on environmental waivers and draft a policy in compliance with a new county law. The law requires planners of a particular project to consider all developments in the works to determine the impact on schools.
Residents also complained the plans do not include a buffer between existing houses and a longtime nursery.
When the hearing began last Friday, club attorneys said the residents? school impact argument is moot, considering the new houses will be marketed to homeowners ages 55 and older.
As of Friday, the county?s new school impact regulations are in place, but the environmental study is incomplete, said Cynthia Jabbs, an Idlewylde resident spearheading the opposition.
Jabbs said she?s considering the club?s willingness to talk a success.
“We?re doing what we should have done a year ago,” Jabbs said. “We?re negotiating.”
Council Member Vince Gardina, D-District 5, said he?s working with attorneys from both parties and County Executive Jim Smith to broker an agreement he hopes to have in place next week. The hearing on the new proposal is scheduled for Aug. 30.
Meanwhile, the county?s planning board will review the Idlewylde?s community plan next week, which would require the club to scale down the proposal if adopted into the county?s master plan.
Attorneys for the club called the community plan illegally isolated zoning solely intent on disrupting its proposal.
