Whether a condo in Columbia or a car dealership in the West is proposed, development in Howard County tends to rile residents who feel left out and ignored.
To tackle concerns that residents aren?t involved in land use decisions, a local group is crafting recommendations to the County Council.
“It has to be addressed now,” resident Jim Adams said at a public forum Thursday night with the Public Engagement in the Land Use Process task force.
Adams suggested the task force?s job be extended by at least a year, and the group?s efforts should be measured.
The group?s draft recommendations range from creating a handbook on the land use process to requiring a single contractor conduct all traffic studies for new developments. The final report is due to the council May 5.
The land use process should be simplified and offer ample opportunity for residents to weigh in, said Grace Kubofcik, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Howard County.
Planning department officials should be available for meetings with the community, she said.
“We think their visibility in the county is key and essential,” Kubofcik said.
The league plans to support the proposal by Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson, D-District 1, to limit when zoning changes can be brought before the council.
But the initiative should go a step further, and limit any proposals for changing the zoning before and after the countywide rezoning process, which happens every 10 years, Kubofcik said.
Diane Butler, of the St. Johns Lane Community Association, lamented what she called a lack of progress to include residents.
She worked for years planning a new Miller Branch library, but when the plans recently changed, she wasn?t notified, Butler said.
“People are so angry and so upset about these things that happen behind our backs,” she said.
AT A GLANCE
Here are a few examples of draft recommendations from a group studying the development process:
? Have a centralized land use docket detailing all planning and zoning schedules
? Post a notice on the properties being considered for rezoning
? Establish a panel to review all development proposals to ensure consistency with the area
