Howard?s land preservation in the rural west and development concentration in the east reflect the push for smart growth.
“It?s a conscious policy,” said Marsha McLaughlin, director of the Department of Planning and Zoning.
Howard was guided by the state?s Smart Growth plan that aims to target resources for development in areas where schools, roads and other infrastructure exist, thereby saving natural resources.
The county?s priority area is that which is served by public water and sewer, McLaughlin said, so most of the development is in the East. This approach is sensible, said local economist Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of the Sage Policy Group, an economic and policy consulting firm.
“That?s anti-sprawl,” he said.
However, when preserving one region, the county also must accommodate more growth in other parts of the county. Otherwise, this policy will continue to increase development pressure on the part the county wants to preserve, Basu said.
“If you preserve the western part of the county for open space, then you need to allow the builders to develop sufficient densities in the eastern portions of the county,” he said.
AT A GLANCE
» Last year, 765 acres of agricultural land in Howard were preserved, the largest amount in five years.
» Now, 38 percent of the rural west, which accounts for about 60 percent of Howard, is preserved.
» Twenty-seven percent of that land is saved through agricultural easements, which are agreements that restrict the use of land.
» Last August, Howard doubled the amount of money it paid landowners to preserve farmland to $40,000 to better compete with developers.
Source: Howard County Government and its Development Monitoring System Report for October 2005 to September 2006
