Annapolis Alderman David Cordle Sr. breathed a sigh of relief Monday when a bill that will guide development in the city passed after a year in the works with Annapolis Council.
“It?s never going to please everyone,” said Cordle, R-Ward 5. “But it?s time to stop dragging our feet and sending it back to committees.”
The Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance also will steer the Code of the City of Annapolis in redevelopment, said Alderman Ross Arnett III, D-Ward 8.
“We have been following state guidelines for adequate public facilities, but we?ve never had it explicitly in our city code,” he said.
Public facilities include fire, rescue and medical services, water and sewer services, recreational facilities and transportation, according to the bill.
“We?re trying to assure that the city develops in an orderly and proper fashion, and that we have everything in pace when want to develop something,” Arnett said.
The bill had been through several work sessions and meetings,but was finally passed with opposition from only two aldermen.
Alderman Sam Shropshire, D-Ward 7, voted against the bill because “it doesn?t deal with the critical mass of traffic in Annapolis.”
“Any public ordinance that doesn?t address traffic is weak and inept,” he said.
City Planning and Zoning Director Jon Arason also opposed the bill, calling it “dangerous” because it could expose the city to litigation.
