Several Howard County residents adamantly oppose a proposed low-income housing development on Frederick Road, and county officials question whether it fits into the neighborhood.
“I am sorry everyone is out here tonight concerned,” said Marsha McLaughlin, director of the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning, speaking to roughly 60 or 70 residents, most of whom were angry and frustrated with plans to build a 59-unit housing complex near Font Hill.
Council Member Chris Merdon, R-District 1, who is running for county executive, held the meeting Wednesday to discuss the project and gather questions from residents.
The county?s Housing Commission recently purchased the 2 1/2 acres with plans to build the development, which would house families making $43,000 or less. The plot is sandwiched between single-family houses in Ellicott City.
Both Merdon and McLaughlin said the property has only been purchased, and no plans have been officially submitted.
One resident asked for a show of hands from those who support the development, and no one raised a hand. The room erupted into applause when another resident said: “I don?t want it there. Period.”
Some said a high-density, low-income housing development could bring crime and traffic and affect property values.
The development would be zoned for Manor Woods Elementary School, which is not facing overcrowding, Merdon said.
“My reaction when I saw it was ?Nice project, but maybe not the right place for the project,? ” McLaughlin said.
She said she stressed to Leonard Vaughan, executive director of the Housing Commission, that a meeting must be held with the community before the plans are submitted to the Department of Planning and Zoning.
“I reminded him he needed to take this project to the community, and he needed to do that earlier rather than later,” McLaughlin said.
A public meeting is expected in November, but a date has not been set, said Neil Gaffney, deputy director for the county?s Department of Housing and Community Development. Vaughan is on vacation and unavailable to comment.
