Howard County Executive Ken Ulman?s green legislation seems like a good idea, but many County Council members say the devil is in the details.
“I do need to see some more details before I feel completely comfortable with it,” said Council Chairman Calvin Ball, D-District 2.
Ulman announced Wednesday plans to file legislation aimed at encouraging green building, but not all the details have been released.
County spokesman Kevin Enright said final drafting may not be complete until the middle of next week.
Ball expressed reservations about Ulman?s plan to take 100 housing units from the rural West to give as incentive to developers for green building.
He questioned the number of houses and whether they should be taken from other parts of the county.
For Councilman Greg Fox, R-District 5, questions swarmed around striking a balance between mandating green building and encouraging it through tax credits, which Ulman?s plan includes for green-building certifications.
Fox and Councilwoman Courtney Watson, D-District 1, said they want to better understand the fiscal impact of the legislation.
Parsing through the details on the green legislation could be complicated as the council tackles other complex bills, including zoning changes to limit building height in downtown Columbia.
“I have concerns about our ability to thoroughly evaluate all the moving parts of several pieces of complex legislation,” Ball said.
However Councilwoman Jen Terrasa, D-District 3, said she was excited about the initiatives and less concerned about having time, especially since the pace has slowed since passing the budget.
