“I am deeply saddened by the actions of lower level [County] staffers who cooperated with and illegally endorsed the developer’s efforts to totally gut the County’s open space requirements.” (Attorney Robert Smith, testifying in favor of Bill 37-19 on Tuesday, August 27, 2019)
At the end of 49 minutes of testimony on Bill 37-19 on Tuesday, we learned some things – about the many people and organizations who care deeply about the future of Baltimore County and about some bad actors in the development community and in County government who have sidestepped black-letter law to benefit development projects at the expense of taxpayers and the livability of communities inside the URDL. I want to thank Councilman Marks and Quirk for initially sponsoring the bill and Councilwoman Bevins and Councilmen Kach and Patoka for signing on as sponsors on Tuesday. In the paragraphs that follow, I also want to clarify the focus of the bill and highlight the testimony that was offered and how it relates to the ongoing challenges of livability inside the URDL.
Read full article: What Tuesday’s Hearing Revealed about the “Gutting” of County Open Space Requirements – NeighborSpace of Baltimore County
