As torrential rain beat down Tuesday night, Baltimore County Council members were multitasking, checking on flooding in their districts during a public hearing on the county’s proposed 10 year master plan.
Simultaneously, they were being warned that the threat of climate change had been watered down in the proposed master plan by the county planning board.
“Stormwater is at the core of climate change,” said Klaus Philipsen with We The People-Baltimore County, a non-profit that wants predictable, transparent development in Baltimore County.
Philipsen said precipitation rates are increasing and that the county’s stormwater facilities are not designed to handle it.
“The master plan needs to address that,” Philipsen said.
“I am astounded that any member of the planning board would want to weaken provisions about climate change,” said 5th District Councilman David Marks.
Marks, a Republican, represents Bowleys Quarters, a waterfront community that is prone to flooding. He reported during the hearing Tuesday that roads in Bowleys Quarters were beginning to flood.
We The People points to a part of the master plan that emphasizes stream restoration projects, rather than storm water management to deal with heavy rains.
“The master plan speaks specifically about stream restoration, but stream restoration is sort of a downstream measure that is not the key to stormwater management,” Philipsen said. “The key is to reduce the flow.”
Nancy Hafford, the chair of the planning board, declined to comment. Hafford said she would comment after she views Tuesday night’s hearing, which was recorded.
It was the first of two public hearings on the proposed 10 year master plan that is more than three years overdue. The second one is scheduled for January 16.
Several issues, including the COVID-19 pandemic, are blamed for the delay, which is a violation of the county charter.
The master plan is “an aspirational planning document that charts the course of the county throughout the next decade and beyond,” according to the county’s website.
As Baltimore County charts that course, Nick Stewart with We The People told the County Council that the county finds itself at a crossroads.
“We don’t have enough housing and the housing we do have is old and expensive,” Stewart said. “We lack open space for residents and our watersheds are polluted.”
Pat Keller, a former county planning director as well as a We The People member, told the Council that in the proposed master plan the planning board weakened the URDL, the Urban-Rural Demarcation Line. It divides the county into rural and urban areas.
The urban part, basically the area around the city, gets water and sewer services and is where 90% of county residents live. It’s also expected to run out of developable land within 20 years.
Keller said opening the door for more development in the rural areas of the county would come at the expense of trying to revitalize urban communities.
“That is certainly a watering down of where resources and efforts should go in terms of supporting existing communities, in terms of retrofitting our revitalization areas, areas that are targeted for more growth and development,” Keller said.
The council is expected to approve the master plan in February.
