Howard County
In 2011, I was appointed to the Board of Appeals for Howard County. The Board of Appeals has two roles in Howard County. In the first role, cases for conditional uses, sometimes called special use permits, are heard by the Board of Appeals Hearing Examiner. Parties may appeal a decision of the Hearing Examiner and the case will then be heard by the Board of Appeals. When the case is heard by the Board of Appeals, the testimony and evidence are presented again, by all sides (there may be more than two), and the Board of Appeals makes a decision. A similar process is followed for variances.
In the second role, the Board of Appeals will hear cases as an appellate body. In these cases, a decision of some county agency is brought to the Board of Appeals for review. There are numerous routes laid out in the Howard County Code for an appeal to be brought to the Board, and some are heard by the Hearing Examiner before the Board. In the last five years, the overwhelming majority of these were land-use cases originating from a decision of the Department of Planning and Zoning, such as code enforcement decisions, and cases from the Howard County Planning Board, which is authorized to approve development plans based on the Zoning Regulations. A handful of appeals cases came from the Animal Matters Hearing Board.
For more information on the Board of Appeals, the Howard County Council maintains a microsite on the Board of Appeals and related topics.
In January of 2016, the County Council reappointed me to the Board.
Every eight years, the Howard County Charter requires the County Council to appoint a Charter Review Commission within three months of the new County Council’s seating. The Charter Review Commission only has one technical responsibility and that is to return its report no later than May 1st of the following year. There are no requirements or guidelines for the report. So the Charter Review Commission takes its objective from its name and we reviewed.
I was appointed to the 2019 Charter Review Commission along with fourteen others from around the county. We reviewed the Charter section by section with the Office of Law, representatives from different departments, and the Councilmembers themselves. Howard County has all of the agendas, minutes, and recordings of our meetings available on its website. We produced three major documents.
The Public Engagement in Land Use Planning Task Force (PELU) was a short-term task force organized by the Howard County Council in early 2008. Members were designated into two groups, those representing residents and those representing businesses. The group had two chairs, one from each group and I was the second co-chair for the resident representatives. The first co-chair was Howard Weinstein. Bill Erskine was the co-chair representing businesses.
Bill set up a blog that we used to communicate. It probably was not the most effective way to do it, but it was easier than setting up a wiki or some other things. Members could use it very effectively, by email if nothing else. It is still posted, though obviously has not been changed since 2008.
Columbia, Maryland, is a vibrant and growing community that has been a leader in urban planning and development for decades. Despite its many achievements, however,...
Yesterday, the Charter Review Commission presented its final report to the County Council. We had our final meeting Tuesday morning, via video conference, and...
Below is the synopsis of the proposed recommendations from the Charter Review Commission. Please come by our hearing tomorrow night to discuss these with us....
The Howard County Charter Review Commission has spent about a year now reviewing the County Charter. We’ve held a number of public hearings. And we...
Two weeks ago, I was tasked by the Charter Review Commission to come up with a quick report and analysis of how other counties...
The County Council is looking to fill a Board of Appeals position opening on January 1, 2020. There is a preference for someone from council...
On Monday night, the Howard County Council adopted CR18-2019, establishing the octennial Charter Review Commission and its membership. I am fortunate to be...
The time has come for Howard County to do the easy thing and separate the Zoning Board from the County Council. The business of local...
We have a local organization called the Howard County Citizens Association. I have never been quite sure what it is they stand for, but...
It’s been a week since the election and we’re all still digesting the results, I think. Here in Howard County, things mostly slow down. The...
Howard County is largely insulated from the most dramatic effect of global climate change, sea level rise. Howard County has no coastal border and is...
So I have been elected Chairperson of the Board of Appeals for Howard County. I have a bit of a web page describing...
As I’ve said before, I don’t often talk about land use. But here’s a bit of news. The Board of Appeals has an opening and...
I was recently appointed to the Howard County Watershed Stewards Academy’s Advisory Committee and yesterday was my first meeting. I wanted to take a...
Last night, I testified in favor of CR98-2017 and CR99-2017. These resolutions are part of the final steps to kick off the Long Reach redevelopment...
The legislation supporting the redevelopment of the Long Reach Village Center has been submitted to the Howard County Council. It leads me to want...
As I’ve said before, I don’t often talk about land use. But here’s a bit of news. The Board of Appeals has an opening and...
This evening, the kids and I walked over to the Long Reach Village Center, where got to see the new plan for the Long Reach...
Last night, and tonight, Howard County Council is debating CB-9, a bill to prohibit discrimination based on citizenship status in County affairs. Here’s my...
On Thursday night, Mary Catherine Cochran, executive director of the Patapsco Heritage Greenway, asked some very insightful questions about my analysis of flooding...
Last night, Mary Catherine Cochran, executive director of the Patapsco Heritage Greenway, asked some very insightful questions about my analysis of flooding in...
This time, the flood hit close to home, literally. Over the last week, Ellicott City has responded after a very bad storm dropped nearly six...
The Howard County government has recently proposed a tax-incremental financing (TIF) plan that would pay for certain amenities in downtown Columbia, including a parking...
As noted on Wednesday by trashy Howard County blogger Bill Woodcock, I will be taking part in duckpin bowling tournament next Saturday, June 25....
In a statement of blistering stupidity, Leslie Stellman claims the proposed school budget review committee violates state law. From the article, Stellman reportedly...
The Howard County Council has killed the plan to remove the stormwater remediation fee: ...
On Tuesday night, the Howard County Council heard testimony for a proposal to eliminate the Stormwater Management Fee. I have stayed out of this debate,...
I am honored to say the Howard County Council reappointed me to the County’s Board of Appeals last night. I thank the Council for...
Going northbound on U.S. Route 29, there are two three exits for Interstate 70. The first right-exit goes to eastbound I-70. The second...
I don’t often blog about land use, for obvious reasons, but here we go. I’ve been slowly going through Star Trek: The Animated Series,...
Local Howard County blogger Duane St. Clair went on the stormwater management hike. There are no natural lakes in Maryland and when Columbia was...
Downtown Columbia has become more difficult to navigate in the last month or so. With the summer concert season now in full swing, parking has...
While Hogan is criticized for illegally transferring money from the capital to the operating budget, we can see the same thing here in Howard...
Is big data good for local government? Yes and no. There’s a lot that goes into an analysis and big data is only one component...
Moody’s has announced Howard County may lose its coveted and well-deserved AAA bond rating. The AAA rating is important to the County because it...
Tonight, Dave Bittner hosted “Conversation on Art and Culture in Downtown Columbia” for the Columbia Cultural Plan Advisory Committee. The event was a large-scale...
When I joined the CA’s Budget Committee in 2004, I was astonished to learn the budgetary process was mostly shrouded in mystery. Meetings were not...
This is kind of embarrassing, but the headline says it all. You can download the file here.
Today, the Public Engagement in Land Use Planning Task Force (PELU) issued its final report. You can download the report here.
Below is the video of the Public Engagement in Land Use Planning Task Force public hearing from April 10, 2008. I’d like to thank <a...
A draft of potential recommendations currently being considered by the Public Engagement in Land Use Planning Task Force is now available.
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The Public Engagement in Land Use Planning Task Force blog now has an open thread for testimony and comments. The thread will be open...
Howard County’s Public Engagement in Land Use Planning Task Force will hold a public meeting on the Land Use Planning Process on Thursday, April...
As I mentioned before, William Erskine has created a blog for the Public Engagement in Land Use Planning Task Force. This blog posts...
Earlier this month, the Howard County government announced it would shut down Gtv, the government’s cable access channel.1 Gtv broadcasts...
William Erskine has created a blog for the Howard County Public Engagement in Land Use Planning Task Force. The blog will record information from...
The Howard County Search engine has been updated to include another several dozen Howard County-specific websites. Please check it out and suggestions are welcome....
Many new additions to the Howard County Search Engine: APL Federal Credit Union B & O Railroad Museum: Ellicott City Station...
I have new buttons for the Howard County Search Engine for the Google Toolbar. This does require the latest version. There is also...
I have made the Howard County Search available to anyone with their own website. Using Google Gadgets, it is possible to add the...
The following websites have been added to the Howard County Search Engine: Coalition for Columbia’s Downtown ezColumbia Fair Play Columbia:...
Image by Jim Kuhn via Wikimedia Commons. The Thomas Viaduct was built by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the 1830s to provide rail access to Howard County, Maryland.
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