How zoning affects Linthicum

By Jonathan McGowan

Zoning Code is a set of laws and regulations that divide a community into various zones and specific kinds of developed areas. The zoning code establishes land uses within Anne Arundel County.   Zoning districts are created for the desired use of the land, for example residential, commercial, industrial and maritime.

Within the Linthicum-Shipley community, we have three residential districts (R1, R2 and R5), Three Commercial Districts (CI, C3 and C4) and One Industrial District (W1).  

The Residential Districts have been developed over the years to define the size of lots and type of homes. District - R1 is west of Andover Park with large lots with single dwellings. District - R2 is limited along Archer Avenue and at the west end of Shipley and Cleveland Roads.  District -R5 is the most predominant by land area within the LSIA limits, intended for low-medium single family detached residential homes allowing five (5) dwellings per acre.  There is one other residential district that has been development over past three years, called Mixed Use District (MXD-T). This area is in the BWI/West Nursery Industrial Park adjacent to the Hoyt’s Movie Theater.  Recently completed multi-family apartments have been added to the residential mix. This addition to the housing market brings the constructed Concorde Apartments with 310 units, four story complex, with nearly 500 parking spaces on a 12-acre site.

The three commercial districts in our area are very limited, the C1 -Local Commercial Districts along “Main Street” Camp Meade Road and small lot at Hammond Ferry and Oak Grove Circle (known as 700 South). This district is intended for neighborhood convenience commercial uses, with maximum lot coverage by structure and parking capacity of 75%.   

Commercial District - C3 is for General Commercial large strip shopping centers.  The LSIA area has only one lot filing this District, which is located at the recently approved Rehabilitation Center on Camp Meade Road.  The lot is less than one acre and would not support any further commercial activity.

Commercial District- C4 is for Highway Commercial intended for larger scale auto oriented retail and service.  There is one area on the west side the BWI/West Nursery Industrial Park that contains this zoning.

The second largest land area Zoning District within in the LSIA limits is “W1”-Industrial Park District known as the BWI/West Nursery Industrial Park over 150 acres in size. This District was designed for industrial uses, such as offices, research and development laboratories, and light manufacturing.  Other support uses allow for hotels, restaurants, office, and related retail. 

The BWI (Business) Park and Linthicum-Shipley community in the last year have experienced the biggest land use zoning change in over forty years. This affects nearly half of the land area associated with Linthicum -Shipley. The County Council had legislation developed and passed that established an Overlay Zone for the BWI Park, which would allow for a Mixed-Use Development. The entire “W-1” BWI Park changed from a planned research park to a Mixed Use Multiple Family/ Apartments/Townhomes/ Retail /Industrial/ Hotel business park.

 The provision allows for additional uses such as multifamily apartments, townhomes, pharmacies, retail shops, package good stores, general offices, and banks.  Essentially, this adds two additional Residential Zones, R15 and R22, to the area.

Presently in the BWI Mixed Use Overly Area,

·        New retail shops with food uses are completing construction and opening this Spring along West Nursery Road.  

·        Developers are in the subdivision design stages for “Andover Park” a 331 townhome and apartment complex with nearly 700 parking spaces on a 19-acre site along Andover Road.

·        Developers are planning an additional apartment and condominium style building adjacent to Concorde apartments.

The growth in the Linthicum-Shipley community is now along the western boundary and seems to have a limitless opportunity to change the environment. It is unclear where the oversight from Anne Arundel County Zoning, Planning, Traffic, Schools, Roadways, Utilities, Storm Drainage, Police and Fire Departments are situated regarding this unrestrained growth pattern.

Growth in our transit oriented community is inevitable.  However, growth in our neighborhood should be about designing a neighborhood that allows and encourages such qualities as diversity, interaction, easy access to services, and amenities, less automobile use, a pleasant and low –stress environment, safety and security, and a high quality of life.   

Budget Hearings 2017 Dates

County Executive Steve Schuh Announces Budget Town Hall Meetings

Annapolis, MD (February 10, 2016) – County Executive Steve Schuh today announced his administration will host a series of town hall meetings in February and March to discuss the FY2018 budget.  

The meetings will allow the citizens of Anne Arundel County to express their views and budget priorities one-on-one with the County Executive.

The locations and times of the meetings are as follows:

February 28th at 7:00 PM - Southern Middle School, 5235 Solomons Island Rd, Lothian, MD

March 15th at 7:00 PM- Park Elementary School, 201 East 11th Ave, Baltimore, MD 21225, Brooklyn, MD

The County Executive will be joined by members of his staff, as well as key members from departments across county government. Schuh will propose his budget on May 1st.

Not My Child

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Where the future meets the past-SCMAGLEV

The world’s fastest train brings Linthicum’s biggest question

By J.E. Szech     

              Linthicum’s days as a sleepy community that grew out of a short line railroad have faded into the history books.  The quiet calm of a winter’s night is no longer shaken by the rumble of a diesel, or the shrill whistle of steam in the railroad’s early days. Instead, Amtrak can now be heard in the distance and the hum of an approaching Light Rail train brings mixed feelings for many residents about what progress really means.  Howard’s is gone. Lindy’s is gone. Keller’s is gone.  One thing is constant though, a train still runs through Linthicum Heights.

              Linthicum’s next challenge in the name of progress has taken the form of a proposed Superconducting Magnetic Levitating (SCMAGLEV) train with a proposed route from Washington D.C. to BWI/Marshall and on to a Baltimore station.  Linthicum residents, as well as local representation in the Senate, fought against the original proposed MAGLEV train in the early 2000’s. The train at the time was planning to use German technology.  That project failed to move out of the impact study phase and ultimately died.  The current proposed train traces its roots to Governor Hogan’s trade mission to Asia in 2015 and is being developed by the Central Japan Railway Company. 

The major difference between this project and the earlier MAGLEV is the use of superconducting magnets.  A superconducting magnet is made from coils of superconducting wires that are cooled to cryogenic temperatures (-238 degrees Fahrenheit).  This technology is expected to deliver operating speeds over 300 miles per hour.  There is no contact with any rail once train achieves a determined speed and retracts its tires. The train would then be guided through a U-shaped channel.

Baltimore Washington Rapid Rail, LLC (BWRR) was formed to explore and develop the train in conjunction with an affiliated company, The Northeast Maglev.  Ultimately the goal would be to connect Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York City through high speed rail.  Proponents of the project believe that the train would ultimately reduce travel time, reduce cars on the highways, as well as foster economic growth by allowing easy transit between Washingtonand Baltimore.  Construction of the system would also allow for job growth.  Japan has pledged two million dollars for the impact study and the Federal Railroad Administration has granted 27.8 million dollars for the development and planning of the portion of the system spanning from Washington to New York.  At this point in time no funds from the State of Maryland have been allocated for development or construction of the SCMAGLEV system.  In a recent address to the LSIA at the January meeting, State Senator Ed DeGrange stated that the current construction cost of the Washington-Baltimore segment could be approximately seventeen billion dollars or more.

Aside from the potential risk to taxpayers (at this point this is a private venture with oversight coming from the Maryland Department of Transportation), residents are concerned with the location of the system as well the potential loss of property and impact on home values.  The representatives from BWRR believe that home values would increase based on the proximity to high speed transportation and the ability to reach D.C. in 15-20 minutes.  The cost of that trip is still unknown. 

BWRR attained the ability to operate a railroad when it acquired the rights to the Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Railroad (WB&A) that ceased operations in 1935.  Under the agreement BWRR is not obligated to use previous WB&A rights of way, most of which are now paved roads, bike paths, or privately owned parcels of land.  The current impact study area is about 400 square miles comprised of a ten-mile wide path along the forty mile Baltimore/Washington corridor. David Henly, a BWRR Project Manager, emphasized at a recent scoping meeting that straight runs of land would be critical for the system to reach its 311 mile per hour operating speed and that tunnels may be an expensive option—especially in populated areas such as Linthicum where the train would stop at BWI/Marshall.  Tunnels are not the answer to every question regarding land use as ventilation and escape routes will have to extend to the surface.

At this time, residents are left with more questions than answers with many wondering if the financing for this project will materialize and whether state money will ever be contributed to the construction.  Senator DeGrange added that a bill was passed in the early 2000’s that prevented any state contributions to the development or construction of a MAGLEV train.  That law, however, was later found to be unconstitutional.   The new presidential administration has made claims that it plans to improve the national infrastructure which could lead to more federal rail money being pushed for the project, or an improvement of the existing Amtrak system.  LSIA will continue to monitor the progress of the development and residents who are concerned should write to the Governor directly.

DeGrange was responsible for blocking it but the legislation he pushed through was later declared unconstitutional by the courts. 

Important Contacts

Attached are the forms for the following:

1. Comment/Complaint Form for BGE Operation Pipeline related problems:  Please understand that this form is only for residents that were/are affected by the pipeline replacement program.

 operationpipeline@bge.com or call 1.800.685.0123

2. Maglev Comment Form: The scoping period has ended but you can make your comments known at any time.

http://www.baltimorewashingtonscmaglevproject.com/index.php/contact-us