Last night the County Council held a work session on the proposed Doughoregan Manor development program. According to this story by Larry Carson in The Sun, the Carroll family appears to have the support of every key county department.
Department of Public Works:
“County public works director James Irvin said the county's wastewater treatment plant at Savage will have enough capacity to handle sewage from Doughoregan and other nearby homes that would share the utility pipes, but that's not good enough given tightening state and federal regulations for protecting the Chesapeake Bay from nitrogen and pollution."
We don't have a margin for error," he said. "It takes away from our cushion. We don't have a lot of excess capacity to play with," he said, despite a $100 million plant expansion now underway. Still, Irvin said the homes planned would produce far less waste than the 2,000 units once proposed on the same land as an Erickson Retirement Community.”
Board of Education:
“School planner Joel Gallihue said new students from Doughoregan would be placed in schools to the west that have capacity, not Centennial Lane Elementary, and the county owns a site for a possible new middle school if one is needed. Room is available at Marriott's Ridge High School for older students, though no new homes will likely be ready until 2014.”
Fire Department:
“Fire Chief William Goddard said recent council approval of a bill requiring residential sprinklers for all new homes eased his worries about fire protection. Ambulances would have no problem getting to the homes, he said."I am very comfortable with this project," he said.”
Environment:
“Ned Tillman, the citizen chairman of the county's Sustainability Commission said clustering homes in one area is sound environmentally, and would not harm streams in the northeastern area of Doughoregan.”
Parks and Recreation:
County parks director John Byrd said more playing fields would be welcome at Kiwanis-Wallas Park…”
At this point I’d have to say that approval of the Carroll’s plans is a done deal.
Daily
19 hours ago
13 comments:
The houses would generate less sewage and car trips than Erickson. That's one of my favorite arguments for this development. Why stop there? Why not compare the houses to a amusement park called "Doughoregan Land" or a big box retailer called "Carroll Mart." Neither of those two uses is a permitted use, either. But because it was once floated as a pie in the sky proposal for the plantation, it immediately should become the use against which all other development is compared. And the Department of Planning and Zoning agrees. No wonder they call her Marsha McLaughable.
As far as the EMTs are concerned, the Chief said they would pick up their gear and stretcher and take off cross-country through the knee-deep snow (just like they did in Greg Fox's neighborhood this last big snow we had)to get to the people at the end of the 1.59 mile long cul-de-sac. That trek would take 20 minutes (running at 5 MPH) in the best of weather. Nahhh - that won't be a problem, Chief.
yet despite several subject-matter experts, the uninformed will still be in opposition because they can't goin the the Carroll's home and look around whenever they want.
Some people can't be reasoned with and data means nothing.
And you and your "data" refute my points, how, exactly? You tell me how EMTs are going to magically get from MD 144 to the end of the blocked-off cul-de-sac. The Chief says they will hoof it, just like they did last big snow we had. Are you aware of some other way?
And yes, 325 houses would probably generate less sewage than a Planned Retirement Community of 2,000 units (although single family houses do have a much higher wastewater production than one-bedroom apartments for the elderly, so who knows?). The point is it's nonsensical to compare the two at all, since one is what's being proposed and the other isn't even a permitted use in the zone. The correct comparison is what is permitted by right (110 houses) what is being proposed (325 houses). By that measure, the Carrolls' "deal" is generating three times the impact, genius.
I could go through and point out lies from every one of those quotes, but what's the use? Voters are poised to boot them out.
Remember, voters don't know Courtney from Robert, Terrasa from Schrader. They only know when an incumbent is identified.
I don't believe any of anon 3:14's assertions. and Data?! You must be f'ing kidding me. Truth, ie, the DATA is against this development!! We can't handle another major development! Manor Woods?! GET A GRIP!!
Gargantuan single family homes all washing gargantuan SUVs and gargantuan numbers clothes for every day of the year and gargantuan excrement from gargantuan meals is not going to generate more waste?
No way in hell. Look at the recent additions, then we'll talk.
The sad truth is that Doughoregan Manor could burn to the ground tomorrow and A) 99% of Howard Countians would never know it B) 98% of Howard Countians would have never heard of it and C) 95% of Howard Countians wouldn't care that it had happened.
Maybe as a condition of approval, the resident of the new community would be banned from ever consuming prune juice! That should guaratee less "emissions".
pzg,
"...the resident of the new community would be banned from ever consuming prune juice!"
I don't think that would be allowed under the new national health care laws, not to mention healthy howard.
-wb
It would be interesting to hear some of the people opposing this development tell us of a development they would support. My guess is none. Howard County is growing. I'd like to see as much of it as possible in smart growth dense communities like the new downtown Columbia, but that's not going to happen and expanding suburbs are inevitable. Knowing that, if we can get these houses on smaller lots, reduce the number of units and get the sewage pre-treated and sent to Savage instead of into the ground, we're doing "better" suburbs than what we've done in the past.
This is the kind of growth Howard County should welcome. The landowners want to do this, and the market will ensure that these properties will sell, because these are the kinds of properties that people want to buy in Howard County. Sewage and the sewerage that will address it? I have a book called "Standards Handbook for Civil Engineering" that has the formulas (proven in the real world) to handle this. Only one accesse point? Statistics show that the kind of people who buy homes like this only want one access point, to cut down on the traffic that comes pas their houses.
Wake up. This is the future for Howard County. Exclusive neighborhoods of above-average cost that lend some exclusivity.
Either admit the reality of this, or move back to Baltimore County or a suburb of D.C. and deal with the the noise, traffic, and lack of privacy you can find there.
Anon 8:52 and Anon 10:48.. AMEN...
Growth is happening and will continue to happen to matter what the anti-development NIMBA's want. It is much better to manage the growth and do it in a way that limits the impact.
I don't know about you.. but I'd rather raise by 4 kids on a Cul de Sac than a traffic filled road any day. That is one of the reasons I bought the house I did... last I checked.. it was a free county. I paid the higher costs for a house on a cul de sac and a descent sized lot..
Where are the affordable housing advocates? For this and the rebuilding of the Normandy Shopping Center
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