Council advances redevelopment tool after lengthy debate, adopts multiple amendments

Council members spent the bulk of the Feb. 18 session debating Bill 2-25, a redevelopment ordinance that would streamline approvals and offer incentives to convert underused commercial sites into mixed-use or residential projects within specific policy areas identified in the county's Plan 2040. Administration officials said the bill is intended to encourage redevelopment in targeted corridors and revitalization areas rather than greenfields.

Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Jansen Evelyn read a statement from County Executive Stuart Pittman saying the tool expedites reuse of vacant commercial sites and was drafted with environmental advocates and neighborhood groups. "It expedites approvals as an incentive for developers to invest in already developed sites rather than new development," the statement said.

Council members and dozens of residents debated the scope of the bill, impacts on traffic and schools, stormwater and community character. Residents from Severna Park, Edgewater and other areas urged narrower application in some corridors; advocates such as the Growth Action Network and the Anne Arundel County Association of Realtors testified in favor of the bill as a way to repurpose grayfields and increase housing supply. "If you are going to add housing at this level ... the only solution is more transit," said Matt Minahan, chair of the Growth Action Network.

Key amendments adopted included expanding eligible policy areas to mixed-use overlays and corridor revitalization areas (Amendment 2), adding a required community meeting after submission of a final plan or site development plan (Amendment 5), and preserving commercial-floor-area requirements in the County's most intense commercial district while allowing higher residential density for redevelopment elsewhere (Amendment 6). Several amendments were defeated or withdrawn; amendment outcomes are recorded below.

Administration staff repeatedly told the council that redevelopment projects would still need to meet current environmental standards and the county's adequate public facilities tests. Planning staff said modeling shows replacing R15 with R22 at maximum density would add about 0.238 students per acre according to the school system's formulas; staff said that estimate would be accounted for through the existing school adequacy process.

The council received 145 pieces of testimony on the bill. After voting on a series of amendments the council approved a conforming amendment to incorporate the changes into a single text. Council members then scheduled the final vote: Bill 2-25 as amended will be heard again March 3, 2025.