County planner briefs Hampstead commission on Water & Sewer Master Plan amendment, housing study and county master‑plan outreach

A Carroll County planner told the Hampstead Planning and Zoning Commission that the Board of County Commissioners had voted Jan. 2 to hold a public hearing Jan. 30 on a fall 2024 amendment to the 2023 Water and Sewer Master Plan.

The planner said the amendment includes changes the commission previously approved that move two properties above Greenmount Station from “future” to “priority” status. The county will hold the public hearing before the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 30, the planner said.

The planner also reported on a county housing study prepared by consultant The Mosaic. An executive summary and presentation were delivered to the Board of County Commissioners Dec. 19 and will be posted to the county’s housing-study and master-plan website. The planner said staff will form a work group to review the study and discuss feasible implementation strategies.

The county master-plan update process is under way, the planner said, and public outreach open houses are being planned for February in different parts of the county. The planner named the North Carroll Branch Library as one likely venue. The planner said the master-plan website — carol2035.org — has launched and will contain updates and opportunities for public input.

Regarding Hampstead’s annual planning report, the planner said the commission should review the draft local entry and return in February to certify it; the certification letter was noted on the meeting packet but deferred because the report was not yet complete.

Ending: The planner asked commissioners to review the town’s draft annual report and return it certified at the February meeting so the county can compile municipal inputs and submit a consolidated package to the state.