Planning Board holds public hearing on three Cycle 43 water and sewer petitions; vote set for Sept. 4

The Baltimore County Planning Board held a public hearing July 17 on three Cycle 43 water supply and sewerage master plan amendment petitions and accepted testimony from petitioners and community groups. Department of Public Works and Transportation project manager Andrew Brown presented staff analyses and interagency recommendations for petitions 25-01, 25-02 and 25-03; the Planning Board will vote on the items at its next meeting on Sept. 4, 2025.

Petition 25-01: 3117 Rycess Lane (Randallstown Islamic Center) The petitioner requested a change from W7/S7 (no planned service) to W6 (area of future consideration) and S1 (existing service area) to permit connection to nearby water and sewer mains. Andrew Brown said the parcel lies largely just outside the Urban/Rural Demarcation Line (IRDL) but within the Metropolitan District, and that technical connections to mains in Windsor Mill Road and along Rycess Lane were feasible. The Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability supported the change, noting potential environmental benefits and an estimated reduction of Baltimore County's TMDL obligations by $59,600 if public sewer replaced septic. The Department of Planning recommended keeping current designations based on location, zoning and master-plan policies; Public Works said no county capital improvement project was planned and that construction of lines would be at the owner's expense.

Representatives for the Randallstown Islamic Center said the property is adjacent to existing water infrastructure with a nearby sewer pump station and that private on-site wells and septic currently serve the site. A presenter representing the center said additional wells had failed site percolation tests in some areas, that firefighting needs would be difficult to meet without a public hydrant, and that public water and sewer would support long-term phased growth and reduce nutrient discharge to nearby Ben's Run.

Petition 25-02: 3499 Sweet Air Road (Manor Center shopping center) The owner requested a change from W7/S7 to W3 (capital facilities area) so the center could access public water because the property currently relies on marginal wells and trucked-in water. Andrew Brown said the parcel is outside the IRDL and approximately three miles beyond the Metropolitan District; as such, Planning and Public Works staff did not support changing the water designation and recommended retaining W7. The Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability recommended a county feasibility study to examine costs and possible service areas before any designation change.

Speakers included Patricia Farley, whose family owns Manor Center. Farley said the center has served Jacksonville since 1978 and described repeated well drilling failures and operational reliance on trucked water; she asked that Manor Center receive the same W3 designation as adjoining properties so the center would have access to public water if it is later extended. David Palmer, president of the Greater Jacksonville Association, and other community members opposed changing the designation, arguing the property is outside the Metropolitan District, that bringing public water would be expensive and could change the rural character of the area, and that surrounding properties designated W3 had not resulted in county provision of water historically.

Petition 25-03: 8400 Park Heights Avenue (private school) The petitioner requested a change to reflect existing water service (staff recommended changing the water designation to W1) and to reclassify sewer to allow a public sewer connection (S1 or S3) so the school could replace an aging on-site septic system and support potential future facilities.

Staff recommended the sewer designation change based on the property's existing water service and the technical feasibility of connecting to nearby mains, and the Department of Environmental Protection and Sustainability estimated a TMDL cost savings to the county of $75,919 if the septic system were replaced by public sewer. Testimony from neighbors and community groups urged caution: one speaker asked that Planning deny the sewer reclassification absent evidence of imminent septic failure, while school representatives said the system is approaching the end of its useful life and the school is seeking to plan proactively.

After presentations and public comment the board closed the hearing. Andrew Brown and Department staff answered technical questions about Metropolitan District boundaries, the IRDL, and capital improvement plans. Board members and staff noted that petitions raising water and sewer designation changes outside the Metropolitan District often hinge on capital project feasibility, costs to the county, and the potential for environmental benefit from replacing septic systems with public sewer. The Planning Board will take up formal votes on the three Cycle 43 petitions at its Sept. 4, 2025 meeting.