Baltimore County Council sends multiple zoning and planning bills, resolutions to planning board for review
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Summary
At the May 1 Planning Board meeting staff summarized a package of County Council bills and resolutions that affect zoning, redevelopment districts, landscape and open‑space manuals, and other county planning matters; board members were given the texts for review.
Planning Board staff presented a briefing on recent Baltimore County Council legislation and resolutions pertinent to planning at the May 1 meeting, listing bills and resolutions the council has forwarded for the board’s review or that the board previously recommended.
Ms. Bensley read an abbreviated list of measures the board had already received electronically, including zoning changes, a proposed county charter amendment, and multiple resolutions to adopt planning manuals and area plans.
Key items summarized for the board included (as read into the record): - Bill 13‑25: zoning amendments to permit tattoo and body‑piercing establishments by right in parts of the BR zone and to change proximity restrictions. - Bill 14‑25: permitting an automotive enthusiast club by right in certain ML‑zoned areas. - Bill 15‑25: changes to uses permitted in the BMCT district to allow age‑restricted and eldercare housing types in certain areas and make the overcrowded‑schools district provision inapplicable to those age‑restricted developments. - Bill 16‑25: permitting certain combinations of farm and nonfarm uses by right in the RC‑5 zone (resource conservation 5). - Bill 19‑25: County Charter amendment proposal that would require a higher affirmative threshold of County Council votes to change the URDL (urban‑rural demarcation line); the charter question would go to voters in November 2026 if advanced. - Bill 20‑25: transfer of a recreational‑vehicle parking prohibition from zoning regulations to the county code. - Resolution 10‑25 and 11‑25: adoption of the Baltimore County landscape manual and the local open space manual, as approved by the Planning Board on Jan. 16, 2025. - Resolution 12‑25: adoption and incorporation of the Reisterstown Streetscape Action Plan and design guidelines into Master Plan 2020 and the comprehensive manual of development policies. - Resolution 13‑25: request for Planning Department and Planning Board review of the Greater Middle River Design Guidelines developed by the Essex‑Middle River Civic Council. - Resolution 15‑25 and 17‑25: boundary amendment for the Baltimore National Pike Commercial Revitalization District (14 acres) and establishment of the White Marsh Commercial Revitalization District (89 acres) to encourage redevelopment. - Resolution 18‑25: County endorsement of Towson’s application for Main Street Maryland designation. - Resolution 19‑25: adoption and incorporation of the Jacksonville Community Plan into Master Plan 2020. - Resolution 20‑25: approval and ranking of three Maryland Rural Legacy Plan applications (Gunpowder Valley, Manor and Piney Run watersheds) for FY2026 funding consideration. - Resolution regarding the Brandon Shores retirement mitigation/overhead transmission lines project urging resolution of land‑title issues prior to active work.
Why it matters: many of the council measures would change permitted uses in specific zoning districts, amend revitalization district boundaries, or incorporate local plans and manuals into county planning guidance; the Planning Board’s review or prior recommendations are part of the decision pathway for these items.
No formal board action was taken on the measures at the May 1 meeting; staff provided the texts for board review and noted some items (for example, the charter amendment on URDL boundaries) have scheduled voter steps or separate council processes.
A copy of the full bill and resolution texts was on file with the board and was sent to members before the meeting.
