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Council approves ordinance on development rights and responsibilities agreements after planning‑commission amendment
Summary
Havre de Grace City Council adopted Ordinance 12‑18 on March 16, 2026 to add a new Article 14 on development rights and responsibilities agreements; the council accepted a planning commission amendment replacing 'must' with 'shall' in petition language and passed the measure 6–0.
Havre de Grace — The City Council adopted Ordinance 12‑18 on its second reading March 16, 2026, adding a new Article 14 to Chapter 205 of the city code to govern development rights and responsibilities agreements.
The council considered a planning commission recommendation to clarify the petition procedure. Council president Rinsager moved to amend line 159 to replace the phrase "the mayor must" with "the mayor shall" and to include receipt of the required fee in the acceptance language. Rinsager said the change would read, "Upon acceptance of the petition and receipt of the required fee, the mayor shall refer the petition to the planning commission for a determination on whether the proposed agreement is consistent with the comprehensive plan." The council approved the amendment and then adopted Ordinance 12‑18 on second reading by roll call, 6–0.
Mayor William T. Martin confirmed the adoption cited the authority of Article 11E of the Maryland Constitution, the Land Use Article and relevant sections of the Annotated Code of Maryland, and sections 33 and 34 of the Havre de Grace City Charter. No further amendments were requested at the meeting.
