Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Forest Conservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents, advocates press Havre de Grace council on proposed forest conservation ordinance
Summary
At a public hearing on Ordinance 12-25 to replace Chapter 81 (Forest Conservation), residents and local advocates urged clearer citizen notice, public Planning Commission review of forest plans, and stronger protections for mature forest retention. The hearing closed without a council vote.
Chip Place, speaking on behalf of the Coalition for Sensible Development, told the council that forest conservation approvals should be part of the public Planning Commission review for subdivision and site plans rather than treated as a separate administrative approval. "Forest conservation is a separate but not isolated administrative approval," he said, arguing that retention analyses require examining underlying site plans.
David Spahn and other residents echoed those concerns about public notice and timing. Spahn said the draft ordinance's language about when citizens are notified is unclear and described a recent case on Peace Chance Drive in which he received no notice about a forest conservation plan that would remove large trees behind his property: "I was given no notification at all," he said. Carol George Andrews said forest conservation plans should include legal covenants and deed restrictions to permanently safeguard retained forest.
The council opened the hearing on Ordinance 12-25, which would repeal and replace City Code Chapter 81, and heard technical and policy comments tied to the Maryland Forest Conservation Act. No council vote on the ordinance occurred at the meeting; the public hearing was closed at 07:12, and the council will consider the record as part of its next deliberations.
