GENERAL’S HIGHWAY COUNCIL OF CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS
P.O. Box 14 Crownsville, MD 21032
February 2010: Big News for the General’s Highway Corridor! The State of Maryland has reconsidered its disposition of the Crownsville Hospital site and is now talking about letting the County assume control. I received a call from County Executive Leopold last week, advising me of this change in direction, and expressing his strong feeling that the County should determine the destiny of the property. He promised to keep GHCCA in the loop regarding any new developments.
Vice president Zablotny (aka zman) and I met recently with Councilman Chuck Ferrar to discuss several issues of concern, including rezoning applications. I told him of my frustrations with bypassing the vetting process by introducing rezoning requests as a last minute amendment. Although sympathetic, he felt this was a long-established practice and not likely to be changed. After working myself up on this matter and speaking to Ann Fligsten of the Growth Action Network, I wrote a GHCCA letter to the editor of the Capital critical of this legislative leger de main. Growth Action will follow up with a letter to each councilman, signed by member organizations including GHCCA. Keep your eyes peeled for the Capital letter. I don’t honestly know if it will effect any change, but it will bring it to the attention of the electorate, which, like chicken soup, wouldn’t hurt.
At a recent meeting, the executive committee proposed some new directions for GHCCA, including the formation of 4 standing committees:
- Membership – self explanatory
- Land use – monitor rezoning requests and hearings
- Legislative – follow proposed legislation of concern
- Compliance – check code violations, checks with Inspections & permits
Interested in serving on any of these? Let us know.
Variances? Special exceptions? Zoning reclassification requests? Our next guest has heard them all. In keeping with our practice of bringing County and State leaders to have a dialog with members of the Council, it is my pleasure to announce that attorney Douglas Clark Hollmann, the County Administrative Hearings Officer, and long time resident of the General’s Highway Corridor, will be at our next meeting. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about this office that often represents the first interface between the citizen and County bureaucracy.
2010 DUES due! Community Ass’n $100. Individual $20. Mail to the above address.
Next meeting – 7:30 Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Schoolhouse behind Historic Baldwin Hall.
Richard Falk, President