July 31
County Councilman David Marks has released his final zoning recommendations for the part of Perry Hall west of Belair Road. Councilman Marks will seek to downzone about 18 acres in two areas. He will propose lowering the zoning at a 7.5 acre property east of the Cedarside Farms community from DR 5.5 and DR 3.5 to mostly DR 1, or one house per acre. Approximately one-tenth of the acreage would remain DR 3.5, or 3.5 houses per acre. This is a long, wooded area that stretches between Cedar Chip Court and Cedarcone Court, north of India Avenue (zoning issue #5-034). Much of the land was part of the old development plan for Cedarside Farms. Councilman Marks will also recommend downzoning the zoning at a 10.8 acre property north of Klausmier Road and west of Gunview Road, near the Red Fox Farm neighborhood. The zoning would change from DR 5.5 and DR 3.5 to DR 1 on 7.6 acres and DR 1 NC (open space zoning) on 3.2 acres. This is zoning issue #5-059. The land is a blend of county-owned property and acreage owned by two homeowners associations. For the third iissue, Councilman Marks will recommend no change from current zoning. Issue #5-054 involved 7.2 acres of the unbuilt Gunview Road alignment north of Dundawan Road. Councilman Marks will recommend no change to this county-owned land because the zoning, DR 2 and RC 2, is relatively low to begin with. "These decisions lighten the impact of any future development in western Perry Hall, a densely-populated area with few parks and undisturbed areas," Councilman Marks commented. With this announcement, Councilman Marks has recommended downzoning 209 acres in the Fifth District.

Aug 2
Baltimore County Councilman David Marks will urge his colleagues to lower the development potential on more than 66 acres of land off Cromwell Bridge Road. The acreage includes land owned by Baltimore City, a homeowners association, and private propertyowners south of Cromwell Bridge Road, east of Littlewood Road, and north of Satyr Hill Road. The 66 acres currently is zoned DR 3.5 and DR 5.5 acres. Under Councilman Marks' proposal, 41 acres would be zoned for open space and 25 acres would be lowered to DR 1, or one house per acre. It is the largest downzoning in this area in county history, encompassing more acreage than exists at Loch Raven High School. "I am taking action to lower the development potential of an area that should have been downzoned years ago," Councilman Marks commented. Jim Kelly, President of Friends of Cromwell Valley, met with Councilman Marks about the need to protect this area. "County Councilman David Marks has been a champion for protecting the Cromwell Valley. His decisive action to downzone northern Parkville will help preserve more than 66 acres from intense development." With this announcement, Councilman Marks has pledged to downzone more than 191 acres in the Fifth District, from Towson to Perry Hall. The full County Council will vote on the zoning recommendation on Tuesday, August 28.

Aug 5
Baltimore County Councilman David Marks will support downzoning nearly 12 acres near Perryvale Road. The property is east of Perry Hall High School, stretching from Ebenezer Road to Kings Place off East Joppa Road. This is zoning issue #5-051. This was once the alignment for Perry Hall Boulevard. Two sections of Perry Hall Boulevard were built--one near Silver Spring Road, and another near Chapel Road. The middle section was never constructed due to community concerns, but the land is still owned by Baltimore County. The 12 acres is currently zoned DR 5.5, which would allow for more than five houses per acre. Councilman Marks is proposing DR 1, or one house per acre, for 11.11 acres. He is proposing open space zoning, DR 1 NC, for 0.56 acres near East Joppa Road. The zoning levels would be the lowest permitted for residential development. "There are no plans to sell off this land, but the lower zoning will hopefully provide some peace of mind for the community that little development could ever take place," Councilman Marks commented. The full County Council will vote on the rezoning proposal on Tuesday, August 28. With this announcement, Councilman Marks has signaled his intention to downzone about 98 acres in Perry Hall.