Carroll County, MD, Takes Important Steps Toward an Environmentally-Sustainable Future Through Roundtable Process
Ellicott City, MD, June 30, 2008 --(PR.com)-- On April 22nd, Carroll County representatives, local developers, environmental groups, and government agencies met to finalize the Recommended Model Development Principles for Carroll County, MD. This diverse group has worked over the past eight months to propose revisions to the County’s development codes in order to protect drinking water sources and improve stream quality.
Kimberly Golden-Brandt, a Carroll County representative and Roundtable member, is optimistic: “The process was solution-focused and has yielded recommendations that, if implemented, will better balance development interests and the protection of environmental resources.” The Local Site Planning Roundtable, as they are called, first reviewed a series of proposed changes to development codes that address stormwater treatment, parking lot usage, and open space management. The Roundtable then applied their diverse expertise to adapt these recommended changes to Carroll County’s codes, policies and processes to achieve both environmentally-sensitive and economically-viable development.
“Carroll County deserves some serious kudos for being so forward-thinking,” Center for Watershed Protection representative Julie Tasillo, one of the roundtable facilitators, expressed, “It is to their credit that they’ve sought out this collaborative process to address the numerous state and federal environmental quality regulations that the County faces or will soon face.” Chris Batten, a local developer involved in the process, felt that one of the most important outcomes will be the increased awareness by both regulators and builders about the impacts of development.
The Recommended Model Development Principles for Carroll County, Maryland will be the result of the latest in a series of roundtable efforts called Builders for the Bay. Established in 2001 by the Center for Watershed Protection, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and the National Association of Home Builders, Builders for the Bay roundtables are designed to promote sound land use development throughout the Bay watershed. The recommended code changes are based on the Better Site Design Principles developed at a National Site Planning Roundtable by the Center for Watershed Protection in 1996. Other roundtables have been held in Baltimore County, MD; James City County, VA; the Lancaster, PA area; and five other localities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. For the Carroll County roundtable, Carroll County Government joined on as a full partner.
The Carroll County Roundtable was made possible by the generous support of Carroll County, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Constellation Energy.
Copies of the document will be available early this summer. They can be obtained by contacting the Center for Watershed Protection, 8390 Main Street, 2nd floor, Ellicott City, Maryland 21043, phone (410) 461-8323, fax (410) 461-8324, email center@cwp.org, www.cwp.org.
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Kimberly Golden-Brandt, a Carroll County representative and Roundtable member, is optimistic: “The process was solution-focused and has yielded recommendations that, if implemented, will better balance development interests and the protection of environmental resources.” The Local Site Planning Roundtable, as they are called, first reviewed a series of proposed changes to development codes that address stormwater treatment, parking lot usage, and open space management. The Roundtable then applied their diverse expertise to adapt these recommended changes to Carroll County’s codes, policies and processes to achieve both environmentally-sensitive and economically-viable development.
“Carroll County deserves some serious kudos for being so forward-thinking,” Center for Watershed Protection representative Julie Tasillo, one of the roundtable facilitators, expressed, “It is to their credit that they’ve sought out this collaborative process to address the numerous state and federal environmental quality regulations that the County faces or will soon face.” Chris Batten, a local developer involved in the process, felt that one of the most important outcomes will be the increased awareness by both regulators and builders about the impacts of development.
The Recommended Model Development Principles for Carroll County, Maryland will be the result of the latest in a series of roundtable efforts called Builders for the Bay. Established in 2001 by the Center for Watershed Protection, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and the National Association of Home Builders, Builders for the Bay roundtables are designed to promote sound land use development throughout the Bay watershed. The recommended code changes are based on the Better Site Design Principles developed at a National Site Planning Roundtable by the Center for Watershed Protection in 1996. Other roundtables have been held in Baltimore County, MD; James City County, VA; the Lancaster, PA area; and five other localities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. For the Carroll County roundtable, Carroll County Government joined on as a full partner.
The Carroll County Roundtable was made possible by the generous support of Carroll County, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and Constellation Energy.
Copies of the document will be available early this summer. They can be obtained by contacting the Center for Watershed Protection, 8390 Main Street, 2nd floor, Ellicott City, Maryland 21043, phone (410) 461-8323, fax (410) 461-8324, email center@cwp.org, www.cwp.org.
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Contact
Center for Watershed Protection
Lauren Lasher, Communications Manager
410-461-8323
www.cwp.org
Lauren Lasher, Communications Manager
410-461-8323
www.cwp.org
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