On the evening of May 2nd, AA County Planning and Zoning representatives held the 2nd in a series of information sharing and gathering meetings to share and gather information on resident concerns and priorities leading to the next Small Area Development Plans to serve as the blueprint for AA County development through 2040. This night’s briefing and interviewing session was held at North County High School for the residents in the area of Linthicum and BWI.
The County representatives set up information materials, including community border maps, and a listing of residents previously identified planning and zoning concerns.
There are three (3) activities attendees are asked to focus on during these sessions:
(1) SAP/GDP Recommendation Dot Exercise
Participants will review the recommendations from the Small Area Plan and the 2009 General Development Plan that were not implemented and prioritize which recommendations remain valid and should be carried forward in Plan2040 or community plans in the near future.
(2) Vision Exercise
Participants have an opportunity to share their Vision for the future:
What is special about your community?
What has changed in the last 15 years?
What needs improvement?
What should your community look like in 20 years?
(3) Community Boundary Review
Anne Arundel is a County comprised of over forty distinct communities. What community do you identify with? Review a map of communities in your area and provide feedback on community boundaries.
To see a mapping of the boundaries of our Linthicum-Shipley Community, noted as “Linthicum Heights” are – see: http://annearundelmd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8e851f927eb448d6a9044ea83a27269b.
The Linthicum Community boundaries shown are:
To the North –
The Linthicum Heights Community boarders Baltimore City, and Howard County. Included with the Linthicum Heights border is a large portion of Patapsco Valley Park.
To the South –
The Linthicum Heights Community border from the east extends from B&A Boulevard, along the southern boarder or Cabin Branch Park, following Andover Road, to Aviation Boulevard. The border then follows Aviation Boulevard past Northup Grumman, past Amtrak Way, to Old Stoney Run Road, just to the west of the Northup Grumman Parking lot.
To the West -
The Linthicum Heights Community borders the Hanover Community, includes the MDOT facility, includes a parcel of land to the west of the MDOT facility and Interstate 195, and the Amtrak rail, extending just north of Furnace Avenue, up to the border with Howard County and Baltimore City.
To the East -
The Linthicum Heights Community borders the Brooklyn Park and Ferndale Communities. Following B&A Boulevard from the Baltimore City border to the southern border of Cabin Branch Park.
The meeting was kicked off with an introductory video featuring AA County Executive as Mr. Pittman was unable to attend. Mr. Philip Hager, AA County Planning and Zoning Officer, took the podium and made a short presentation of the AA County Visioning 2040 process and objectives, then introduced others in attendance who will be assisting in gathering resident information and concerns, and helping to prepare the draft recommendations. Also assisting in this process is Smart Growth America, a national nonprofit organization providing technical assistance, advocacy, and thought leadership to realize a vision of livable places, healthy people, and shared prosperity in our communities. To learn more about the organization Smart Growth America, see: www.smartgrowthamerica.org.
Included here tonight were members of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee, which included Elizabeth Rosborg (Committee Chair), Gary Mauler (Jessup), and Linthicum’s own Charlie Mannion representing the Linthicum Community/BWI. For additional information on the membership of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee, see: www.aacounty.org/departments/planning-and-zoning/long-range-planning/general-development-plan/index.html.
The majority of the session was focused on gathering residents’ concerns and opinions.
For the information gathering portion of the meeting, those attending were asked the four questions cited earlier:
• What is special about your community?
• What has changed in the last 15 years?
• What needs improvement?
• What should your community look like in 20 years?
While it very unfortunate that only ten (10) Linthicum residents came to the briefing, those that did attend talked with the AA County representatives prior to the start of the briefing, and a few did speak providing answers to the questions above. In addition, a written response was provided to the representatives about issues LSIA and residents have identified and discusses over the past years.
To read the short written testimony and the list of Linthicum-Shipley issues and concerns provided to the click here (or go to: www.lsia.net/news), and see “AA County GDP Plan 2040 Meeting w/ Pittman – Woomer.”
The number one answer to the question: What is special about your community? –
“The small-town feel.” This was the primary reason my family and I chose to live in Linthicum.
What has changed in the last 15 years?
Development encroachment, sacrificing our greenspaces and buffer areas, failure to prepare the infrastructure for planned development, including roads, storm water management, our schools’ capacity enhancement, etc. For roads, both Maple Road and Andover Road were called out as examples. For Schools, all of the community schools are under growing pressure with the increasing influx of children.
What needs improvement?
Schools, roads, and other infrastructure, most long needed and long overdue.
What should your community look like in 20 years?
The same small-town feel, with green space, single homes, parks, updated roads, sidewalks, schools, and infrastructure, and a tight control on further development.
With the purpose of this initial meeting fulfilled, Mr. Hager brought the meeting to an end, thanking all for taking their time to attend and their willingness to speak to issue, needs and concerns Linthicum have for the future of our community.
Next steps –
(1) Go to the websites cited, and read up on the mission and purpose of Visioning Anne Arundel, and what has happened to date.
(2) Go to: www.surveymonkey.com/r/SFRBFLX and respond to the SAP/GDP Recommendation Survey. Presented are Land Use and Zoning Recommendations that have not been implemented since the adoption of the BWI-Linthicum Small Area Plan. You are asked to identify which of these recommendations remain priorities for the Linthicum/BWI. Rank each, with the number “1” the highest priority, then select the recommendation to give the 2nd highest priority, and so on. Use the drop-down box to the left or drag and move each recommendation to rank each item. If the recommendation is no longer applicable, please rank the recommendation “N/A.” Note, the first section on Transportation will take some time to sort. To assist in your ranking of the Transportation recommendations, you may want to open the Visioning Anne Arundel County Communities’ Map link at: http://annearundelmd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8e851f927eb448d6a9044ea83a27269b. Remember, if you believe a recommendation is no longer needed or is something that should not be pursued, select N/A.
(3) Stay tuned to LSIA’s website www.lsia.net, Nextdoor Linthicum & “I Live in Linthicum 21090” for developments and announcements of briefings & presentations. Also, come to the LSIA General Membership meetings to receive updates on this and many other topics of interest for our community.