The Anne Arundel County Council on Monday upheld the county executive’s veto of a rezoning plan affecting a historically Black neighborhood and overturned a veto relating to forested land in Pasadena.
By upholding County Executive Steuart Pittman’s July line-item veto, the council has allowed six properties along the wooded Shot Town Road in Annapolis to increase their housing density. That means the Black residents whose land has been passed down for several generations will be able to develop additional living quarters on their properties for family members. The veto takes effect Saturday.
The council also voted 6-1 to override Pittman’s veto of zoning changes at 201 Ember Drive in Pasadena, which would split the property into residential, industrial and open space zones. Lisa Rodvien, a Democrat representing Annapolis, voted against the veto override. The decision takes effect Oct. 18.
Shot Town Road resident Keisha Ricks said she and neighboring family members can breathe a sigh of relief.
“It’s such a great feeling that it’s just even hard for me to find the words for it because it’s been a long, long road to get here,” she said.
Ricks spoke in favor of changing the zoning earlier this summer in the hopes of being able to build homes for her children on her land. When she and two of her family members found out about Pittman’s veto in July, the women tearfully embraced in celebration, though they knew it wouldn’t be set in stone until the council discussed it.
“There have been a lot of very, very, very, very tough nights and hard days thinking about it and thinking about what the outcome is going to be,” she said. “So, I think right now, even speaking for my family, it’s just this moment of, ‘Okay, we can just be still and be able to reflect and be grateful for this moment.’”
Most of the affected properties were zoned residential low density, often referred to as RLD, which allows for one house per 5 acres. But as part of a once-in-a-decade rezoning effort for the region, which also includes Severna Park, Pasadena, Arnold, Cape St. Claire and Gibson Island, the county suggested upgrading those parcels to allow for one house per acre.
At the June 17 council meeting, Amanda Fiedler, a Republican representing Arnold, proposed an amendment to maintain the lower-density residential zoning for nearly a dozen properties on Shot Town Road, including Ricks’ land. Though testimony was split, the council voted 4-3 to preserve the current zoning, with council members Allison Pickard, Julie Hummer and Rodvien voting no.
Unlike other bills passed by the council, portions of comprehensive zoning legislation can be vetoed. The partial veto by Pittman, a Democrat, did not affect Shot Town Road property owners who wanted to keep the lower-density zoning.
“I think a key point that I heard from both opposition and support of the change to R1 [residential zoning] was that everyone on Shot Town Road loves the rural nature and feel of the community,” Fiedler said Monday. “So, knowing that that is shared in common with everyone who lives off of Shot Town Road, from everyone who came out here to discuss the proposed amendments, I feel confident and comfortable that this area will remain rural with some legacy housing added.”
Ricks, who inherited the land from her grandmother, now hopes to help other legacy landowners learn how to engage with the rezoning process, especially those who are elderly or vulnerable.
“Even with dealing with my family, I really had to break things down,” she said. “We had to stay on top of all of the council meetings, we had to be very knowledgeable about the certain goals that each person in your community may want versus what the county may want. It’s a very, very huge process, and it’s not easy.”
The outcome on the Ember Drive property, however, wasn’t as favorable to some.
The forested land, located near streams that feed into nearby waterways, is owned by Wayne Newton, who also owns adjacent Chesapeake Landscape Materials, a mulch supplier.
While the initial request was to rezone the entire property to industrial and use it for expansion of the business, community outcry on the potential for environmental and noise problems, as well as decreasing property values, prompted council member Nathan Volke, a Republican representing Pasadena, to ask the owner to amend his request to include multiple zoning classifications. The council voted 6-1 in July to approve the three-way zoning split.
Pittman cited environmental impacts to the land as the reason behind his veto, which would have maintained solely residential zoning on the property.
“I was disappointed,” he said of the council’s decision to override the veto. “I had hoped to protect that forest between two streams flowing to Lake Waterford.”
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