Election Candidates Discuss Zoning

 approached  with 11 topics of citizen concern, and we've compiled their responses for your consideration.

For more on the election, read here.

Below is their take on zoning in Havre de Grace, with incumbents listed first and challengers listed second, in alphabetical order:

Cullum said the importance of dealing with zoning is often undervalued in local politics.

"I've always felt like zoning is one of the most important things a council deals with," he said. "It deals with property values and how citizens can use their property."

Cullum is one of three council members working closely with the recommendations of the citizen-driven zoning task force from 2010.

“We’ve been looking at what that task force proposed and refining it and putting it all in order and coming up with a new matrix of definitions and zoning classifications and redoing the zoning map itself,” Cullum said. “We’ve added some zoning designations. We used to have five, and now we’ll have 11 or 12. Because we have two parts of Havre de Grace now; Havre de Grace has doubled since I’ve been on council.”

Cullum said there likely would be different zoning regulations for lot sizes depending on locations within the city.

“We’re just about wrapped up,” he said in a mid-April interview. “We’re almost ready for that to go to the planning commission.”

Martin said zoning is a complex issue in Havre de Grace.

"I was very happy that the mayor formed the zoning task force review commission," he said. "They came forth with a very solid plan, which I looked over briefly. I’ll be honest, I haven’t taken a look at it [since] because I’m respecting the process. Ultimately council will have the final decision."

Martin believes in standards, but he also believes in allowing residents the right to do what they wish with their property.

“I will always vote the most liberal approach to zoning," he said. “What I mean by that is, there’s never been a fence I haven’t voted for or a driveway I haven’t approved, because my theory has always been, if we make you shovel it and make you cut it, you may put a fence there with the proper license agreement."

Miller has spent virtually every Tuesday evening for the past two years working on the comprehensive zoning review.

As he explains: “I’m the council representative to the planning commission. I’m appointed by the mayor, and the position runs with the term of office. I’m chairman on the city council planning committee.”

Miller calls the process time consuming, and added, “We’re about ready to wrap this up.”

He said most of Havre de Grace was zoned residential business, which allowed for many of the combination family-owned business and residential properties in the downtown area.

"We've looked at lot sizes in the city. We’re about finished the project," he said. “We’ve come up with a couple new zoning designations for the city. We’re proposing to put in an industrial category in that will cover the area out in the industrial park. We’re looking at agricultural zoning, and if we get that passed we’ll be the second municipality in the state of Maryland that has agricultural zoning."

Glenn would recommend analyzing how other municipalities have handled zoning and applying best practices to Havre de Grace’s zoning.

“What have some of the other municipalities done in terms of zoning? What works well? What hasn’t worked well? You’ve got to do your homework and work within the constraints that are provided,” he said.

Glenn would attack zoning with an optimistic approach.

“I try to take a can-do attitude to almost anything I do,” he said. “People I work with, I tell them, I don’t want you to use the word ‘can’t’ in your vocabulary. Let’s find a way.”

He said it’s also important to have an open mind to changing the norm.

“A lot of times its tough to get people to buy into change,” Glenn said. “But that’s the challenge, you have to show people where change is good and where change can benefit you.”

Robert Sawyer

Sawyer said Havre de Grace is like many cities in that it fights to maintain a balance between old and new.

“Every city has this where you have a modern area and a historic area,” he said. “We should do what we can to protect the historic area.”

Traffic and parking are also concerns for Sawyer.

“When I talk to other members of city council who have a vested interest in

downtown, you don’t want too much traffic down here, because people may not stop or eat, because they can’t find a parking space,” he said. “It’s built-up in downtown Havre de Grace about as much as it can be built up.”

He closed by saying: “I think it almost has to be decided on a case-by-case basis.”

New zoning doesn’t matter unless the rules and regulations are enforced, Scharbrough said.

"My biggest thing is to make sure of uniformity," he said. "I've heard from many constituents than zoning, planning and enforcement, there are different types of rules and regulations. Citizens want to see them applied more uniformly."

He’d like to see the city "move forward in unison," he said.

He added that any zoning review should also take into account the impact upon traffic flow—particularly with the proposed multi-use zoning where the new Upper Chesapeake hospital is to be constructed near Interstate 95 and Bulle Rock Parkway.

"My concern there is that it would impact residents trying to get into the city," he said. "We're on the west end of one of the entrance ways. There may need to be an increase in right-of-way or roadway to accommodate the traffic and ambulances."

Smith is a huge proponent of smart and high-density growth—particularly with the growth in population nationwide.

“They’ve got to go somewhere,” he said. “We’ve got development principals that say it should be higher-density around transit corridors. How do we make it more livable for the people that are here? I’m concerned about infill. We’ve got some going on down [in historic Havre de Grace], but its hit or miss.”

Smith said the city should encourage redevelopment of residential property that doesn’t significantly alter the landscape of the neighborhood—such as replacing a small home on a small lot with a “McMansion,” as he put it.

He’s also aware that the city is considering the potential annexation of property along Chapel Road—including near Robinhood and Earlton roads.

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For more on the election, read here.

The Havre de Grace Election will be held May 8 at the  Hall on Pennington Avenue.

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