Local Voices
Councilman Marks' Open Space Legislation Now Protects 4,000 Acres
The Neighborhood Commons zoning designation has now been applied throughout Baltimore County, protecting forests and undeveloped property.
In 2012, I sponsored legislation that created a zoning category, Neighborhood Commons, to protect land as open space. Thanks to that legislation, about 4,000 acres has now been designated as Neighborhood Commons.
The new estimate includes decisions based on the adoption of the 2016 Comprehensive Zoning Map.
Much of the land is located in Towson, Carney, and Perry Hall. Land zoned for Neighborhood Commons includes public property and that owned by nonprofits and homeowners associations.
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The law creating Neighborhood Commons zoning was groundbreaking in that land was protected from almost all type of development. Over the past three zoning cycles, Councilmembers from both parties have used this designation to protect thousands of acres throughout Baltimore County.
