NeighborSpace Gets Bigger Slice of Waiver Fee

Developers will pay a little less to side-step open space requirements for residential projects but a group that helps protect open spaces in urban areas of the county will get a bigger cut under a bill passed by the Baltimore County Council.

The council Thursday approved the bill that lowers the county's open space waiver fees. As part of the bill, the council also approved an amendment sponsored by Councilmen Quirk and David Marks that will give NeighborSpace of Baltimore County 20 percent of the fees collected.

Six of the seven councilmen voted in favor of the bill. Council Chairman Tom Quirk voted against the measure.

Prior to the passage of the bill Thursday, NeighborSpace could receive up to 10 percent of the waiver fees collected annually. The county had the discretion to determine how much the nonprofit would receive each year.

The council approved the amendment by a 6-0 vote with Councilman Ken Oliver abstaining. Oliver did not state publicly why he would not vote on the amendment and declined a request for an interview following the meeting.

The bill represents the first time the county has updated the waiver fees since 2006.

Councilman John Olszewski Sr. said last week the changes were needed because the fees were set at a time when land prices were at their peak.

Developers would pay rates equivalent to $1,700 per housing unit on average—a decrease of about $2,000 from the average of the current fee, according to a review by the County Auditor.

The proposed fees would still be the highest in the region.

County

Average Fee Per Housing Unit

Baltimore County             

$1,700

Howard County

$1,500

Anne Arundel County

$1,000

Carroll County

$533

Three other amendments unanimously approved eliminate fees for redevelopment projects on properties in more urban areas of the county where there are already existing structures, require the county to review the fee structure at least once in a two-year period and require the waiver fees to be posted on the county's website.

The council also approved a resolution calling for the Planning Board to review how the fees are set and make recommendations to make them easier to understand.

Passage of the bill could help 14 proposed projects that were approved in 2009 but have not paid the waiver fees. Those projects face a deadline requiring the developers to break ground by mid-August.

Under the bill as passed, those developers would pay the county the new lower fee rather than the fee that was in place four years ago.

Read more:

• Council Considers Open Space Fees As Deadline Looms
• Kamenetz Withdraws Open Space Waiver Reduction for Developers