BACKGROUND� Baltimore County established its
growth line, the “Urban RuralDemarcation Line” (URDL) in 1967,prohibiting public water and sewerutilities outside its boundaries andrelegating growth to the inner suburbs.
� These “inner-ring” communitieswere built before developers wererequired to set aside public openspace and dubbed “1st tier” suburbsbecause they share a border withBaltimore City and/or 50% of theirhousing stock is pre-1970.
� They are densely populated andopen space is a premium. 90% ofthe County’s 805,000 residents livethere on just 1/3 of the County’s totalland area.
� This led, in 2003, to the creation ofNeighborSpace, a nonprofit land trustpromoting more livable communitieswithin the URDL by acquiring land forparks, gardens and natural areas.
� Since 2003, and with County fundsof $680,000, we have protected 10parcels valued at $1.3 million andtotaling 36.4 acres. (Figure 1, left).
The County Master Plan shows thatgrowth will be accommodatedwithin the URDL in CommunityEnhancement Areas (CEAs), thusheightening the current importance ofour work. (Reverse, figure 2).
OUR PLAN
� Use recently appropriated State &County funding to address keypriorities, including (1) landacquisition; (2) site improvement atRobin Hill Rd.; and (3) developmentof a Strategic Conservation Plan,working with the National ParkService’s Rivers, Trails andConservation Assistance (RTCA)Program, County agencies and otherstakeholders within the community.
Leverage funding with taxincentives. Continue to leveragepublic and private funding for openspace protection with our ability as aqualified land trust to secure donatedland using income and property taxincentives. (Reverse, figure 3 )
� Take responsibility for stewardshipby helping neighborhoods improveour parcels, partnering withcommunity organizations as propertymanagers, and purchasing necessaryinsurance.
ü Better redevelopment outcomes. Research has shown that redevelopmentprojects work best when 30% of land use is open space. NeighborSpace hasidentified 130 vacant properties within CEAs for open space uses.
Improved water quality. The Clean Water Act and Pres. Obama’s Executive Ordermandate better management of stormwater runoff to improve water quality in theChesapeake Bay. The County’s Gwynn’s Falls Watershed has the largest area ofcommunities at risk for environmental harm due to water quality. NeighborSpace hasidentified at least 50 possible vacant properties within the URDL that might be usedas stormwater management areas, and at least one of these is in the Gwynns FallsWatershed. (Reverse, figure 2).
ü More trails and greenways. The County has many plans for providing trails andgreenways within the URDL to improve recreational opportunities and protect wildlifehabitat. NeighborSpace has approached a private landowner to acquire aneasement that would help the State and County complete the Maryland Line Trailfrom Bear Creek Branch to Battle Acre Park in Dundalk. (Reverse, figure 2).
ü Better neighborhoods. A recent study in Seatlle showed that parks result insignificant property tax revenue increases and escalating home values. Working withMorgan State’s Landscape Architecture Program, the Powhatan FarmsImprovement Association, the Home Depot Foundation and the County forestryboard, we are developing a 1.5 acre park in an aging development of duplex homeson Robin Hill Rd. in Lochearn, hoping to achieve similar results. (Figure 1, above).
THE CASE FOR PROTECTING MORE OPEN SPACE WITHIN THEGROWTH LINE (URDL)
Figure 3. Using Tax Incentives to Leverage Public and Private Contributions to NeighborSpace
For a complete version of Tax Considerations in Conveying Land and other publications, please visit:www.neighborspacebaltimorecounty/resources.html, or scan the QR code at right. For additional information, please contactBarbara Hopkins, Executive Director, at 443-610-8601 or at [email protected].
Figure 2. Baltimore County’s Community Enhancement Areas
