South County Residents Hear Update on Rural Conservation Line

From the Office of the County Executive: At the South County Cafe, County Executive Steve Schuh today discussed his legislation to establish a Rural Conservation Line (RCL) with South County area residents.

“Our existing array of preservation and conservation tools are no match for the economic forces that are driving development,” said Schuh. “Our rural conservation line will help address overdevelopment in our county in the long term. It will also help begin an important conversation about further steps we need to take to prevent our roads and schools from becoming more overcrowded.”
The legislation will:

• Establish into code a Rural Conservation Area consisting of the County’s most rural and vulnerable area and a Rural Conservation Line demarcating the boundary between managed growth and the Rural Conservation Area
• Require a supermajority vote of the County Council to expand public water and sewer into the Rural Conservation Area
• Require a supermajority vote of the County Council for up-zoning of property in the Rural Conservation Area.
• Require that 50% of the County’s land mass must remain in the Rural Area.

During the roundtable, Schuh specifically addressed development concerns of citizens on the Mayo Peninsula.
“Though the peninsula would fall outside the Rural Conservation Line because of the existence of sewer service, we remain committed to aggressively addressing the development issues facing Mayo residents,” said Schuh. “We have already begun critical improvements to Maryland Route 214, and will be introducing legislation shortly to limit high density development.”
Schuh noted that South River High School is still closed for new students. And, with the limited number available of buildable lots in Mayo, these factors will lead to no large-scale development in the area for the foreseeable future.

The County Council will have its second public hearing on the Rural Conservation Line December 19th.

Photo via the Office of the County Executive