Council Approves Prospect Hill Cemetery Bill

The Baltimore County Council Monday unanimously approved a bill that corrects the unintended consequences of a zoning change that affected a Towson cemetery.

The bill, sponsored by Councilman David Marks, retains the new open space zoning on the Prospect Hill Cemetery without putting it into conflict with adjacent commercial properties.

Marks reduced the zoning on the property in August. Because of neighborhood common zoning laws, the change affected the nearby Towson City Center property.

"So when the Prospect Hill Cemetery was downzoned, it changed the zoning to residential zoning," Marks said during a March 12 council work session.

A planned restaurant for the property would not have been able to have outdoor seating, something Marks said was never the intent of the zoning change.

The bill passed Monday night was supported by the cemetery's board of directors.

"We've made a great deal of progress in preserving Prospect Hill Cemetery and making it an asset to the community," said Ed Crawford, a member of the Prospect Hill Cemetery board of directors.

The bill will go into effect on April 1.