Neighbors resist western Howard County development, citing well water concerns

Some western Howard County residents are pushing back on a small proposed housing development that they say could hurt their neighborhood’s reliance on well water.

A Northern Virginia developer plans to develop 26 single-family homes and a community center on a nearly 27-acre parcel on Triadelphia Road in far western Ellicott City. ESC Triadelphia LLC, an affiliate of Elm Street Communities, bought the property for $2.35 million in August.

Neighbors of the property worry that such a large project tapping into the aquifer could reduce the water available from their wells.

Jason Van Kirk, a regional partner and vice president for Elm Street Communities, did not address questions about the well water. The developer is still seeking state and local approval for its community well system.

The community will be age-restricted, meaning the detached homes will be sold only to those aged 55 or older, Van Kirk said. He said many Howard County residents want to downsize from their current homes but also want to remain in the county.

According to county code, at least one of the residents in age-restricted housing must be 55 or older, and children under the age of 18 cannot live there for more than 90 days in a calendar year.

Elm Street’s intent with the project is “to express our sincere interest as developers that we are doing right by the community, county and state in providing additional housing that is very desired,” Van Kirk said.

Neighbors of the property, however, began to push back after Elm Street received the initial green light for the project in July from Howard County Hearing Examiner Joyce Nichols, who granted a conditional use — a land use requiring approval from the county hearing authority in certain zoning districts.

Six western Howard County residents whose homes are adjacent to the proposed project filed a petition appealing the conditional use decision to the Board of Appeals less than a month later. The case is set to be heard by the troubled board in early December. (Last week, the County Council voted to remove the board’s chair, citing conduct issues that he denied.)

Homes in the western part of Howard County do not have access to public water or sewer lines. Instead, they rely on well water and private septic systems. Sometimes called the “rural west,” the area’s lack of public utilities keeps development in the region sparse.

The neighbors allege in their appeal that Nichols “erred” in granting the developer’s petition for conditional use because Elm Street Communities “failed to meet its burden of proof that its proposed shared well and community septic systems will not have adverse effects on vicinal properties above and beyond those ordinarily associated with such uses.”

One of the neighbors, Susan Euteneuer, has lived on nearby Garratt Court with her family for the last 16 years.

“We are gravely concerned that the high density development proposed near our home could alter our groundwater resources and adversely impact our family’s water supply,” Euteneuer said in a statement.

Elm Street’s plan clusters the homes toward the front and middle of the property, closest to Triadelphia Road, keeping woods on its north side and adding a walking trail, a bocce court and a small community center.

With the conditional use approval, Elm Street can move forward with submitting design plans to the Howard County government, but “that is at our own risk given it’s going through the Board of Appeals,” Van Kirk said.

Elm Street is seeking approvals from the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Howard County Health Department for both the multiuse septic area and the community well system.

“The proposed wells on this plan have not yet been reviewed and approved by the Health Department or MDE,” the county health department wrote in its conditional use review in February. “It may be possible that the well locations may need to change or the property converts to a community well system based on MDE review and well yield or setback concerns.”

Nichols’ July decision did not address the proposed wells, including the locations, wastewater treatment and potable water suitability.

Becky Merrill and her late husband moved to Lakeway Drive from Columbia in 2005, looking for more space to raise a family but wanting to remain in Howard County.

“We didn’t want to feel like we were living in suburbia,” said Merrill, who is among the neighbors appealing the conditional use decision.

If the Elm Street project moves ahead with so many homes, it’s “bringing suburbia to this very rural area,” Merrill said.

Merrill isn’t opposed to development and wouldn’t have taken issue with this proposed project if the density had aligned with the rest of the neighborhood, where each home sits on about an acre of land.

“It’s the quantity of homes in that small parcel of land that seems out of character,” Merrill said.

Residents have reached out to local elected officials, including State Sen. Katie Fry Hester, to make their case.

In a statement, Hester said she has heard from a number of residents and understands their concerns.

“I’ll continue to closely monitor the project as it moves forward, and I look forward to meeting with MDE and residents soon to discuss their concerns directly,” Hester said.

Howard County Council member David Yungmann, who represents the area, declined to comment on the project because of the pending Board of Appeals case.