Anne Arundel County Council kills bill to clean up zoning for now

The Anne Arundel County Council unanimously voted down a zoning ordinance Monday evening that had become increasingly controversial since it was formally introduced.

The bill was intended to update and clean up the county’s zoning code, something that hasn’t been done since 2005. It was not a bill that changed zoning maps or altered how people could use their property.

Monday night’s vote came after about two hours of public testimony and council member discussion.

Many people spoke against the bill last night and at prior meetings, citing concerns about the impact on farms, the density requirements, the right of county staff to enter a property for inspections and even the length of the bill itself.

Council Chair Julie Hummer sought to assuage those concerns by reiterating that more than 100 pages of the bill were already law. Many of the pages of the bill, she said, were adding definitions or renumbering things. Hummer is running for re-election to represent District 4.

Councilwoman Lisa Rodvien, who previously supported the bill, said it came down to “trust” before casting her no vote. Rodvien did not seek reelection to represent District 6.

There was lots of misinformation and “fear mongering” online about the bill, Rodvien said. She commended county staff for their work on it.

“But it’s not about me — it’s about you trusting the people at the table, and we haven’t reached that point,” she told the audience. “I hope you will learn to trust these people as I have.”

County Executive Steuart Pittman said in an emailed statement that the bill was complicated, and it’s “clear” his administration should have done more to engage with the public about it.

“If that had been the case, I believe we would have had the support to make the code more clear, consistent, and easier for all to utilize,” he said.

At Monday night’s meeting, Janssen Evelyn, the deputy chief administrative officer, said county zoning rules have been amended “repeatedly” since 2005, sometimes to address individual issues “as they arise,” which has made it “difficult to navigate and administer” the set of rules.

Passing the bill would have created a “more understandable code” for staff and county residents, he said.

He’s called the bill an overdue cleanup of the county’s patchwork zoning code.

“It is not a vehicle for sweeping new policy,” Evelyn said Oct. 5.

Monday’s meeting was the last one scheduled for this iteration of the County Council, which does not meet in November during election years. The new council will meet in December.

Amanda Fiedler, a Republican running for reelection to represent District 5, said that, if she’s still in office, she will “work immediately with whoever the new administration puts into the Office of Planning and Zoning on getting this through, with appropriate outreach to communities.”

However, the bill’s large size and sweeping scope have caught some residents and industries off-guard. Notably, food truck operators in Anne Arundel County successfully pushed back on an earlier version of the bill that they said would have stifled their ability to do business.

Since the bill did not pass, that means regulations around operating food trucks have not been added to county zoning code.

The bill was introduced in July. Dozens of amendments introduced by council members, plus long periods of public comment at recent council meetings, have slowed its progress through the legislative process.

Councilwoman Shannon Leadbetter, a Republican who did not run for reelection, agreed with Rodvien that the council’s vote Monday night was about trust. She didn’t want to see staff throw the work they’ve done in the trash.

Rather, she said, the next administration should do a “roadshow” around the county with chambers of commerce, advisory boards and other groups to make sure residents understood what was in the zoning update.

“It all comes down to trust,” Leadbetter said.