"We do hear a lot of rhetoric," said Dru Schmidt-Perkins, executive director of 1000 Friends of Maryland, an environmental group. "But he's creating exemptions in the law that you could drive a truck through, and he has absolutely decimated the funds for acquiring open space."
One Project's Plight
Even before the passage of smart growth, Howard County planners had designated the Maple Lawn Farms property for a combination of offices, shops and homes. Amid neighborhood complaints, the maximum planned density had been set at three homes per acre.
The Maple Lawn Farms Community in Howard County is designated a smart-growth area suited for high-density development, but its density will be well below both what was originally projected and smart-growth norms.
(Ricky Carioti -- The Washington Post)
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| | | | | | | | | | ______ Spreading Sprawl ______ • The Role of Government
County policies deflect growth rather than control it.
• The Price Commuters Pay
To live in housing they can afford, many people drive a long way to work.
• The Limits of Smart Growth
To planners, density is a good thing. But not to everyone.
______ Graphics ______ • How Far Will We Grow?
Satellite images show the expansive growth of the Washington area since 1986.
• Super-Commuters
Some residents are commuting roughly an hour or more to work.
• No Shift in Howard County
Rural areas have grown in lock step with growth areas in Howard County. ______ Multimedia ______ • Audio: Washington Post reporter Peter Whoriskey discusses the Post's series Washington-area sprawl.
______ Live Discussions ______ • Transcript: Washington Post reporter Peter Whoriskey discussion on area sprawl.
• Transcript: Gerrit Knaap of the University of Maryland Smart Growth Center fielded your questions. | | | | | | | |
_____Growth and Development_____
•
Washington's Road to Outward Growth (The Washington Post, Aug 9, 2004)
•
Space for Employers, Not for Homes (The Washington Post, Aug 8, 2004)
•
Arrival of Metro Could Transform Tysons (The Washington Post, Aug 7, 2004)
•
Loudoun Looks at Settling Lawsuits (The Washington Post, Jul 27, 2004)
•
Md. Panel Backs Study Of Rte. 32 Widening (The Washington Post, Jul 22, 2004)
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More Stories
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Once the state's smart-growth program passed, Howard County planners designated the area around Maple Lawn Farms as a smart-growth area.
They believed building homes there could relieve development pressure in Howard's more rural areas. A state report had noted that 14 percent of the county's unprotected agricultural land was developed during the 1990s, more than any other Maryland county. The report warned that it "may soon cease to have a viable agriculture industry."
The project was originally designed to include space for offices and shops, and Greenebaum agreed during negotiations with the neighbors that all of it would be laid out according to neo-traditional neighborhood design principles, which emphasize walking over driving. He frequently compared it to Kentlands, a celebrated "new urbanist" community nearby.
"Maple Lawn is an anti-sprawl development," Greenebaum said. "It takes the pressure off of areas that really shouldn't be developed."
But he never persuaded neighbors such as Peter Oswald, who testified against the Maple Lawn project. "I don't accept the hypothesis that these areas are smart for growth," Oswald said. "We need to demonstrate that there are adequate schools and roads before asking people to add to problems they already have."
After 32 public hearings, Maple Lawn is in the beginning stages of construction. When finished, it will have half the density of Kentlands.
"Smart growth is something people want," said Marsha McLaughlin, Howard County's planning director, who had supported more homes on the property. "They just don't want it in their own neighborhood."
