Charles Hires Director of Planning to Fill 2-Year Vacancy

Comprehensive Plan Up for Updating

The Charles County commissioners have hired a director of planning, filling a position that had been vacant for nearly two years.

Steven Ball of Port St. Lucie, Fla., will manage the county's planning and environmental management departments under the Charles Department of Planning and Growth Management.

"I think the opportunity that is here is interesting. The county and the community have a lot of diversity," said Ball, who cited urban and transit issues in Waldorf at the northern end of the county and farm and forest issues in the south. "My background is both in urban planning and conservation."

Ball has 20 years of experience in planning in the private and public sectors. Most recently, he was president of Land Planning Systems, a consulting firm in Port St. Lucie. Before starting his company, Ball was the director of planning and zoning for Port St. Lucie. He also has been a planner in Sarasota County, Fla., Naples, Fla., and Coos County, Ore.

"I think my experience is complementing the goals and vision that the county commissioners have set," said Ball, who cited the urban design study for Waldorf as an example of mixing smart growth strategies with conservation programs.

The first big order of business for Ball will be reviewing the county's plans for water resources and protected lands, as required by state laws passed in the 2009 General Assembly, said Marvin C. Beall Jr., planning and growth management director.

Beall said the county will begin updating its comprehensive plan at the end of the year under Ball's direction.

Commissioners President Wayne Cooper (D-At Large) said it was a good time for Ball to arrive. "There are a lot of things going on, but our building permits are down to less than half," he said.

Charles was one of the fastest growing regions of the state during the real estate boom. From 1997 to 2006, the county's population grew an average 2 percent to 2.5 percent annually. Since 2006, that rate has slowed because of the economy, Beall said.

"In the booming times, all of the developments were coming in one after the other. So it is a good time to come in and grow with the county," Cooper said.

Ball succeeds David Umling, who left in 2007 to become the city planner in Cumberland, Md. Joseph Reed Faasen has been serving as the acting planning director since Umling's departure.