Environmental Stewardship

General Comments:

• Strengthen language on enforcement related actions.
• Get more information to the general public about existing environmental programs.
• E-mail more and use public service announcements to communicate with public.
• Link websites among community groups and County.
• Continue and improve on internet outreach. Youtube. webinars.
• Use participation in outreach to incentivize with credits.
• Need implementation schedule with target dates. specific levels for each action.
• Creation of project implementation matrix that includes budget consideration. Interdependency among agencies. etc.
• Address lack of coordination between water resources chapter and environmental stewardship chapter. in particular. lack of correlation between TMDLs and stormwater management.
• The Concurrency Management Plan Chapter needs consistency with storm water management costs estimations.
• Address protection of urban wildlife.

Sensitive Areas:

• There should be a prevention of waivers to critical area requirements / increase burden of applicant to meet requirements with only extreme exceptions.
•  Require higher fees for disturbances to sensitive areas.
• Enforcement of critical area maintenance through voluntary compliance options templating (streamlining the application process) - would improve outreach.
• Address protection of the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge.
• Implement transfer of development rights to support Smart Growth areas. protect sensitive areas. stream buffers. etc.

Stormwater management:

• Support for prioritization and what criteria are used to prioritize stormwater management.
• Support for increasing impervious surface requirement as high as possible.
• Improve stormwater management systems and enforcement of design standards.
• Support for stormwater utility fees.

Sustainability:

• Specify LEED level requirement (i.e. silver) and certification standards.
• Incorporate greywater methods for LEED building/construction.
• Address alternative energy sources such as wind. individual solar energy generation.
• Support sustainability by encouraging "Grow local/Buy local".
• County should be 'THE' example of a Green County; go above state minimum requirements.
• Consider additional actions for sustainable development; property tax incentives for sustainable construction and retrofitting; County level incentives such as reimbursements (even if partial) for green building.
• Encourage retrofitting flat roof buildings with greenroofs.
• Improve opportunities for residents to install alternative energy; provide a user-friendly template.
• Ease permit process for environmentally sensitive redevelopment or retrofitting preference in review process a possible incentive.
• Need to include Smart Growth in sustainability section and emphasize its importance.

Steep Slopes:

• Consider soil type to level of protection of steep slopes.
• Redefine a steep slope as 15%.

Water Quality / Wastewater Management:

• Make retrofit of existing communities that are not or insufficiently controlled for sewage / runoff into the Bay a priority.
• Require the impervious surface percentage to be increased to the highest level possible (not just a consideration).
• Strategy to meet TMDLs is missing in the GDP; numerical linkage needed between land use activities and TMDLs.
• Specifically address septic system upgrade options.
• Implement watershed protection plans.
• Need strategy for and execution of retrofitting existing communities that are not or insufficiently controlled for sewage/runoff into the Bay.
• Prioritization criteria should start with the known (pollutant sources) and end in results (solutions).
• Address point source pollution sources - this will "Save the Bay".
• Enhance sediment erosion controls.

Greenways:

• Support for greater funding toward greenways programs.
• Support for north to south greenway network enhancements.
• Strengthen protection of forest conservation/greenways.

Stream buffers:

• Support the re-evaluation of stream buffers - currently too small.
• Increase buffer requirement from 1,000 to 1,500 feet to meet current science; shouldn't have the ability to pay your way out of meeting development requirements; planting should be on-site instead of paying fines for violations; and there should be preservation of existing wetlands and elimination of the possibility of removing wetlands as mitigation strategy.

Forestation:

• Greater control over prevention of clear cutting in the name; strengthen penalties/support for fines toward clear cutting.
• Need specimen tree protection in Critical Area.
• Support for removal of overly mature trees to prevent unnecessary loss of additional forests or to protect the built environment.

Community Preservation

• The Small Area Plan for Severna Park already has a neighborhood conservation plan.
• The recommendations for revitalization that are in the Small Area Plan for Severna Park and Broad Neck should be implemented.
• Need to incorporate more of the Small Area Plans as references in the GDP.
• There is a big disconnect between principle and reality in regards to geography. Example: If it's Ok to preserve 100 acres of land in South County and zone it RA to protect it from development, then why isn't it Ok to preserve the R1 zoning in areas such as Broadneck and along Generals Highway in order to minimize development there? Apply land preservation principles equally through out the County!
• Commercial Revitalization map in GDP needs to be broken down for better viewing.
• Preserve the existing commercial areas instead of adding more.
• There needs to be more transit available to people who live / work at the town centers.
• Waterfront access / rooftop boating should be available for those who don't live on the water.
• Equestrian recreation areas should be developed.
• Connect communities via foot bridges.
• "Spot Zoning" defeats Land Use Plan.
• Camp Woodland (Girl Scout Lodge) should be preserved; <10 not want it to be sold and heavily developed.
• There needs to be more pedestrian links to neighborhood services.
• Preserve the character of the Crofton / Rt. 3 Corridor.
• Preserve rural farms / agriculture, especially around Crofton and Gambrills.
• Small scale commercial services are Ok, but no BIG BOX stores!!
• Needs to be more Smart Growth ideas applied when thinking about commercial revitalization.
• Overlay zoning for neighborhood conservation districts is a good idea.
• Concern about Riverside Baptist Church impact on Scenic Road.

Quality Public Services

Recreation and Parks

• County should place dog parks in more dense neighborhoods.
• Naval Dairy Farm could be used as a camping site.
• Naval Dairy Farm should be used for primarily passive recreational activities with some active recreation fields.
• Quiet Waters Park should be used as a model park for recreation activities in the County;
  it offers wide variety of family activities that the Naval Dairy farm could follow its example, including having an amphitheater.
• County should encourage recycling programs in different parks.
• Trash pick up is a serious problem in many County parks, there are not many recycle bins.
• Many active recreation fields in the County are underutilized; Middle School fields are in poor condition and could be used for more recreation activities.
• Majority of active recreation fields in the County are in poor condition. Tennis courts in the County should be improved.
• South and West County regions should have more parks.
• County should focus on trail improvements.
• County should connect Broadneck Park to Sandy Point Park and WB&A trail.
• Pedestrian bridge should be proposed across Ritchie Highway to connect WB&A trail with proposed trails on College Parkway.
• County should have more natural trails; both established and marked (Annapolis Waterworks park is a good example).
• 6 acres of Jordan's property in Arnold should be used for recreational land with amenities and facilities to cater to WB&A trail users.
• New parks should be proposed in high density residential areas of the County.
• County should work with city of Annapolis to coordinate plans for recreation requirements for both City and County residents.
• The concept of bioretention and rain gardens should be made more popular in County parks (Waterworks in Annapolis is a great example).

Library Services

• The County has a great network of libraries.
• There should be more online resources; focus should be on technology.
• Branch libraries should be located in dense residential neighborhoods.
• Libraries should restore weekend hours.
• Annapolis and Broadneck libraries need more IT support.
• Annapolis library needs to be expanded and remain at current location.

Health Care

• Education is very important to promote quality health care.
• Financial incentives should be offered to private health care facilities to locate them in the urban areas.

Senior Centers

• County offers many excellent services for senior citizens.
• Paratransit services should be used more efficiently.
• Paratransit should only be used for essential trips like going to health centers; could be expanded to include transporting youth and others for a small fee.
• Active recreation programs should be started for senior citizens.
• Senior citizens have a major disadvantage because of lack of good transit network in the County; senior citizens could use jitney services to move around the region.
• A variety of senior housing should be located in urban areas, so seniors could be self sufficient without depending on automobiles.

Public Safety

• County residents should be educated in emergency preparedness and emergency evacuation operations; information brochures should be sent out to the residents educating them about emergency preparedness.
• Radios, internet connections and cell phones do not operate in emergencies; people should be given education of evacuation preparedness regularly.
• Professionals from emergency management should be involved in all policy decisions like land use and zoning decisions.
• Evacuation plans should be prepared at a neighborhood level.
• Public safety services might get overburdened because of BRAC; County public safety services should be planned to manage population increase.

Recycling

• Recycling should be mandatory; residents should be fined for not recycling.
• Recycling contests should start in County schools.
• County should provide garbage and recycling pick up only once in a week.

Other Issues

• Efficiency of Wastewater Treatment Plants is a major concern.
• Community education is the key for promoting wastewater recycling.

Balanced Growth

• Adopt a 5-acre minimum lot size in Rural Areas for new development with and emphasis on preserving the equestrian based farms and/or businesses.
• Keep future growth inside the Priority Funding Areas.
• Fully utilize the existing sewer / infrastructure in the Deale-Churchton / Shady Side area for higher density uses.
• Continue to expand efforts to provide workforce housing.
• The RA zoning regulations need revising so that more rural / agricultural land can be preserved.
• Zoning and / or development regulations should be revised to encourage clustering of development over large-lot subdivision.
• Additional commercial zoning should not be encouraged to 'creep' into existing residential areas through intensification of existing or the granting of new commercial zoning.
• Areas placed into Priority Funding Areas (pF A) in order to alleviate environmental problems due to septic systems, via the expansion of public sewer, should not serve as basis for intensifying existing land uses.
• The County should consider implementing a Transfer of Development Rights (TOR) program that encourages the sending of development rights from environmentally.
• For Targeted Growth Development Policy Areas, the County should set a minimum percentage of green / open space acres to be preserved at 23%.
• Concentrate new growth / density to developed areas with transit support to enable pockets of green space.
• Assess best agricultural land for preservation - priority for funding should go for that agricultural land.

Land Use

• Check on land use for part of Pal Park, should be natural features, not low residential and commercial.