Controversial Baltimore zoning bills are sent back to committee for a re-vote
EXCLUSIVE: Three bills are being withdrawn from the agenda. A fourth bill, eliminating the two-staircase requirement in certain buildings, is still scheduled for a vote tonight.
Above: Ryan Dorsey presides as chair of the Land Use and Transportation Committee. (Charm TV)
Two City Council zoning bills that have been a high priority for the Brandon Scott administration – one to loosen lot restrictions in residential districts and another to eliminate parking requirements on new development – are being sent back to committee for a new hearing and a new vote.
The bills – together with a third measure to limit discount dollar stores – had been approved by the Land Use and Transportation Committee and were on the agenda for a preliminary vote by the full council tonight.
Rumors of the unusual move to yank the three bills spread over the weekend. Council President Zeke Cohen confirmed the decision to The Brew.
Cohen said the decision to pull Bill 25-0064 (the so-called “bulk and yard” measure), Bill 25-0065 (parking minimums) and Bill 25-0040 (the “small box store” bill) was made by the committee’s chairman, Councilman Ryan Dorsey.
“We are recommitting the following bills to committee: 40, 64, 65,” Cohen explained via text. “The chair wants to hear from BMZA [the Zoning Board] and DOT [Department of Transportation] before the bills move forward,” he added.
As of this morning, all three bills are still listed for a vote in the online agenda posted on the Council’s website.
Running into Flak
The two zoning bills are part of a legislative package announced with fanfare in May by Scott, Cohen and Dorsey and endorsed by other council members.
Described by the mayor as “a common-sense package of bills that will make housing more abundant and affordable in Baltimore,” the bills are aimed at removing outdated zoning rules in order to spark new development and help the city grow.
The same rationale was behind another bill that remains on the Council’s Monday night agenda for preliminary approval – Bill 25-0062.
The so-called single exit bill, which would eliminate the requirement for two staircases in certain new multi-family buildings, raised safety concerns. It was unanimously approved by the Land Use Committee after fire department officials and union representatives signed off on it.
Dorsey, its enthusiastic sponsor, gave a 15-minute presentation on its virtues in committee.
The other two zoning bills ran into considerably more trouble, as reported by The Brew here and here.
The parking bill was denounced by city residents, notably Black female community leaders, who said they had not been consulted about the measure.
Supporters, meanwhile, comprised the vast majority of the letters received by the council on the bill, including scores who signed onto a form letter that said the single-stair bill and others in Scott’s package “will work to make Baltimore a more affordable, walkable, and family-friendly place to call home.”
Council Vice President Sharon Green Middleton and Councilwoman Phylicia Porter made clear they could not sell the measure with their constituents, casting the lone “no” votes as the committee approved the measure 5-2.
Both said they were concerned about the bill’s impact on seniors and car-dependent residents.
“We have a terrible public transportation system, so in those areas, cars are very important,” Middleton said, repeatedly asking why the bill’s provisions were written to apply citywide.
Renee Mitchell, Keondra Prier and Cynthia Gross speak at a Council committee hearing in opposition of a bill to eliminate minimum parking requirements. (CharmTV)
Bulk and Yard Bill
Middleton also voted “no” on the bulk and yard bill that would allow property-owners in certain residential zones to build closer to their property lines.
Among the most vocal opponents was architect Doug McCoach, the lone member of the Planning Commission to vote against the measure last month.
“It’s so contrary to every single policy this city has passed for 20 years,” McCoach said, decrying the loss of green space given up to more densely developed neighborhoods under the bill.
Remington zoning activist Joan Floyd also criticized the measure at that meeting.
Such changes might be good for the developers of new residential projects, but they could irreparably harm Baltimore’s established neighborhoods, she said.
“Our existing rowhouse blocks were developed according to plans that incorporated features designed for living with sunlight and air and privacy and space and good neighbor relations,” she noted, displaying a 3-D model that showed a rowhouse expanded all the way to the rear alley.
Dollar General sign on Greenmount Avenue and Diana Emerson, of Waverly Main Street, who testified in favor of Bill 25-0040 intended to give residents some power over the location and conduct of discount stores. (Fern Shen/CharmTV)
Dollar Stores
As for Bill 25-0040, the testimony was dominated by witnesses who said the proliferation of chain “dollar” stores selling cheap merchandise – and in some cases failing to clean up trash and agree to work with local neighborhood leaders – was hurting their communities.
The measure requires such stores to obtain conditional-use approval from the City Council, which would give residents an opportunity for input. The only pushback to the bill came from the city law department, which sought amendments that weakened the measure, and Dollar General.
The Tennessee-based corporation reached out to The Brew after the hearing to say it opposes the bill.
“At Dollar General, we believe any such restrictive measure would harm Baltimore residents by limiting customer choice, free enterprise, convenience and affordability,” a company spokesman said in an emailed statement. “We have a longstanding presence in Baltimore, and we remain committed to serving our customers.”