the future of cecil county? sprawl throughout the county

The Future of Cecil County?

Sprawl throughout the county

How many of you would like:

More traffic congestion?

More pollution?

Losing our farmland?

Higher taxes?

What the Eastern Shore Is Saying..• 87% of Shore residents were “very concerned” or

“concerned” about the impact of the current rate and type of growth.

• 6 out of 10 county residents: managing growth, sprawl and protecting the environment was the most important issue

• 82% of County residents: if current rates and type of growth continue, quality of life will deteriorate

• 71% of County residents gave the County government a “poor” or “just fair” rating for handling growth

The Problem Is Poorly-planned Growth

Irresponsible development that takes our tax dollars away from our communities and

destroys farmland and open space.

Poorly-planned Growth in Cecil County

• GROWTH IN THE WRONG PLACES

• GROWTH THAT DOESN’T MEET THE COMMUNITY’S NEEDS

• GROWTH THAT DOESN’T PAY ITS WAY

Development Inside/Outside PFAIm p r o v e d R e s id e n t ia l A c r e s in C e c il C o u n t y ,

In s id e a n d O u t s id e P F A s , b y Y e a r B u ilt , 1 9 9 0 - 2 0 0 3 *

5 7 5 1 5 13 3 4 5

6 14 1 4 3

9 36 8 6 5

9 0 8 5 8 5

8 0 5

6 8 9

6 4 5

5 9 4

7 5 37 3 4

6 9 3 6 8 3

7 3 5

9 2 9

8 0 0

6 7 5

8 3 5

6 4 0

0

1 0 0

2 0 0

3 0 0

4 0 0

5 0 0

6 0 0

7 0 0

8 0 0

9 0 0

1 ,0 0 0

1 9 9 0 1 9 9 1 1 9 9 2 1 9 9 3 1 9 9 4 1 9 9 5 1 9 9 6 1 9 9 7 1 9 9 8 1 9 9 9 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 2 0 0 3

I n s i d e t h e P F A O u t s i d e t h e P F A

* s i n g l e - fa m i l y i m p r o v e d r e s i d e n t i a l p a r c e l s w i th v a l u e o f i m p r o v e m e n ts o f $ 1 ,0 0 0 o r m o r e o n p a r c e l s o f 2 0 a c r e s o r l e s s

P r e p a r e d b y th e M a r y l a n d D e p a r tm e n t o f P l a n n i n g , P l a n n i n g D a ta S e r v i c e s , D e c e m b e r 2 0 0 5S o u r c e : M d P o p e r ty V i e w , 1 9 9 9 & 2 0 0 0 E d i t i o n s ( 1 9 9 0 - 9 9 ) , 2 0 0 4 E d i t i o n ( 2 0 0 0 - 0 3 ) a n d P F A b o u n d a r i e s f r o m 2 0 0 2 E d i t i o n ( 1 9 9 0 - 9 9 ) & 2 0 0 4 E i d t i o n

Time to choose…

• Reactive, developer-driven permit processing: communities by chance

• OR

• Proactive, citizen-driven planning: communities by choice

The Future of Cecil County?

The Future of Cecil County?

Traditional Neighborhoods in Growth Areas Preservation of

Agriculture

Well-planned development that: protects our assets, revitalizes communities, provides housing choices,

supports local businesses and local jobs and improves our quality of life.

What We Need..

What Would Good Growth Look Like?

Working Farms

Neighborhoods not Housing Developments

HOW DO WE GET GOOD GROWTH?

Farmers: economic support and farmland protectionExisting and new residents: great neighborhoods

Everybody: Honest Accounting

Make sure that growth works for everyone:

Making It Work for Everyone

•Public interest test – who pays and who benefits?

•Public need test – what problem does this solve?

•Public review process – is this the right development in the right place?

Communities Taking Charge Of Growth

• Vienna, Maryland

• Boulder, Colorado

• Pittsford, New York

• Grand Rapids, Michigan

Cecil County’s future:

Poorly-planned growth or growth that works

for everyone?

It’s your choice…

if you get involved