A pair of hearings this week on the controversial plan to develop a portion of historic Doughoregan Manor in Ellicott City and extend public water and sewer to the property juxtaposed preserving a national landmark with the negative impact that preservation could have on the surrounding community.

The Howard County Council took public comment on the plan from a standing-room-only crowd at the council's temporary offices in Columbia on Monday and again Tuesday, after they could not get through all of the testimony the first night.

The council is weighing a proposed change to the county’s master plan that could bring more than 300 single-family houses to 200 acres on the east end of the property, which was once owned by Charles Carroll, who signed the Declaration of Independence.

The plan, proposed by Carroll’s descendants, siblings Camilla and Philip Carroll, is billed as a mechanism for preserving the manor, which is one of 71 National Historic Landmarks in Maryland

But opponents of the plan worry the development would bring traffic congestion, open a dead-end street, overcrowd schools and decrease property values.

At the hearings, several expressed concern over an on-site wastewater treatment plant that would serve the new development, arguing that such a system could malfunction.

Tom Lockard, who lives in Ellicott City, said planning officials told him they do not know what kind of treatment facility would be put on the property.

Lockard and others said they worry a treatment plant could end up like the one built at the Cattail Creek development in Glenwood. That plant has regularly malfunctioned, leading the county to sue in the developer in 2008.

But some defended the Doughoregan plan. Kim McClean, president of the board of directors for the homeowners association in the nearby Terra Maria development in Ellicott City, supported the plan and said her community has an on-site treatment plant that has never been a problem.
 
“While we would prefer to never see any development of the Doughoregan estate, we feel this is an unrealistic expectation,” she said.

The county Agricultural Land Preservation Board recently offered to pay the Carrolls $18.5 million to permanently protect 500 of their nearly 900 acres of property, or $37,000 per acre. Seventy-five acres of the manor were put into preservation in 2006. 

The Carrolls and their backers say allowing the 300 homes on one part of their property, coupled with preserving the remaining 900 acres, would allow them to permanently preserve most of their estate.

Several plan opponents who live in neighborhoods near the manor said they do not believe helping the Carrolls preserve Doughoregan is worthwhile, arguing that public access to the manor, where the family lives, is restricted.

“We are not allowed to be a part of Doughoregan Manor’s history,” said Carla Baruch, a Chateau Ridgelake resident.

Neighbors opposed to the plan also said there is no guarantee of preservation and worry the developer will not keep promises such as making the only access to the property along Frederick Road rather than opening Burnside Drive in the adjacent development.

“As much as anything, there’s a concern that the Carrolls are at least saying that they are doing this for the preservation of Doughoregan Manor, but you know, at no point have they ever shared with the county or the citizens or with anybody any kind of preservation plan for the property,” Lockard said.

If changes to the general plan and a zoning adjustment scheduled to come before the council in coming weeks are not approved, representatives for the Carrolls say the family will move forward with development under existing zoning.

Current law would allow for homes on larger lots and would likely be close to the 20-room manor and its roughly 30 outbuildings, according to planning and zoning Director Marsha McLaughlin.

Joe Rutter, the developer representing the Carrolls, said the best soil for supporting septic systems is located near the historic core.

“Charles Carroll didn’t located Doughoregan by accident,” Rutter, a former county planning and zoning director, said. “(The) Carrolls are prepared to move forward if that’s what they need to do.”

Former Republican County Council member Christopher Merdon encouraged the council to pass the master plan change, suggesting the manor may be a more public place for future generations.

“You have a prime piece of property that could be developed,” he said. “That is huge, that you can finally put the agricultural preservation dollars to its best use.”

The council will hold a work session on the legislation — which council Chairwoman Courtney Watson said would be lengthy — on March 22 at 4:30 p.m. at the school board headquarters at 10910 Route 108 in Ellicott City. A vote is expected April 5.

This article has been updated.

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user comments (4)

user treetoptom says...

If Ms. MacLean thinks the brick building at Terra Maria is a sewage treatment plant she is either misinformed or ignorant of the fact that it is a pumping station. That building has nothing whatsoever to do with the treatment of waswtewater.

Posted 9:35 AM, 03.16.10 | Permalink

user independent says...

Thanks for the required information, Tom. Readers need all facts at this point.

Posted 11:04 AM, 03.16.10 | Permalink

user citizentaxpayerjane says...

Do they have the zoning required or do they need the county council to re-zone?

Posted 9:59 AM, 03.17.10 | Permalink

user taciturntalpidae says...

They need a re-zoning from the Zoning Board

Posted 2:07 PM, 03.18.10 | Permalink