Resolution No. 62-2008 Introduced by Courtney Watson: "A Resolution requesting the Department of Planning and Zoning to include the New Town zoning district as a density receiving parcel for the Neighborhood Preservation Density Exchange Option during the future revision to the New Town zoning regulations."

The Neighborhood Preservation Density Exchange Option provides for transfer of development rights from communities adversely affected by infill development. These communities are older, established communities, notably Ellicott City and Elkridge. Columbia, the New Town-zoned land, is also an older, established community. Columbia needs the same protection from unintended development.

This resolution targets Columbia and simply moves the problem from one community to another.

The Department of Planning and Zoning has been conducting public meetings in each of the 10 villages in Columbia concerning potential changes in New Town zoning regulations. Density changes and additional housing allocations were very sensitive issues in the Oakland Mills meeting.

This resolution sidesteps the village meeting process and forces "a density receiving parcel" designation on all of New Town-zoned land. This is 100 percent wrong and against Jim Rouse's vision and reality of Columbia as a planned community. Key to Rouse's plan was a density limit on residential units.

Bill McCormack Jr.

Oakland Mills

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