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4030
VETOES
1183 is contrary to the policies of the State and the good of the
County and we earnestly ask you to exercise your veto authority.
Sincerely,
William B. Amonett Parris N. Glendening
Chairman County Executive
April 8, 1986
The Honorable Harry R. Hughes
Governor
State House
Annapolis, Maryland 21404
Dear Governor:
We respectively request that you veto House Bill 1183,
enacted in the 1986 session of the General Assembly. This bill,
if signed into law, would have the effect of virtually
eliminating cluster development of residential property in Prince
George's County.
The Department of State Planning testified in opposition to
this bill before the House Committee on Environmental Matters,
and the Senate Committee on Economic and Environmental Affairs.
The Department argued that this issue has implications that reach
far beyond the boundaries of Prince George's County, and should
not be considered a local bill.
Cluster development is encouraged by both the Chesapeake Bay
Critical Areas plan and the Patuxent River Watershed Plan as a
way to significantly protect the environment by avoiding
excessive clearing of trees, grading of land, construction of
streets and sidewalks, and preservation of ecologically sensitive
areas. This bill is contrary to State policies designed to
protect and improve the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries,
especially the Patuxent River.
House Bill 1183 would require a developer who wishes to
develop single family housing in a cluster development to go
through the entire zoning process again. Considering the cost of
such a procedure, which takes several months if all goes well,
during which time the developer has carrying costs on the
property as well as legal expenses for rezoning, the economies of
cluster development would not justify following that course. We
would expect that most if not all developers will simply develop
in the traditional manner rather than bear the cost in time and
money of seeking rezoning to a cluster zone.
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