Chairman Watson and members of the County Council:

The League of Women Voters of Howard County supports the creation of a Design Advisory Panel. We support Council Bill 24 Establishing a Design Advisory Panel with amendments. The League appreciates the work of the County Administration to develop the legislation and to involve representatives from the development, legal and community at large in discussions leading to the legislation. The League of Women Voters presented testimony on August 9, 2007 to the Planning Board on the proposed Design Advisory legislation .A copy of that testimony is attached.

The Design Advisory Panel is composed of 5 professionals with specific professional credentials in architecture, civil engineering, urban planning and landscape architecture. The Panel will review and provide design advice for new development and redevelopment projects on property that is subject to a design manual or master plan that sets forth geographically specific design standards and on age restricted adult housing constructed pursuant to a conditional use. (Sections 16.1500 and 16.1501B))

The League is aware of only one area of the County having a design manual and that is the Route 1 corridor. We regret that the Route 40 corridor has no design manual. The December 2004 Route 40 Enhancement Study sets forth proposed streetscape and site design standards that could be incorporated into a Route 40 Manual. The League is not aware of any current time frame to complete the Route 40 Design manual. The 2004 Enhancement Study set a short-term 0-2 year time frame to complete the Route 40 Manual (page 40). To have no Route 40 Manual is regrettable and not acceptable to the 22 member citizen Route 40 Task Force. In the interim of the past 3 plus years changes have taken place in the Route 40 corridor including new retail development, a major car dealership, expansion of another car dealerships all with out design standards and attention to the streetscape. A recent zoning regulation amendment that affected one of the new zoning districts established along Route 40 was passed. The League did not officially sit on the Route 40 Task Force but two of our members served representing residential associations including this co-president. We urge the County Executive to direct the Department of Planning and Zoning staff to complete the Design Manual for Route 40 for introduction and adoption by the County Council by late fall 2008, 4 years after the Task Forces Report.

Section 16.1500B. (2) The League supports the purposes of the Design Advisory Panel including encouraging excellence in architecture and site design, improved design compatibility with surrounding development and promotion of revitalization. The League asks the County Council to delete the purpose " to enhance property values". Property values might be enhanced but market conditions will dictate those values. The building subject to Design Advisory Panel Review might have enhanced property values but that might or might not affect the property values of adjacent properties.

Section 16.1501B. The League supports the provision to subject conditional use age-restricted adult housing to Design Advisory Panel review. The League suggests an amendment to this provision to require Design Advisory Panel review for age-restricted adult housing in the Residential: Senior -Institutional District (R-SI), the Planned Office Research District (POR) and the Planned Senior Community District (PSC).

Section 16.1503(D). The league urges the Council to amend the provision to specifically add transportation connections in the visual and functional integration provision.

Section 16.1504A. The League supports the Administration's changes to this provision so that Design Advisory Panel Review is limited to new development and redevelopment.

Section.1506. Rules of Procedure for the Design Advisory Panel. The provision requires public notice of meetings and procedures for the public to submit written comments to the Design Advisory Panel. The League requests an amendment to require that public written comments be acknowledged and copies of the Design Advisory Panel's advisory recommendations be sent to any person who submitted written comments.

The League thanks the County Council for their consideration of our amendments and urges adoption with amendments of County Council Bill 24-2008.

Grace Kubofcik
Co-president

Attachment

cc: County Executive