Development & Zoning
Chaired By: Damon Cogar
The Development and Zoning Committee will function as liaison between our community and local and state jurisdictions to keep abreast of development in the Crownsville vicinity that may or may not affect Arden on the Severn directly.
REGION 6 PLANNING
Region 6 (Community-Driven Land Use Plan) and Stakeholder group established to provide further direction for environmental conservation, land use, transportation, and public amenities. Jasmine Wilding is our sponsored representative on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) which meets monthly with County staff to advise on what is to be included in the Region Plan and what changes should be recommended to the zoning map. Sign up to receive updates on the planning process. Email Jasmine if you have any questions or would like to provide input.
Region 6 is comprised of the Crownsville community and part of Millersville. It is bound by MD 3 and I-97 to the north, the Severn River to the east, the Annapolis area to the south, and the Crofton/Gambrills area to the west. The region is mostly residential with a few pockets of small commercial properties along MD 178. In addition to the residential and commercial areas, the region features the Bacon Ridge Natural Area and the Crownsville State Hospital site. Click here to explore a map of the entire County, divided by Region.
TOP COMMUNITY RESPONSES
MD ROUTE 3 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT
Public Open House
DETAILS
WHEN: February 18th (5-7pm)
LOCATION: Village Commons Community Center @ Waugh Chapel
1326 Main Chapel Way, Gambrills, Maryland 21054
Attend for the opportunity to review design details
SUNRISE BEACH ROAD DEVELOPMENT
1121 Sunrise Beach Road
On the radar: What is being planned here? We're not exactly sure, but we're investigating.
What is known is that this property is zoned Residential Low Density (RDL) as the majority of Sunrise Beach Road.
In Anne Arundel County, Maryland, RLD stands for Residential Low Density, and is a zoning classification for low-density rural single-family homes:
Purpose: To preserve agricultural land and allow for low-density development
Minimum lot size: 40,000 square feet
Maximum lot coverage: 25%
Maximum height: 45 feet
Other regulations: Minimum width at front building restriction line of 150 feet, and minimum setbacks for principal structure
Review SETBACKS HERE
Stay tuned for more information.
ARDEN SPEED HUMPS & TRAFFIC STUDY RESULTS
The ACA requested a traffic study for the possible addition of speed humps on Omar Drive, Whitneys Landing Drive, and Evergreen Road.
The RESULTS of the traffic study reveal that we do not qualify for additional speed humps at this time.
The ACA continues to look into the possibility of future speed humps, crosswalks where appropriate, as well as potential sidewalk placement for safe passage of walkers.
Want to be part of soliciting the County for these safety measures, CONTACT US.
ARDEN PARK IMPROVEMENTS
5/20/2023 Arden/Annapolis Lacrosse Tournament
Arden Park Scheduling
Organized sport tournaments are being scheduled at Arden Park with inadequate parking with only 80 marked parking spots. On May 20, 2023, this became painfully obvious to a majority of Ardenites living in Sections 1 - 4. If you are concerned with property damage, safety, and emergency response times as a result of this type of scheduling, please reach out to our County Officials and express your concern: County Executive. Pittman [EMAIL]; Constituent Services Director Vincent Moulden [EMAIL]; DRP Director Jessica Leys [EMAIL], and DRP Deputy Director Erica Jackson Matthews [EMAIL].
SOUTH SHORE PARK PROJECT
This project is the planning, design, and construction of new recreation amenities on a County-owned 22 acre site at the intersection of Generals Highway (MD 178) and Old Generals Highway, Recreations and Parks envisions the new park to include two (2) multipurpose sports fields - one outside, natural turf field and one synthetic turf field inside of a fieldhouse building, basketball court, and South Shore Trail rest stop, along with all required parking, site roadways, utilities, stormwater management, landscaping and signage.
MILLERSVILLE PARK PROJECT
Millersville Park is the 35-acre site of a former farm and two homes across from Millersville Elementary School. The site offers about 17 acres for park development if existing forest and trees are preserved and 100 ft forested buffers are established along Interstate 97 and adjacent home properties.
CROWNSVILLE HOSPITAL MEMORIAL PARK PROJECT
July 6, 2022, the State Board of Public Works unanimously voted to transfer the Crownsville Hospital property to the County. Anne Arundel County’s vision is to transform the property into the Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park to serve County residents and honor the history and legacy of the Center and those institutionalized during its operation. Future plans for Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park include preserving the undeveloped portion of the property and establishing passive and low-impact uses such as trails. Possible uses for the developed area include health and wellness programming. The property will be utilized to further enhance the non-profit presence and community support services that are already on site. Over the long term, the County looks forward to the restoration of the historic core of the hospital grounds, to include a museum dedicated to interpreting the history of Crownsville Hospital and a memorial to honor the former patients interred on the property. This marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new Chapter with the rebirth of the Crownsville property, not as a Hospital, but as Crownsville Memorial Park, a Center for Hope & Healing. We will follow the progress and report here. Stay tuned!
Crownsville Hospital Center
See the abandoned facility via drone on Youtube [HERE].
AACo Preserves 158 Acres of Forested Land on Crownsville Hospital Property [READ MORE].
CROWNSVILLE FIRE STATION NO. 6
Out with the old...........in with the new!
[CLICK HERE] to view the Community Presentation from the Fire Department.
Crownsville Fire Station
The ground-breaking ceremony for the Crownsville Fire Station was held on Mar 1st and permits were issued for project start anticipated for the week of Mar 6th 2023.
View Construction Start-Up Video of Job Site
Annapolis-Crownsville Fire Training Academy & 911 Center Proposed
On the Radar
Apr 26th we received a call from the AACo County Executive's Community Engagement Office providing a heads-up about the County's purchase of 95.63 acres of property off of Generals Highway behind the Rams Head Roadhouse in Nov 2022. They are proposing a new Fire Training Academy and 911 Center.
Crownsville Dunkin Donuts Proposed
View more information on the AACo Planning & Zoning website [HERE] where you can also watch meeting playbacks.
Rethinking Plans for Valentine Creek Park Public Waterway Access
OFF THE TABLE? MAYBE NOT FOR LONG
New life may be breathed into this project soon but hopefully on a much smaller scale. The ACA is part of the stakeholder group for this park development. A new proposal may include a fishing pier and soft launch for canoes, kayaks and the like. As of an email from County Executive Pittman on Sep 19, 2024, a master plan in design for improvements at Valentine Creek and a feasibility study to identify county-owned waterfront locations where additional improvements can be made to facilitate public access.
HISTORY: AACo held a virtual kick-off meeting of stakeholders held on May 10, 2022, presenting 3 conceptual plans. The County Executive and Director of Constituent Services toured the property with stakeholders on July 26th as a result of feedback received through the surrounding communities. Joe Clark (ABI Chairman) was able to personally express Arden's concerns and the views of the majority of our survey participants with the County Executive.
The County Executive held a town hall at Baldwin Hall on July 27th to discuss this project as well as others in the area. In summary, the County Executive stated that the concepts presented by Recreation & Parks in May are now scrapped, further stating that the ecological damage of this project far exceeds the benefit that would be offered to the public. The Crownsville Conservatory will stay involved, as will your Arden representatives, to protect the "Big Woods" from any irresponsible use in the future.
Read "PropTalk" [HERE]
AACo Boat Launch Feasibility Study (Jan 2017)
Check out the Trail Map [HERE]
READ ALL ABOUT IT in an article published in the Capital Gazette on August 13th.
Follow Updates through the County's REGION 6 PLANNING HUB
GENERALS HIGHWAY COUNCIL OF CIVIC ASSOCIATIONS (GHCCA)
The Council exists to preserve and protect the Generals Highway Corridor’s rural and residential way of life, the health, safety and wellbeing of its citizens, its historic sites and significance, and the sustainability of its natural environment. ACA assigns a representative to serve as a member in this organization to report important information to the community.
For more information, visit: GHCCA or join them on FaceBook.
Contact our ACA representative, Jasmine Wilding for more information.
PROJECTS TO CONSIDER AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Petition County for sidewalk from Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 to Section 5, or the construction of a hiker-biker trail to provide a pathway between Sections 2 and 5.
Connect Sections 2 and 5 via hiker/biker trail for safe and easy passage between Section 5 and Sections 1-4 to bring our community closer together. Working with MDE for right of way access. Potential Eagle Scout project.
Additional speed humps on Whitneys Landing (between Miller Circle and Pullen Drive), Omar Drive (just before Town Hall), and Evergreen Road (just after the sharp bend near the Chesapeake Radio Flying Field).
NEW PARTICIPANTS WELCOME
The Development and Zoning Committee is made up of a mix of people who share an interest in the development occurring in and around Arden on the Severn. If you are interested in this topic and in making new friends and forming community bonds, please CONTACT US or feel free to join in a monthly ACA meeting.
