A number of proposed City Council bills that have the potential to effect major changes in single family communities such as the Bellona-Gittings Community will be voted on by the Baltimore Planning Commission on Thursday, August 28th and in the following upcoming weeks. As the bills have not received adequate coverage in the local news, the BGCA Board would like to bring to your attention these important proposed bills that will soon be voted on by the Planning Commission.
Three of the proposed bills:
City Council Bill #25-0062 concerning single exits from residences,
City Council Bill #25-0064 concerning development space changes and decreasing property setbacks,
and City Council Bill #25-0065 concerning the elimination of off-street parking requirements
are being voted on next Thursday, August 28th. The Commission makes their recommendation to the City Council based on the vote. If favorable, the bill then goes to the City Council for their vote into law. or not.
People who want to send letters in opposition or support of the bills must address each bill as a separate issue and send the letters to the following:
Mayor Brandon Scott mayor@baltimorecity.gov
City Council President Zeke Cohen zeke.cohen@baltimorecity.gov
Councilman Mark Conway mark.conway@baltimorecity.gov
Letters addressed to The Planning Commission should be addressed to the attention of Eric Tiso Eric.tiso@baltimorecity.gov He is the person who is responsible for getting the letters to the Planning Commission members.
Letters need to arrive at least two days in advance of the hearing which in this case is Tuesday, August 26.
A very brief summary of each bill follows
City Council Bill #25-0062/ Building Code—Single Exit From Residential Occupancy
This bill allows certain residential buildings of up to 6 stories to have one exit so long as certain exit construction conditions are met.
City Council Bill #25-0064/Zoning—Bulk and Yard Requirements–Amendments (Citywide)
This bill will reduce the setbacks which require a specific amount of footage between properties, and the required footage of space to the street of corner properties. This bill will allow houses to be built closer to each other as it reduces the space requirement between properties and also allows for a larger percentage of the lot to be built upon.
City Council Bill #25-0065 Zoning—Eliminating Off Street Parking Requirements
The current zoning code requires at least one parking space per dwelling unit. This bill eliminates a required minimum number of off-street parking spaces and instead sets a maximum number of parking spaces allowed.
City Council Bill # 25-0066–Zoning–Housing Options and Opportunity Act
This bill removes the existing prohibition on converting single family dwellings to multi-family dwellings and permits up to 4 dwelling units on a single lot
City Council Bill #25-0023—Zoning Administrator—Transfer to the Department of Planning
This bill transfers the Office of Zoning Administrator from the Department of Housing and Community Development to the Department of Planning which is primarily responsible for writing the City’s zoning code.
Three of the proposed bills #25-0064, #25-0065, and #25-0066 if passed have the potential for making major changes in single family communities. People who would like their thoughts included in the decision making about these proposed changes should contact the Planning Commission with their comments by Tuesday, August 26.
Thank you for your attention to these important proposed City Council Bills.
