washingtonpost.com
Selling the Patuxent Down The River
Sunday, June 9, 2002; Page B08
The Patuxent River is one of Prince George's County's most valuable assets because of its beauty, its diverse plant and animal life and its contribution to cleaning the Chesapeake Bay. The Patuxent is often called "Maryland's river," because it is the only river in Maryland whose source and mouth lie entirely within state borders.Prince George's County has an outstanding record of leadership in protecting the Patuxent, having gone well beyond the minimal requirements of the state's 1984 Critical Areas Law, which offers some protection from nearby development for tidal rivers and the bay. Prince George's has made wise use of its "rural legacy" funds, provided by Maryland, to purchase land along the river -- more than 9,000 acres are now public preserves. The "rural tier" concept in the county's new general plan, which aims to preserve the remaining open spaces in the southern and eastern parts of the county, also shows a commitment to balancing ecological preservation and economic development.
In light of this record, new legislation that would strengthen economic development opportunities in the rural tier represents a retreat to the minimal preservation requirements of the state and lowers Prince George's ecological protections to the level of neighboring counties.
The legislation, which goes before the county council for a vote on Tuesday, contains minor changes to consolidate regulations and to update text about storm-water regulations, disabled people's access and buffer exemptions. But it also contains provisions that will open the door to residential development in critical areas near the Patuxent.
The source for the legislation is County Executive Wayne Curry, who has long supported residential building along undeveloped stretches of county shoreline. In a December workshop he directed county employees to develop design schemes for waterfront building along the Patuxent. He also has created a special unit within the county's Department of Environmental Resources to draft revision of land-use regulations in order to accomplish his development goals.
The council, in its turn, has devoted insufficient attention to the provisions of this legislation, which could have far-reaching, long-term negative effects on the county. It conducted a reading of the legislation and a preliminary vote all in a single session on April 30. It did not even take the time to consider detailed feedback from the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, which expressed concern about insufficient study of these proposed regulations.
However, a citizens' group concerned about the environment has studied the proposed legislation and has been frightened by what it has found. The legislation opens the door to development -- euphemistically termed "growth allocation" -- in conservation zones along the Potomac, the Anacostia and the Patuxent rivers. If passed, the legislation will allow sprawling riverside housing developments to be carved out of what is now continuous forest and farmland. "Conservation" agreements -- commitments that once held developers to conservation plans they submitted to the county -- will be eliminated. An alarming number of exemptions to subdivision review processes also are allowed. Even surface mining and wet processing of gravel would be permitted within 300 feet of the river.
In addition, the most disturbing discovery is that this lame-duck council in its final days is applying a rubber stamp to pro-development legislation and building applications. This means an abandonment of the principles of ecological stewardship forged in this county during the past 15 years. The council seems unwilling to stem the tide of development that is sweeping through the county until now it is reaching the banks of the Patuxent.
Before conducting a hasty and ill-considered vote on Tuesday, this council should weigh the real cost of development and the risk that the county's irreplaceable assets will be forever squandered.
-- Charles Reilly
is vice president
of the Patuxent River Civic
Association and a member
of the Sierra Club of
Prince George's County.© 2002 The Washington Post Company