Huff Pulls Pot Spring PUD

Thirteen is a lucky number for Pot Spring community members.

Third District Councilman Todd Huff announced Wednesday evening that a planned unit development (known as a PUD) for 29 new houses will not move forward, a decision neighbors met with overwhelming approval.

Instead, the plot of land between Pot Spring and Old Bosely roads will be developed for 13 single-family homes by J. Kirby Development, LLC.

Community leaders have fought against the PUD since its inception six months ago under then-Councilman Brian McIntyre.

“I think the councilman [Huff] made the right decision,” said Paul Apostolo, webmaster for SavePotSpring.org, the website for the community group that fought the PUD.

Huff called the meeting at Warren Elementary School a little under a week ago. The meeting started at 7:10 p.m. By 7:12 p.m. he informed the more than 100 people crowded into the school auditorium that he was pulling the PUD. The room erupted in applause.

“The community didn’t want it,” Huff said. “It doesn’t make sense to try to put something together if the community isn’t going to stand behind it. I listened to the community.”

Original plans for the PUD had included four high-rise towers filled with 64 units.

The bill was brought before Baltimore County Council six months ago for a vote, but it was delayed due to the overwhelming display of opposition by residents.

“Fortunately,” said Greater Timonium Community Council President Eric Rockel, “enough people came out.”

It helped that one of the people in the audience that night was former Congresswoman Helen Bentley, a Pot Spring resident who served as Save Pot Spring’s honorary chairwoman.

“I’d like to think, without ever being told such per se, that when [McIntyre] saw Helen Bentley in the audience with smoke coming out of her ears in opposition, he realized this wasn’t the day to present this and get it voted on by the council,” Rockel said.

Since then, Save Pot Spring organized widespread community efforts to fight the PUD. Developers attempted to accommodate the group’s concerns by twice scaling back the plan. A second set of plans proposed 33 carriage-style homes. A third reduced the project to 29.

Community members balked at each phase of the discussion.

“I’m very pleased with the councilman’s decision,” Rockel said. “I think, given the community feeling on it, it was a no-brainer. I appreciate all of the efforts of SavePotSpring.org influencing the councilman’s decision.”

Moving forward, Apostolo is still concerned about the PUD process, which under the Baltimore County Code guarantees neighbors a voice when a project is being evaluated. Pot Spring nearly saw the project voted on before community feedback was heard.

“How does a project go this far with following none of the published guidelines in the Baltimore County Code?” said Apostolo, criticizing McIntyre’s support for the original PUD. “Is it proper for any councilman to dismiss the published code as merely guidelines—not law but merely guidelines—which was almost done?”

You can read the full statement from Save Pot Spring here.