Comments on Past Activities
Programs
We of the GTCC Council have been very fortunate to have had ten (10) program evenings featuring representatives from various departments and boards of Baltimore County to address us on their responsibilities and functions in government.
What better way to learn and understand each of these functions as they affect our daily lives and standards of living than to have the words, thoughts, experiences, and ideas from those responsible, the leaders of each discipline?
Simply to repeat those granting of their time and effort to that end were:
January, Wayne McGinnis, 3rd District member of Planning Board
February, Della Leister, RN, Department of Health, Elder Care
March, Pat Keller, Director Baltimore Planning Department
April, Pete Zimmerman, People's Counsel, Baltimore County
May, Bill Wiseman, Zoning Commissioner
June, Mary Harvey, Director Community Conservation
September, Lt. James Artis, Dept. of Home Land Security
October, Ed Adams, Director Public Works
November, Dave Carroll, Director DEPRM (Dept. Environmental Protection & Resource Mgmt.)
December, R. J. Fisher, Sheriff Baltimore County
Coupled periodically with the above speakers, we had our 42nd and 11th State District Delegates and Senators, along with our 3rd Councilman District, Councilman T. Bryan McIntire, kept us up on legislative activities.
We also had an update on the refurbished Hunt Valley Towne Center prior to their opening.
We have been kept informed of the Crime and Safety issues in our area by Captain Lurz of Precinct 7, both as a frequent speaker and with instant email communications.
To those accepting our invitations to address the various concerns we have, a hardy thanks for their efforts and successes in conveying their messages.
Zoning and Land Use
Community Associations and Umbrella Councils, of which GTCC is, have no legal rights to oppose or accept conditions that may affect their standards of living. They do have public opinion, and that opinion backed up by the facts of an issue, provides the citizens leverage to enter the decision making processes. Individual Community Associations and GTCC Inc. have participated in many issues in 2005. Some are carry-over from prior years, others new, and still more unfinished. Reference to www.gtccinc.com, Issues page and Archives, briefly describes actions on each of the many issues.
To site just a few where perseverance, intellect, and patience provided judgments in the favor of the citizens objections or approvals:
Au Potin Stil case started in 1999. In 2001 GTCC got involved when expansion caused zoning regulations to be abused. Abused regulations were granted by the Zoning Commissioner. GTCC appealed that decision to the Baltimore County Board of Appeals. After many postponements, and hearings, the Appeals Board reversed the Commissioners order by a 2-1 vote July 2, 2004. The Petitioner filed for judicial review with the Circuit Court. Again, after postponements, the case was heard May 18, 2005. A memorandum opinion was rendered July 13, 2005 affirming the decision of the Appeals Board. The "Stil" must now comply with the Zoning Regulations. Discussions are underway with Code Enforcement of Baltimore County, GTCC, and Petitioner.
A very large Child Care Center proposal for 206 W. Timonium Rd. was filed in early 2003 by the land owner of the approximate 2.36 acres. GTCC was asked by Pine Valley/Valley Wood Community Association to participate in planning sessions.
What a valuable learning experience for the Pine Valley/ValleyWood community that resulted in the defeat of this proposal!
GTCC had experience and knowledge of Child Care services in Baltimore County and other Counties and offered to assist. GTCC finally entered the case as a separate entity. GTCC proposed during the Comprehensive Zoning Cycle in 2004, the land be rezoned from DR1 to DR 5.5 to entice the owner to build houses rather than child care. Petitioner lost the Zoning Case, appealed to the Board of Appeals, postponed the case and finally withdrew the appeal.
A covenant was then negotiated between the Owner, PVVW, and GTCC, presented to the Councilman two hours before the change of zoning would be made official August 31, 2004.
The Owner now has plans to build 8-10 semidetached houses. A win for all!
The above are just two of the cases that took time and energy to prevail. Again, we invite you to surf the web page for many more cases of GTCC's efforts to carry out its Purpose.
Finally, email and phone calls from concerned residents are plentiful. Each has a need for knowledge about issues in their neighborhood, what to do, who to call, what do we think, and a variety of comments related to their concerns.
That is what GTCC is all about.
Service to our residents, as said before, enjoyable service.
Louis W. Miller, Past President