By Meg Tully
News-Post Staff
— A Frederick County senator has delayed action on a proposed ban on septic systems, but the bill is likely to move forward next week.
Sen. David Brinkley, a Republican who represents Frederick and Carroll counties, asked the Senate Rules Committee to hold off on moving the bill forward. He did so at the request of the Frederick County Builders Association, which opposes the bill.
It will come up again on Tuesday, and Brinkley predicts it will ultimately move out of the Rules Committee and come up for a hearing.
The bill, which is supported by Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, would change the way development is shaped in the state. In an attempt to encourage development near public sewer lines, it would ban the use of septic systems in developments of five or more units.
continue here: Frederick News Post
We must all do our part to protect our Bay! Governor O’Malley’s progressive thinking will not only help save the Chesapeake Bay, but it will reduce costs to taxpayers by concentrating growth in growth areas instead of on productive farming lands. On with the legislation!
You misunderstand the effects of this bill. It will not concentrate new development and prevent sprawl into surrounding farmland it will create sprawl into the surrounding farmland.
Right now, if you want to put up 100 homes you can get increased density to put them in one area thus preventing building upon the surrounding farmland. If this bill passes in order to build the 100 homes with septic you would have to divide the 100 homes up into small subdivisions of 4 homes or less, which would be spread out over many miles of farmland. This bill is a disaster if you are in favor of preventing urban sprawl.
Delegate Smigiel is absolutely right about low density sprawl and the devastating effect that it would have on Maryland’s farmland. MDP either does understand low density sprawl or the pretends not to understand low density sprawl; both are very concerning!