Development Monitoring System Report Howard County, Maryland
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Development Monitoring System Report Howard County, Maryland Prepared by Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning May 2014 A Message from the Planning Director: I am pleased to present this year’s Development Monitoring System report (DMS). The DMS report has been issued each year since the County Council adopted the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) in 1992. As with last year’s report we have included some additional information required per the recent amendments to State law, known collectively as the Smart, Green and Growing legislation. Most of the reporting requirements in the Smart, Green and Growing legislation had already been included in our DMS reports. However, there are some additional smart growth measures and indicators now included such as descriptions of zoning map and text amendments, subdivision regulation amendments, new General Plan elements and amend- ments, residential density and new infrastructure. The section of this report beginning on Page 7 includes this additional information. This DMS report summarizes all development activity in the County from initial subdivision sketch plan to final use & occupancy permit. Both residen- tial and nonresidential development are evaluated with comparisons to previous years’ development activity going back five years. In 2013 there were 1,545 housing units built in the County. Of these, 40% were single family detached homes, 38% were townhouses and 22% were condo or rental apart- ments. This is a 27% increase from the 2012 total of 1,220 new homes completed, an indication of the recovering housing market. Evidence of recovery is even more pronounced when considering building starts, which were up 39% this reporting period compared to the last, 2,317 permits issued in 2013 compared to 1,662 issued in 2012. This is the most since 1999 when there were 2,367 issued permits, a clear sign of a strengthening housing market. Of the issued permits in 2013, 29% were single family detached, 26% were townhouses, and 44% were rental or condo apartment units. This trend of larger numbers of rental and condo apartments constructed compared to single family units will continue with the on-going redevelopment of the Route 1 and Route 40 corridors and Downtown Columbia. As of December 2013, there were an additional 2,066 residential units in the site development plan process. Once these site plans are approved building permits for these units can then be issued. Building permits were issued for 1.32 million square feet of non-residential space in 2013. This is a 24% increase over the 1.07 square feet issued in 2012. The amount of square feet in approved site development plans also increased significantly last year, from 794,000 square feet in 2012 to 1.09 million square feet in 2013, a 37% increase. However, at the end of 2013 there were only 620,000 square feet of commercial space in the site development plan process awaiting final approval, representing a slowdown in the commercial sector compared to these more recent increases. Despite this slowdown, however, more commercial activity is on the horizon as the redevelopment of Downtown Columbia progresses. This report also includes information on the development activity of moderate income and age-restricted housing units as well as land preservation. The County’s most recent general plan, PlanHoward 2030, has clear policies and implementation strategies for providing housing for diverse income levels and an aging population, as well as to preserve land for agricultural uses and to support environmental sustainability. The details provided in this report quantify progress on these initiatives. Sincerely, Marsha S. McLaughlin, Department of Planning and Zoning Development Monitoring System Report Date Issued: County Executive: May 2014 Ken Ulman Reporting Period: County Council: January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013 Calvin Ball, Chair With countywide summaries from 2008 Courtney Watson, Vice Chair Greg Fox Mary Kay Sigaty Produced by: Jennifer Terrasa Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning Division of Research Planning Board: Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning: Josh Tzuker, Chair Marsha McLaughlin Director Bill Santos, Vice Chair Kimberley A. Flowers, Deputy Director, Ombudsman & Public Affairs Jacqueline Easley Steve Lafferty, Special Projects Phil Engelke Jeff Bronow, Chief, Division of Research Beth Burgess, Chief, Division of Resource Conservation Chad Edmondson, Chief, Division of Development Engineering Cindy Hamilton, Chief, Division of Public Service & Zoning Administration William Mackey, Chief, Division of Comprehensive and Community Planning Kent Sheubrooks, Chief, Division of Land Development Division of Research - Contributing Staff: For More Information: Terry Bromery, David Dell, Carrie Grosch, Douglas Kampe, Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning Lisa Kenney, Sharon Melis Research Division 3430 Court House Drive Ellicott City, Maryland 21043 E-mail: [email protected] Table of Contents Table of Contents Executive Summary ...............................................................................................................1 Adequate Public Facilities Act ............................................................................................................................................................................................1 Total Housing Activity ..............................................................................................................................................................................................2 Age-Restricted Units .................................................................................................................................................................................................2 Residential Development .....................................................................................................................................................................................................3 Total Housing Activity ..............................................................................................................................................................................................3 Age-Restricted Units .................................................................................................................................................................................................4 Moderate Income Housing Units ..............................................................................................................................................................................4 Rural Land Preservation ...........................................................................................................................................................................................4 Housing Sales ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................4 Non-Residential Development .............................................................................................................................................................................................5 Smart Growth Information ..................................................................................................7 Smart, Green and Growing Legislation .............................................................................................................................................................................7 Regulatory Activity ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................8 General Plan Amendments and New Elements (and related in support of the General Plan) ..................................................................................8 Zoning Regulation Amendments ..............................................................................................................................................................................9 Zoning Map Amendments ......................................................................................................................................................................................10 Subdivision & Land Development Regulation Amendments (and related) ...........................................................................................................10 Major Infrastructure .........................................................................................................................................................................................................12 New Roads and Substantial Changes in Roads ......................................................................................................................................................12 Other Transportation Facilities ...............................................................................................................................................................................12 New Schools, School Renovations and Additions to Schools ................................................................................................................................12 Other Community Facilities and Infrastructure ......................................................................................................................................................13