Annual Meeting: The Annual Meeting of the Greater Fallston Association will take place on Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 7:00 pm at the Grandview Christian Church, 2022 Fallston Rd, Fallston, MD 2104, 2nd floor meeting room. All are welcome to attend!        

Contact GFA

If you 

v     Are concerned about traffic in Fallston, especially MD 152,  Pleasantville Road or Old Fallston Road,

v     Have a child attending Youth Benefit Elementary School or redistricted to another Harford County Public School,

v     Want to preserve agricultural farmland in Fallston and insure that the Fallston landscape is not slowly converted into just another mass of houses like the residential areas of Baltimore County,

v     Are interested in maintaining the rural character of our village businesses rather than taking on the appearance of businesses on Bel Air Road,

v     Want to insure clean drinking water and the natural resource area around the Winters Run watershed area, 

v     Live near ANY of these areas  LIST OF AREAS TO BE REZONED ,

v     Want to insure that your children enjoy the same environment in Harford County as we do today  WHAT HARFORD COUNTY WILL LOOK LIKE in 2035,

then you need to “Speak now or forever hold your peace”.

For the last 4 months, you may have noticed those “little” white signs dotted around properties in the Fallston area.  Barely readable, you may have noticed the words “Request for Zoning Change”, “Public Hearing”, “AG to RR or B1 to B2”.  To most folks, it all sounds a bit too complicated, and in our busy world, we don’t get involved thinking,  “I am sure someone else will take care of it”.   At the same time as we drive by the sign to a PTA meeting miles away from your home (or imagine-to a library in Jarrettsville or Bel Air), we grumble at the traffic back-up on MD 152, are horrified when we see stakes for new houses on what was a long standing farm in the Fallston landscape, or even worse, wake up to a bulldozer tearing down trees for a new parking lot for what was our backyard view.  Unfortunately, by the time the bulldozers arrive, it is all too late. The fate of the property was sealed by a change in zoning…that all started out with that little white sign.

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Specific Zoning Requests Identified by the GFA that should be addressed

All in all there were 35 requests for zoning changes in District B (our district).

The Greater Fallston Association addressed many of these requests for zoning change during the first round of Public Hearings in April of 2009 before the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Planning Advisory Board.  The GFA readdressed these issues with additional clarification in a letter to the Harford County Council on July 10, 2009.

GFA Position letter of April 20, 2009 to Planning and Zoning regarding Comprehensive Rezoning 

GFA Position letter of July 10, 2009 to the Harford County Council regarding Comprehensive Rezoning

Remember that a zoning applicant does NOT have to indicate the proposed use for the new zoning. For example, even though the original intent to rezone from agricultural to business was to put in an office building, the applicant or a future owner of the property could put in a gas station, tattoo palor or cell tower.  (Permitted uses by District)

B014 and B017

The Greater Fallston Association (GFA) Board has identified 2 commercial zoning requests (B014 and B017) which it feels would not be in interest of the Fallston community and inconsistent with the Master Plan.  Planning and Zoning (P&Z) and the Planning Advisory Board (PAB) has concurred with our position.

B020 (photo)

In addition, the GFA Board has identified 1 zoning request from agricultural to rural residential (B020) that would impact Winters Run, now or in the future by potentially allowing impervious surface (roof, driveway) runoff and potential septic discharge into Winters Run 2 miles from the draw point for drinking water by Maryland American Water Systems.  In addition, this zoning change would permit the future destruction of a portion of a forested Natural Resource area in the Winters Run Watershed area, which contradicts one of the two priorities of the 2004 Master Plan for Fallston.  P&Z and the PAB have recommended approval of this zoning request.

B018 and B019 (photo)

The GFA Board has identified 2 zoning requests from agricultural to rural residential (B018 and B019) that are natural resource areas within the Winters Run watershed containing steep slopes and nontidal wetlands with high erosive capabilities if vegetative and forested areas are disturbed.  B019 is also a sensitive species review area.   In this current round, P&Z and the PAB did not recommend approval of B018 but did recommend approval of B019 despite the fact that B018 and B019 are similar.

B004 (photo), B010, B011 (photo), B016 (photo), (B024, B025, B026, B027, B028, B029 (photo), B030 (photo), B031, B032 (photo)

The GFA Board identified 13 properties requesting a zoning change from agricultural to rural residential (B004, B010, B011, B016, B024, B025, B026, B027, B028, B029, B030, B031, B032) in the Fallston vicinity and adjoining Joppa.  The majority of these requests were properties located within “Rural Residential (RR) Infill Areas” of the Master Plan.  The Board of GFA strongly objects to ongoing use of Fallston as a target for residential infill considering the level of traffic and school overcrowding that currently exists.  The community of Fallston strongly contends that the concept of RR infill in Fallston was never fully agreed upon by the community, the intent of the RR infill was poorly conveyed to the residents of Fallston and the plan was promulgated by strong developer influence in devising the last two cycles of the Master Plan. In agreement with the Maryland Department of Planning, the GFA also objects to the Fallston area as being a receiving area in the TDR program.  This essentially promotes agricultural preservation in the northern part of the county at the expense of converting agricultural land in Fallston to development.  Despite the views of the current County Council, the members of the Fallston community concur with a statement in the Master Plan that “Agriculture remains an important part of the Fallston community.

Although we are concerned about the fate of other areas in the County, the Greater Fallston Association is committed to protecting the interests of our own community.

The GFA supports any changes that don’t disrupt the order or character of the community and follows the guidelines set forth in the Master Plan.  We are mindful of protecting both the rural character and the agriculture and natural resources we enjoy. The comprehensive rezoning process is due to close within the next two weeks. There is no turning back for Fallston.  The decisions made will permanently affect the extent of housing and business development, how much of our rural agricultural character is preserved which of course, directly impacts our schools and roads.

Thank You.

The Board of the Greater Fallston Association

Copyright © 2007 Greater Fallston Association, Inc.
Last modified: July 6, 2009.