The following is an update from Delegates Kathy Szeliga and Ryan Nawrocki.

Baltimore County stands at a crossroads. For nearly six decades, the Urban-Rural Demarcation Line (URDL) has been a cornerstone of smart land management, preserving our rural landscapes, safeguarding our water supply, and ensuring that development happens where infrastructure can support it. The URDL is the boundary between urbanized communities and Baltimore County’s farmland and more rural areas. Many communities that we represent are in part or in whole outside of the URDL such as areas like Kingsville, Baldwin, Glen Arm, Long Green, Bowleys Quarters, and parts of Middle River.

In other words, land inside the URDL has access to public water and sewer which allows much greater housing and commercial development. Land outside the URDL allows much less development because of the access to wells and land that percs for septic.

Today, that legacy is under threat— not from deliberate malice, but from shortsighted calls to “tweak” or erase a boundary that has served us well since 1967. That’s why we, as your state delegates, stand firmly behind Councilman David Marks’ Baltimore County Farmland Preservation Act.

This legislation doesn’t just tinker around the edges. It strengthens the URDL by requiring a supermajority of six votes on the expanded nine-member council, planning board approval, and the support of the council member where any proposed change would occur. It’s a common-sense measure that ensures any change to our rural preservation strategy is deliberate, transparent, and reflective of the will of the people—not a hasty reaction to political pressure.

Let’s be clear: the URDL isn’t some arbitrary scribble on a map, as some have suggested. It was crafted with painstaking care by planners who understood the value of Baltimore County’s farmland, forests, and watersheds. Drive north on I-83, and you’ll see the proof—miles of green, unbroken by the sprawl that chokes so many other suburban counties. The Gunpowder River, feeding the Loch Raven Reservoir, supplies clean water to millions. Areas like Baldwin, Long Green, and Glen Arm remain pristine, home to horses and wildlife, not high-rises. This isn’t an accident; it’s the result of a bold vision that balanced growth with conservation.

We hear the concerns about housing. We support efforts to ensure every family has a safe, affordable place to call home. But pushing development into rural areas isn’t the answer. Outside the URDL, homes rely on wells and septic systems—hardly the infrastructure to support dense housing projects. Forcing growth there risks polluting the very water supply we depend on, not to mention clogging rural roads and straining schools in areas never designed for it. The solution lies in smarter planning within the urban core, where public water, sewer, and other infrastructure already exist—not in dismantling a system that’s worked for generations.

As conservationists, we believe in preserving what’s good about our communities. The URDL protects our open spaces and residents who chose Baltimore County for its quiet, pastoral land. It supports farmers who feed our region and anglers who flock to the Gunpowder River and other bodies of water for world-class fishing. It’s a shield against the kind of unchecked development that erases history and burdens taxpayers with costly infrastructure fixes. Once these lands are paved over, they’re gone forever—a lesson too many places have learned the hard way.

Councilman Marks’ bill doesn’t lock the URDL in stone; it simply raises the bar for changing it. Requiring a supermajority and local input ensures that any adjustment reflects broad consensus, not backroom deals. And by putting the final say before voters in 2026, it empowers you, the residents of Baltimore County, to decide what kind of future we build.

We’re proud to join preservationists, community leaders, and citizens in supporting this act. The URDL isn’t a relic of the past—it’s a promise to our children that they’ll inherit a county with clean water, thriving farms, and a quality of life worth defending. Let’s keep that promise intact.

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