The following is a legislative update from Councilman David Marks.
On April 7, the Baltimore County Council approved placing the Farmland Preservation Act on the ballot in the 2026 general election. I was the main sponsor of this legislation, with Councilmen Todd Crandell, Mike Ertel, Wade Kach, and Izzy Patoka cosponsoring and supporting the bill.
Should the voters approve this change to our county charter, it will take a supermajority of the Council to modify our Urban-Rural Demarcation Line, the boundary that more or less separates areas served by public water. Since 1967, the URDL has prevented sprawl from consuming the farms in northern Baltimore County, as well as Eastside areas such as the waterfront near Ebenezer Road. Protecting the URDL will also, in my opinion, lessen the likelihood that our three northern reservoirs are polluted.
The legislation formalizes a process that involves the Planning Board and County Council. It is my hope that changes to the URDL are rare and occur only after extensive deliberation.
The Farmland Preservation Act is good for farmers and the rural north, but also communities in the more urbanized parts of Baltimore County. Neighborhoods such as Perry Hall, Nottingham, and Middle River compete for scarce resources with many other places in Baltimore County. It is important that we have the funding for public safety, infrastructure improvements, schools, and parks in place here before subsidizing sprawl elsewhere.
I would like to thank the many community and environmental organizations that supported this bill, including the Essex Middle River Civic Council, the Greater Kingsville Civic Association, the Gunpowder Riverkeeper, the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, the Preservation Alliance of Baltimore County, the Greater Baltimore Group of the Sierra Club, the Sparks-Glencoe Community Planning Council, and the Valleys Planning Council.
Moving forward, we will have a robust debate leading up to the 2026 election. The voters deserve the opportunity to make an informed decision about this charter changer, and which candidates support responsible growth over sprawl and overdevelopment.
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