Chad Shrodes Will Protect This Village.

Dear Members of the "Protect This Village" Movement, Your letters and emails are working! Let Councilman Shrodes know you support his stance, and lets thank him for his firm approach on this issue. Most importantly, lets tell the rest of the Council to "get on board" and offer the same level of support in writing and in action! Below is a letter from Councilman Shrodes to the Forest Hill residents (see Facebook link to a PDF copy of the letter or read below): "Dear Friends and Residents of the Forest Hill Community: On June 27th I had the opportunity to meet with members of the “Protect This Village” Community Group. I would like to thank them and all of the residents that have reached out to me, for their concern and advocacy for our community. Protecting the rural character of our beautiful County has been a lifelong endeavor for me, first as a Land-Use Planner specializing in Forest Conservation, Historic and Land Preservation, and Development Review, and now as a Harford County Councilman. So it is without reservation that I stand with you and fight the commercialization of Forest Hill. I will not support the requested B3 Zoning (General Business) on the properties located at the Intersection of Route 24 (Rock Spring Road) and Route 23 (East-West Highway). This is not the first time I have fought unsuitable development in this community. During the County’s 2012 Master Land Use Plan, I was able to “hold the line” in Forest Hill on the County’s growth boundary, known as the “Development Envelope”. And during the 2016 Master Plan, I sponsored Amendment 34 to Bill 16-016, successfully downgrading the proposed “High Intensity” designation for Parcel 429, Lot 2, consisting of 12.18 acres and a portion of Lot 3 consisting of 1.10 acres on Tax Map 33 to “Medium Intensity”. Since the adoption of the County’s 2016 Master Plan, I have tirelessly attempted to meet with the developers to discuss concessions to exclude apartments, drive-thru establishments, car dealerships, gas stations and box stores. Further, I requested esthetic and architectural standards that would complement the character of the historic Village of Forest Hill. To date, the property owner, 2226 Rock Spring Road, LLC of Lot 2, (Comprehensive Rezoning Issue #D-007) has not committed to these terms with any entity. To that end, I will only consider “R1” Residential Zoning. This will remove the threat of further commercialization and the potential for residential apartment complexes on this site. Additionally, I have met with the principle partner of Lot 3 (Comprehensive Rezoning Issue #D-002) seeking 21.88 acres to be zoned R2 who has graciously agreed to utilize Traditional Neighborhood Design (TND) standards that will complement the historic village of Forest Hill. They also understand my position that an R1 Zoning Classification would be more appropriate for the site, and will provide a more fitting transition from higher intensity development to our rural communities. I will need your help to ensure that our message to preserve the tranquility and character of Forest Hill Village is heard. I urge you to attend one of the two upcoming Comprehensive Zoning Public Hearings at 6:30pm on Monday, October 2nd at Aberdeen High School and October 5th at Bel Air High School to express your support for a zoning classification that does not exceed R1 on properties that include Comprehensive Rezoning issues: D-001, D-002 and D-007. Thank you again for your advocacy for Forest Hill and Harford County. I look forward to working with you to protect this community. Please do not hesitate to contact me at CShrodes@HarfordCountyMD.gov or at the Council Office at 410-638-3343 if you have any questions or would like additional information. Sincerely yours, Councilman Chad Shrodes Harford County Council"