HARFORD COUNTY — Development concerns are plaguing two communities in Harford County.
Residents are saying the development is progressing too fast and unchecked, and they are hoping the council will change that.
Another round of protests were held in front of the Harford County Council chambers ahead of the public hearing.
"There is no benefit to the county from these massive development projects that they are trying to be taking place," Glenn Gillis said.
Two bills were up for discussion at Monday night's meeting; one creates amendments to zoning codes for potential warehouses in Perryman Peninsula.
The other will repeal previous legislation and stop three types of apartment buildings—garden style, mid-rise, and high-rise—from going into mixed-use areas.
Many people are in favor of both bills, hoping to slow down development in the county.
"They just need to slow down. They are trying to develop it too fast, and even for those of us who might want to retire and maybe downsize, there is no sense in us downsizing. It's too expensive," Ginger Inskeep said.
Over three hours of public comments took place, with people explaining why they are in favor of the bills but that they would like to see some amendments to the warehouse bill before the council officially votes.
The council had many questions about that bill to ensure they created the right amendments.
"So we've been working hard to try to close all the gaps, the loopholes the ambiguities that the county has used in the past to allow this to happen," Gillis said.
Meanwhile, Fallston residents are hoping to pass the bill preventing apartments as is.
It would stop two four-story apartment buildings from going up.
"It's a safety issue; it's an environmental issue; the schools are overcrowded, I mean, I just don't see how they could do that. All over the county, big apartments are going up, and they need to slow the growth a little bit," Kate PrzyBylski said.
The council is expected to vote on the bills by October 10.
