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Legislative and Regulatory Issues Impacting Baltimore County
BALTIMORE COUNTY MASTER PLAN
November 4th, 2025
Baltimore County Bill to Circumvent Development Process Fails
On Monday November 3rd, The Baltimore County Council voted on a bill to prevent restaurants from staying open between 11:00pm and 5:00am if they are located within 250 feet of a residential building. The intention of the bill was to stop the construction of a Denny's restaurant, a project that already secured the proper permits needed and went through the formal development process. MBIA testified against the bill prior to the public hearing on October 28th. The bill would have opened the door for future projects, commercial or residential, to be stalled or canceled based on political or community pressures instead of the established zoning standards set during the Comprehensive Zoning Map Process (CZMP). The bill failed on a 3-4 vote along party lines.
April 1st, 2025
MBIA Submits Written Comments Opposing the Farmland Preservation Act
Baltimore County Council Bill 19-25 County Charter – Baltimore County Farmland Preservation Act, was introduced on March 3rd and sponsored by Councilmembers Marks, Kach, Ertel, Patoka and Crandell. This bill requires that any changes to URDL (Urban-Rural Demarcation Line) boundaries must be recommended by the planning board and approved with a majority plus one vote from the County Council, as well as the vote of the Councilperson of that district. With Maryland facing a housing shortage and Baltimore County losing population, we submitted written comments in opposition to Bill 19-25. We argued that making URDL changes more difficult and further limiting development will only make the population decline worse and make housing even less affordable in Baltimore County. A successful growing county needs new housing development options to expand the tax base and keep local businesses operating. The Farmland Preservation Act passed the County Council and will now appear on the ballot in the 2026 elections.
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