Howard County Planning Board Meeting - July 9, 2026: New Town Task Force Report

The Howard County Planning Board met on July 9, 2026, at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City, MD, both in-person and virtually. The primary agenda item was the presentation of the final report and recommendations from the New Town Task Force, a 21-member body appointed by the County Executive to evaluate and propose updates to the New Town zoning regulations (Section 125 of the Howard County Zoning Code). The meeting lasted approximately one hour, with a quorum present (Chair Seethe, Mr. Tilburg, Ms. Moore). The board unanimously approved the agenda and the minutes from the June 18, 2026 meeting.

Consent Calendar

• The meeting agenda was approved unanimously.
• The minutes from the June 18, 2026 Planning Board meeting were approved by motion, with the recording adopted as the official minutes.

Discussion Items: New Town Task Force Report

• Sarah Latimer (Special Project Coordinator, Department of Planning and Zoning) introduced the presentation, noting the task force was a key implementing action from the HOCO by Design general plan.
• Jennifer Ray (JMT, consultant) presented the task force process, findings, and recommendations. Key details from the presentation:
  • 25 stakeholder interviews were conducted in May-June 2025, revealing strong affirmation of diversity, open space, and access to amenities as core strengths.
  • A task force vision was developed to guide recommendations.
  • A Preserve-Strengthen-Enhance-Transform (P-set) analysis was performed.
  • Case studies of similar communities (Greenbelt, MD; Reston, VA; Montgomery Village, MD) informed the work.
  • Public engagement included a survey with 399 responses and a public meeting in October 2025, plus a subsequent technical survey.
  • From 42 initial potential recommendations, 28 were refined, and ultimately 32 formal recommendations were developed; 27 of these were voted to advance to the Department of Planning and Zoning for further research and evaluation.
  • Key categories of recommendations included: creating another New Town district, simplifying the PDP/CSP/FDP process, defining credited open space, redefining apartments, addressing the original petitioner role, simplifying downtown/village center processes, adjusting density caps, land use percentage requirements, moderate income housing requirements, and expansion of uses/materials/design guidance.
  • Notable votes: Recommendation 10 (maintain the 36% open space requirement) passed 10-0.
  • Final recommendations are published in the task force report and will inform future updates to the New Town zoning code, with any formal zoning changes requiring County Council action and additional public input.

Board Discussion and Feedback

• Board members asked clarifying questions and offered comments throughout the presentation. Key exchanges included:
  • Recommendation 1 (creating another New Town district): The board discussed the split vote (10-9 in favor) and the concern about using agricultural land for a new town. One board member (a farmer) strongly objected to dismissing agricultural preservation, noting Howard County's best soils and the irreversibility of land conversion. Other members noted the limited availability of contiguous 2,500 acres due to preserved easements and water/sewer constraints.
  • Public engagement streamlining (Recommendations 6, 7, 19): A board member expressed concern that public input often comes too late in the process, and recommended making engagement opportunities clearer and more impactful, especially ensuring early-stage feedback is transparently considered. Another member suggested that if best practices (e.g., universal design, landscape manual compliance) are met, certain steps could be administratively approved.
  • Credit open space definition (Recommendations 8-10): The board discussed the need for greater clarity in what counts as open space to avoid ambiguity, noting that the defining language came from Columbia Association's definition.
  • Density cap and affordable housing (Recommendations 20-24): A board member expressed concern that incentivizing affordable housing (rather than requiring it) may lead to developers opting out, as seen elsewhere. They emphasized that the original vision of diversity could be undermined if exemptions persist. Another member noted that downtown Columbia already has MIHU programs and that the task force's recommendation to maintain the MIHU exemption for Newtown was split (11-10), leaving the door open for future policy.
  • Design Advisory Panel (DAP) expansion (Recommendation 27): A board member supported expanding DAP's role so that projects meeting design guidelines could bypass Planning Board review, streamlining the process.
• The board expressed appreciation for the thoroughness and intentionality of the task force process, noting the report was easy to follow and provided extensive detail.

Key Outcomes

• The New Town Task Force report, containing 27 recommendations to update Section 125 of the Zoning Code, was formally presented to the Planning Board for consideration.
• The report has been provided to the County Council and administration.
• Comprehensive rezoning to implement any code changes would occur no earlier than next year (2027), per staff comments.
• The board offered feedback that will be taken into account during future research and evaluation by the Department of Planning and Zoning.
• The meeting adjourned shortly after the discussion, with no further business.