Chairman Ball and Members of the County Council:

The League of Women voters of Howard County supports Resolution 116-2007 adopting Green Neighborhood standards that must be met in order to receive an allocation, a building permit, and a use and occupancy permit. The League appreciates the County Executive's changes to the green neighborhood standards based on public comments to Resolution 89-2007.

The Green Neighborhood Checklist has two major categories: The first is a Green Neighborhood Site check list with a maximum 167 points divided among 9 categories like Location, Linkages and Community Context, Environmental Preservation, Site Landscape Improvements and Energy Efficiency. A developer needs to achieve 90 points to obtain a Green Neighborhood Allocation. The Second major category is Green Neighborhood Home. It has 6 categories, including Materials Beneficial to the Environment/Waste Management, Healthy Living Environment, Indoor Environmental Quality and Energy and Water Efficiency. The total points in the Green Neighborhood Home category are 84 and a builder needs to achieve 46 in order to obtain a building permit and later a use and occupancy permit.

The actual specific criteria are very similar to Resolution 89 criteria. However, the allocation of maximum points has changed. Innovative Design has been added to the Green Neighborhood Site checklist. Parking, stream buffer requirements and stream restoration or wetland creation or restoration criteria have had higher points allocated to them. Exceeding the minimum open space requirements also has higher maximum points. The League supports these changes.

The Green Neighborhood Home category has gray water reuse systems added and increased points for Photovoltaic Panels and Energy Star Homes. These, too, are changes from Resolution 89 and are changes that the League supports.

Resolution 116 also increases the points for transit and proximity to community resources. The League had requested those changes in its testimony on Resolution 89.

The League urges the County Council to adopt Resolution 116-2007.

Barbara Russell
Co-president

cc: County Executive Ulman