A Howard County leader is worried about an incoming housing development in the Ellicott City Historic District.

A 13-lot subdivision has been in the works on the Lacey Property on Church Road for more than 10 years.

Developers have hit some snags along the way, including some denials, but recently they’ve been able to start the grading process, during which the land is reshaped.

Howard County Council Chair Liz Walsh has been fighting against this with her neighbors since 2016.

Environmental concerns

The sight of downed trees on the Lacey Property is a hard one for Walsh. It’s something she’s been trying to prevent.

“I have no good adjectives for it, there’s nothing about it that makes sense to me,” she said.

Walsh is concerned about the impact the development could have on the watershed, particularly with flooding.

The property is just above Old Ellicott City, an area that’s seen devastating floods over the years, most recently in 2018.

Walsh is also concerned about the impact on the neighborhood, saying things are already tight.

“This is in the historic district, this is an r-ed property, which should have the tightest restrictions on environmental and historic development,” she said.

A long process

Developers were denied the right to remove certain trees on the property back in 2016, and they hit other roadblocks as well.

However, a spokeswoman for the Howard County Department of Planning & Zoning said there have been enough changes and discussion over the years for developers to get authorization to this point.

Staff from DPZ and the county’s Department of Public Works have been out at the site and haven’t seen any issues yet.

Next steps

As construction continues, Walsh said she and her neighbors aren’t giving up. She said they’ve filed an appeal with the agencies that have approved this.

Walsh also said they’re planning to file an appeal in Howard County Circuit Court, just to cover their bases.

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