Finksburg Corridor Plan - Carroll County Government

Finksburg Corridor Plan
Analysis of Community Needs
Input from the property owner survey, community meetings associated with this plan,
other Planning staff, and other public agencies was considered in identifying these needs.
1 Land Use
Clearly, tThe maintenance of productive agricultural lands within the areas that surround the
Finksburg corridor is a leading concern with many residents and officials. The preservation of
farming land and prevention of residential sprawl were leading concerns in the community input
process for this plan. In the past, residential growth within the election district counteracted this
objective. The amount of large-lot, single-family residential land use in the election district is
second only to agricultural uses, and it is growing much faster than in any other district. Because
of the lack of public water and sewer systems, it is not possible to concentrate residential growth
in existing, established communities. As a result, it is challenging but all the more critical to
preserve the valuable agricultural and resource lands that surround the corridor.
The continued characterization of the land beyond the Finksburg Corridor as a Designated
Growth Area (DGA) is misleading. Substantial growth was no longer supported there once the
area ceased to be planned for public water and sewer service. Although the DGA boundary is
utilized for the primary purposes of mapping and long-range planning, it also carries the
stigmaconnotation of being characterized as an area in which growth and development is
encouraged. The DGA designation also prevents properties within that area from being
candidates in certain land preservation programs. At the same time, the area within the Finksburg
Corridor boundary does remain the focus of redevelopment and revitalization efforts that are
consistent with the DGA designation.
One of the major objectives of the 1981 Finksburg Area and Environs Comprehensive Plan was
“to avoid, where possible, strip business development along primary highways in the interest of
traffic safety and efficient use of the roadway”. The plan additionally sought to maintain a
spatial separation between Westminster and Finksburg, preventing unattractive, continuous
business development. To accomplish this, portions of undeveloped land that were previously
zoned for business use were designated for other uses when the plan was adopted. As a result,
some nodes of commercial development are located along MD 140 amidst a residential and rural
setting.
The historic village of Finksburg was bypassed with the construction of MD 140 in the 1950s,
and while the area to the east, west, and north of the village continued to grow, the historic
village itself has seen relatively few changes since then. A 1985 historic sites inventory
delineated the Finksburg Survey District. It contains the entire area shown for Finksburg in the
1877 Illustrated Atlas of Carroll County. At the time, the survey district was deemed potentially
eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. However, with the passage of
time, some buildings such as the toll house have been demolished and others continue to be
modified or threatened by demolition or neglect.
Approved by Carroll County Planning & Zoning Commission - October 2010Revised Draft – November 2012 ♦ 31
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