Homebuilder's project in limbo
Carroll County Times
February 4, 2007
Robin Ford is not a stereotypical developer.
He avoids large projects and developments with row after row of homes.
But as a homebuilder recognized by Southern Living magazine for his custom-built traditional homes, he’s been a part of the surging residential development in Carroll County.
Recently, the lifelong Carroll resident was planning to build 15 luxury homes on 8 acres near downtown Westminster, but he was stopped by the Maryland Department of the Environment’s moratorium on development.
In 2003, the owners of the Westminster property near Chase Street approached him about developing the 8-acre site. At the time, the land wasn’t part of Westminster but abutted the city border, and Ford hoped the city would annex it.
If that happened, he thought the project would be an ideal opportunity to build within the city limits. He’d recognized that by building homes outside the municipalities, he had contributed to sprawl.
In contrast, the Westminster project was an opportunity to work within the goal of the county and state to prevent sprawl and even gave him a chance to upgrade the nearby King Park.
“I thought this would be the perfect project that nobody would complain about,” he said.
Ford moved forward, requesting a three-year loan from his bank for the development. Annexation of the land went smoothly, as the Westminster Planning and Zoning Commission said it found the plans for the property consistent with surrounding development and planned extensions of public facilities.
In November 2003, the Westminster Common Council approved the annexation.
Ford finalized his plans for the 15 homes to be built in what he planned to name “The Overlook at King’s Park.” The three- to four-bedroom homes were planned to be 1,500 to 2,500 square feet each.
The project proceeded normally — if slowly — until late 2006, when it ran up against the moratorium put into place by the state after new regulations projected a city water deficit.
Ford’s stuck waiting now, with his loan from the bank expiring this month. He has invested too much in the development to back out now, he said, but is eager to start building.
The delay, he said, has also has made him concerned about planning future homes in the city. He expects to keep constructing homes in Carroll County but said he would like to see towns better equipped to handle growth.
“If Smart Growth's what they want to do, they have to put in the infrastructure to do that,” he said.
