Activists Worried Parking Bill Eliminates Community Input

Councilman John Olszewski Sr. says bill could help protect bay while allowing some shopping centers to decrease parking.

Parking could be harder to come by at some Baltimore County shopping centers this Christmas but not because of a sudden change in the economy. A proposal to allow some shopping centers to reduce the number of parking spaces required by the county has some activists worried it will also limit community input. Shopping centers with 100,000 square-feet or more of retail space could seek county approval for as much as a 40 percent reduction in the number of parking spaces required by county law under a bill sponsored by Councilman John Olszeweski Sr., a Dundalk Democrat. Activists are concerned the new rules could be used to allow expansion of shopping centers in a way that would not be allowed by current law. They also expressed concern that …

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