Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh said this week he will submit council legislation to halt zoning changes until late 2019.

Schuh told members of the County Council this week that the freeze on zoning changes would be in place until the countywide General Development Plan is submitted to the council in late 2019.

The county executive said the proposal is linked to feedback the county has heard during community meetings on the upcoming GDP process.

“Over the past six months, we have engaged nearly every community as we look to map future growth in our county,” Schuh said in a statement. “As this process continues over the next two years, we must ensure we preserve the character of our communities by instituting measures to combat the forces of development.”

Stopping zoning changes won’t halt development, but developers won’t be able to seek more intense density on properties where they wish to build. The county’s plan is to stall all zoning changes — so it would impact commercial, industrial and other changes as well.

One notable project that could be affected by this legislation is the concept proposal for a stadium and mixed-use development being considered by Chesapeake Sports and Entertainment Group, which owns the Major League Lacrosse team the Chesapeake Bayhawks.

The Bayhawks’ organization has put together an early-stage concept of a project that sprawls across the Anne Arundel County Fair and the Crownsville Hospital Center grounds. That project would require the county rezone the land. The land is owned by the state.

In addition to the zoning freeze, Schuh is proposing other land-use policies including a reduction in the number of development plan modifications and a stricter review process to help that ensure county code is being followed. The county’s department of planning and zoning would also be barred from granting waivers on public meeting requirements.

And the county executive wants to loosen the variance process for routine requests from landowners. Officials said this would free up county manpower to thoroughly evaluate variance requests that have more environmental and community consequences.

The halt to zoning changes and other land-use proposals were discussed at Monday’s council meeting. The bills linked to each prospective change are currently being drafted, officials said.

Steuart Pittman, a Democrat running for county executive in the 2018 election, said he is glad Schuh is listening to residents regarding the zoning freeze, but questioned his commitment to reform.

“The county executive is acknowledging that his administration’s practice of passing out zoning modifications to developers irresponsibly is unpopular,” Pittman said. “Removing barriers to development has been a hallmark of his administration.”

Vote to increase pay

At Monday’s council session, members passed a bill that would increase the next council’s pay over several years. The changes are based on recommendations from a salary commission.

The bill — sponsored by Councilman Chris Trumbauer, an Annapolis Democrat — will increase the annual salary of the council chair from $40,500 to $43,350 in December 2018. It would increase up to $46,003 through December 2021.

The vice chair of the council would receive increases up to $42,216 from $37,000 through 2021. And non-chair council members would go from $36,000 to $41,311 through 2021. These increases are gradual each year.

The bill was passed in a 6-1 vote with Councilman Jerry Walker, a Crofton Republican, voting against it.

In other business, the council passed legislation that offers an alternative retirement package for non-public safety employees. This plan vests faster than the county’s current plan but would come with lower county contributions and the employees assume responsibility for investing their funds.

It was passed in a 6-1 vote with Councilman Andrew Pruski, a Gambrills Democrat, voting against it.

ccook@capgaznews.com