community response


"No Funding is recommended for FY08. Maintaining this historic property will have a high cost and may in turn drive a need to generate revenue. The Board is reluctant to encourage the County to move in any direction until the MHT easement restriction issues are resolved and the Howard County Community College issues the Belmont Master Plan. Currently, too many unknowns and loose ends exist. The Department of Recreation and Park appraisal is unable to move forward due to unresolved option issues. Moreover, the Board is uncertain as to how Belmont fits into HCC's Master Plan or if the County would be its best steward. Belmont's operation does impact its neighbors, sometimes signficantly. An expanded facility could be an intrusion on the neighborhood, unless operating conditions are put in place. Allowing Belmont to operate as a government use and as a matter of right evades such conditions already established through previous zoning decisions. It disrupts the balance between the property's historic value and the adjacent communities. Allowing this classification, with a subsequent HCC purchase would permit expansion at will without consideration of the impact and intensity of use on surrounding communities. Thus, the Board believes the County and HCC need to provide detailed information as to how Belmont's acquisition and operation fit into HCC's Master Plan, as well as how operating and maintenance costs would be financed without jeopardizing Belmont's historic preservation or how the use's negative impact on neighboring properties is minimized.
Howard County Planning Board
March 4, 2007 Recommendation to County Executive Ulman

Allowing HCC to operate as a governmental use and as a matter of right was contrary to previous zoning decisions that went through many years of a deliberative process."
Howard County Planning Board
March 1, 2006 Recommendation to County Executive Robey


"The contract grants rights, some irrevocable, to the trustee that presents severe if not insurmountable fiscal limitations for the County and the College. We now know that this agreement has put the College and Belmont at risk...We are dismayed that the good reputation of the Community College - one of our most valuable assets - has been harmed by these events. We believe that the County would be the right owner of Belmont."
Mary Catherine Cocheran, President Preservation Howard County
April 20, 2006 County Council Budget Hearing



"It seems to me that the community college is trying to put a round peg into a square hole. I think the community continues to raise good points about the future use of Belmont, and although the college has made some concessions, it does not appear to be enough. Should the college be in this business at all?"
Courtney Watson, Howard County School Board Chair and Council Candidate
The View of Ellicott City, January 18, 2006


The proposed expansion "is unnecessary and would not comply with the terms of the easement."
"My concern is still the ratio of new construction to old construction."
Preservation Maryland Executive Director Tyler Gearhart
Letter to HCC President Dr. Duncan, September 8, 2005
The Baltimore Sun, January 15, 2006


Belmont's presentation on expansion plans "lacked specificity and left us with far more questions than answers." (Letter includes two pages of questions that were not answered about the expansion.)
Preservation Howard County President Mary Catherine Cocheran
Letter to HCC Planning Consultants and HCC
September 1, 2005


The Department of Natural Resources sends letter stating it would not accept developer Chip Lundy/HCC’s proposal to swap park land on Landing Road for Belmont land to allow more intensive development stating, "the public land in question is sensitive and worthy of preservation."
Department of Natural Resources Asst. Secretary Hershey
February 16, 2005


"The Trust was made aware that the Foundation was considering selling approximately 20 acres as part of its overall development plan for Belmont; however, we did not consider that this 20-acre parcel might be used for residential development. The possible use of this property for residential purposes raises serious concerns as to whether this type of development is consistent with and permitted under the Easement."
Letter from Maryland Historic Trust Director R. Little to Dr. Duncan, HCC President
January 19, 2005

“The families of Grovemont stand in support of the Save Belmont coalition and the efforts of the Rockburn Land Trust to oppose the HCC development plan for Belmont. Most specifically, we are opposed to any reduction of state park land and we are unconvinced that this proposed road is either necessary or of benefit to the viability of Belmont. We applaud the long-term work of our neighbors in the Rockburn Land Trust and have the same concerns about the Belmont proposal that they do. You need to understand that opposition to this expansion is not just from a few vocal neighbors immediately surrounding the property, but also from our 174-home community.
Bob Siepel, President Grovemont Homeowners Association

"As part of its decision to sell Belmont and it surrounding lands and historic setting, the Board of Regents ordered that the terms of sale be subject to permanent restrictions consistent with the Smithsonian's mission to preserve such national treasures and their environs. As early as October of 1980 the Secretary of the Smithsonian wrote to Senator Sarbanes and others, "you may be assured that, while the Institution will pursue the sale of the property, we intend to do so in a manner that will ensure preservation of this historically valuable house." At the 5 May meeting of the Board of Regents, the Audit and Review Committee "reached a consensus that the Smithsonian ought to pursue selling Belmont to a responsible purchaser who would maintain the integrity of the house and keep the immediate environs intact as an historic site." The sales contract specified that all parties would enter into scenic, façade and development easements. Ultimately the responsible party to which the Smithsonian entrusted the easement rights was the Maryland Historical Trust."
Cynthia R. Field, PhD - Chair, Architectural History and Historic Preservation
Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC
May 4, 2005


"I have lived in Howard County for almost 10 years now and the county has grown a lot during that time. I think it is a shame not to preserve the special spaces - like Belmont - that the county has left. Every day, I see infill and development where ever I go. Belmont is truly a special place left from another time. I appeal to you to save Belmont and it's surrounding for my children and future generations of Howard County residents."
Margaret Glyder, Ellicott City


"I've worked closely with conservation groups and on the Walden Woods Project in Lincoln, Massachusetts. I am writing to extend support to you and the Rockburn Land Trust for your valiant work in fighting the difficult conservation battle at Belmont. Belmont combines a splendid piece of land with a splendid example of American architecture. It's truly a historic landscape, and the more people can see it first-hand the more they will be motivated to push for its protection."
Helen M. Bowdoin, Lincoln, MA
Walden Woods


"From what we have learned, these development-oriented plans appear to be at odds with the letter and the spirit of the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) easement. The Maryland Environmental Trust (MET) supports the efforts of MHT, the Rockburn Land Trust and the Save Belmont Coalition to uphold the restrictions of the MHT easement on Belmont."
Nick Williams, Director, Maryland Environmental Trust
October 28, 2005


"The beauty of its setting is a function of its isolation from development. In addition it provides wonderful wildlife habitat, as I learned during a weekend-long stay there in 2001. The land is surrounded by Patapsco Sate Park and private conservation easements. To allow intensive development in the middle of all that is inappropriate. My wife and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary at Belmont in 2001. The setting was wonderful, the service impeccable. That magic would be destroyed by nearby development, and we would be very disappointed to see new development on the property come about."
Kurt Schwartz, Ellicott City


"I think it’s a distraction from the community college’s mission, which is educating students, not building elaborate conference facilities. Every minute they spend on this plan, they’re not spending educating students."
Chris Merdon, Howard County Council Chair and County Executive Candidate
Howard County Times, January 19, 2006

"The HCC seems to intend to build numerous building on the premises. For the college to do as they wish with the property, they must override long-standing restrictive environmental easement originated by both the Bruce family and the Smithsonian. This does not seem right and because of my heritage, I am joining the thousands of others who are supporting the enforcement of the easements."
Rosalie Bruce Culver
Descendant of the Bruce family of Belmont
Colorado


"Belmont with its eighty-two acres has been acquired by the Howard Community College, who has at times stated that it intends to build numerous houses and other structures on the premises. The use of a property of this nature is a desecration. How many colonial mansions with an unspoiled view are within major metropolitan areas? My family lived in the Lawyers Hill area for many generations. As I have an obligation to my heritage, I am joining the many voices who are supporting the enforcement of the easements on Belmont."
Francis Key Murray
Descendant of the Murray family of Rockburn
Delaware


"As a child I played at Belmont in the stable, barns, gardens, fields and meadows. Belmont and Rockburn remain my "home place" and I am grateful to those who have formed the Rockburn Land Trust for all you are doing to preserve this historic treasure for the benefit of all Marylanders."
Alice Bowdin Baldwin
Lancaster, NH


"In much the same way that the landscape of Walden Pond and Woods has historic significance so, too, does the landscape surrounding Belmont. Located close to sprawling urban centers, these historic places are especially vulnerable to short-sighted development. Belmont’s extraordinary beauty and character are rooted as much in its surrounding lands as in the house itself."
Kathi Anderson
Executive Director, The Walden Woods Project
Lincoln, MA


Letter dated Sept. 1, 2005, from Mary Catherine Cochran, President, Preservation Howard County

Letter dated Sept. 8, 2005, from Tyler Gearhart, Executive Director, Preserve Maryland

Letter dated Oct. 28, 2005, from Nick Williams, Director, Maryland Enviromental Trust