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Featured event
2023 Holiday Gathering and Charity Drive
The League of Women Voters of Anne Arundel County invites you to share in the spirit of giving this holiday season, as we dedicate our annual charity drive to the Light House, Annapolis' homeless prevention support center.
Throughout the month of December, we welcome your contribution to LWVAAC's holiday charity drive benefitting the Light House. Thank you!
Please join us on Saturday, December 2, as we greet the season by sharing a holiday breakfast at the Light House Bistro, 202 West Street in Annapolis. The Light House Bistro staff will accommodate our party with separate checks. RSVP below.
WHENDecember 02, 2023 at 9:00amWHERE -
What's New
Developing 20/20 vision for the County’s future
In Anne Arundel County (AAC), the mere mention of planning, development and zoning can ignite emotional responses. In a recent weekly e-newsletter to subscribers, County Executive Stuart Pittman said he also can be emotional about development. He bravely broached the topic, making clear he is pro-development when it occurs in the right places and against it when it harms the environment. He said in a week’s time he had visited several construction sites after being called on by outraged residents. Though the environmental insult he witnessed was hard to reconcile, he reminded readers that Anne Arundel is a “development-by-right” county. This may sound like a technical or complex term, but the definition is simple: by right, types of uses and development are permitted on a particular piece of land under the existing local regulations. He said, “Neighbors, county employees, county council members, and county executives are not empowered to deny grading or building permits for reasons other than noncompliance with county code, even when we’d prefer no development on the site.”
The LWVAAC’s interest in planning and zoning dates to the mid-1980s. In 1986, an LWVAAC study group investigated county planning and zoning, and our League ultimately developed a policy position to support controlled growth, enforcement of land use controls, and adoption of new regulations to support these concepts. In 1992, LWVAAC updated its earlier study, which remains relevant today. With a formal policy position, LWVAAC is confident to weigh in on issues when appropriate. LWVAAC members have frequently interacted with the county Office of Planning and Zoning (OPZ) as well as with advisors to the county executive.
Recently, a small group of LWVAAC members, interested in land use and urban development, met virtually with Cindy Carrier, head of the Long-Range Planning Section of the OPZ Planning Division, which also includes the Cultural Resources Section and the Research and GIS Section. Conversation centered on the ongoing process to develop the county’s 20-year General Development plan, known as Plan2040. Progress reports are prepared annually and, in the spirit of transparency, background on the elements to be addressed in Plan2040 is available online.
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LWVAAC Reusable Tote Bags
Just in time for 2024 election cycle and Anne Arundel County plastic bag restrictions.
Port Authority® Ideal Twill Over-the-Shoulder Grocery Tote
- Durable 10-ounce, 100% cotton twill
- Cotton web handles with reinforced stitching
- Printed on two sides with LWVAAC and VOTE411 logos
- Dimensions:15"h x 13.5"w x 7.25"d; Approx. 1,800 cubic inches
LWV branding by Kwikgrafx Screenprinting, an Anne Arundel County minority-owned business.
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