The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • A26

26 THE BALTIMORE SUN NEWS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2016 RESPOND EDITORIAL Transforming Baltimore Our view: Zoning overhaul will make the city more inviting place to live and invest he overhaul of Baltimore's zoning code the City Council gave preliminary approval to this week may well represent one of the most lasting legacies of Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration. It has taken years of public hearings and refinements to get to this point, and it suffered in some respects in the hands of the council, but it nonetheless represents a major step in making a more livable Baltimore for its residents and creating a set of predictable rules for its business owners. Much of the attention related to this legislation has focused on the city's efforts to use the zoning code to reduce the over-concentration of liquor stores in residential neighborhoods. When Baltimore's zoning rules were given their last comprehensive update, in the 1970s, dozens of such businesses were grandfathered into non-conforming zones. The result has been a variety of negative outcomes, from increased crime to higher rates of hypertension and diabetes.

Johns Hopkins researchers in 2013 documented that using the zoning code to reduce the number of such liquor stores could improve the community's health and quality of life. Nearly 100 such stores will be affected by the legislation, and we're glad to see those provisions remain. Councilman Nick Mosby sought to go further with a 60-page amendment intended to crack down on nuisance bars and liquor stores more broadly, and to give communities more of a voice in the liquor regulation process. We are supportive of his intent but concerned about the potential for unintended consequences from such a far-reaching piece of legislation. We hope members of the next City Council will take up Mr.

Mosby's ideas in stand-alone legislation so they can be subject to more extensive debate. He's right; zoning 100 liquor stores out of existence doesn't begin to solve the problem. But the implications of the new zoning legislation, called Transform Baltimore, are far broader than the question of liquor stores. The measure aligns Baltimore's rules for how commercial, residential, office and industrial uses interact with each other in a way that recognizes both how the city evolved over the centuries and how we would like to see it developed today. It promises more of the kind of walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods that have become so desirable, and it has the potential to remove many of the headaches that have hindered redevelopment and business growth.

The old zoning code was a product of 1970s ideas about separating different kinds of properties residential all together in some areas, commercial in others but it didn't recognize the reality of Baltimore, which was built up under different notions and different rules. It not only stymied the kind of new development people like but also made it more difficult to adapt old, non-conforming buildings to new uses that would be assets to the city. An old church in a residential neighborhood that was no longer used for its original purpose, for example, might make sense as a small office building, but the old code discouraged such a conversion, and making it happen was time-consuming and unpredictable. The new code solves those sorts of problems. Some of the amendments the council members made run counter to the goal of predictability by making certain uses in various zoning classes conditional on the approval of the council.

Rather than having clearly defined rules and processes, proposed developments or conversions would be subject to the political process. In some circumstances, that could be a good thing. New bail bonds and check cashing businesses would have to be approved by the council, for example, and in those cases, a council member could serve a valuable role in protecting the community. In other cases, it might become a hindrance to appropriate reuse of properties. The original proposal had cut-and-dried rules for the conversion of single-family homes to apartments, for example they must have a certain number of square feet, a certain sized lot, meet certain parking requirements, but now property owners will face the uncertainty of the council.

In practice, that means they must get the OK of the one council member who represents the district, and if not, tough luck. Placing those kinds of decisions in the hands of a political body is unusual, and given the need to encourage more development in Baltimore, that's a distinction we don't need to have. On the whole, though, Transform Baltimore makes Baltimore a better place to live, work and invest. We urge the council to give it final approval. KAL'S VIEW KEVIN KALLAUGHER Archdiocese abandons its mission with school closures I strongly disagree with the editorial regarding the announcement of the closure of additional Catholic schools in Baltimore.

The title "Strategic investment" (Oct. 27) is very telling, as it is increasingly clear that the Archdiocese of Baltimore is strategically closing schools in minority and lower-income areas. Archbishop William E. Lori is launching a public relations campaign to sell this terrible idea, as evidenced by his meeting with the editorial board of The Sun and the full-page ad in the same edition in which the news was announced. The archdiocese has a troubling history in Baltimore, including the toleration of racial segregation in Catholic institutions for a very long period.

Reparations need to be made. I have questions concerning the church's stewardship of its funds. With the decrease in church attendance, some dioceses have sold property which is no longer in use. Baltimore Catholics are supporting two cathedrals, many underutilized churches as well as large rectories housing only one priest. I question some of the over-the-top embellishments some pastors have made to our churches.

The closure of some parishes has been discussed for some time, but little if anything gets done, so the children are the ones who will suffer. We know that a parochial school in a poor neighborhood cannot be self-supporting. It is Archbishop Lori's job to find the funding. He is a gifted speaker, and when it was in his interest he was able to achieve a high national profile. Now he must do a much better job of advocating for the poor children of Baltimore.

Archbishop Lori is required to be more than just an administrator. He is to be a pastor. I doubt that the current priorities of the Archdiocese of Baltimore are in sync with Pope Francis' vision of Christian ministry. I realize that we must be practical, so I am calling on the archdiocese to divest itself of all and any property that is not well utilized. Our parochial schools are not just brick-and-mortar institutions.

They are beacons of light. To believe that the poor children of Baltimore are not worth the investment is to assert that the Gospel values which we hear preached on Sundays are really just slogans. Over the years Baltimore Catholics have contributed to many good causes, and I believe that if the archdiocese had better leadership, Baltimore Catholics would contribute to the support of Catholic schools in low-income areas. I depend on The Sun to champion Baltimore issues by presenting the whole picture. The full story regarding the finances of the archdiocese needs to be told so that we can better understand the decisions that are made.

I am withdrawing my financial support of the archdiocese as I strongly disagree with the current stewardship of funds Edward McCarey McDonnell, Baltimore Archdiocese can find ways to fund its schools I am astonished to hear the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Baltimore is experiencing a financial shortfall resulting in the closures of Catholic schools Archdiocese to close three schools and merge two others," Oct. 26). The Catholic Church has never paid taxes on income or on their gigantic landholdings throughout the region. Look at the land occupied from the Cathedral of Mary our Queen. Look at Saint Mary's Seminary that occupies 40 acres for currently 300 candidates for the priesthood.

A campus that size is a bit opulent, don't you think? This area is in the upper-upper class area in Baltimore City. I wonder what the land occupied by the seminary would sell for? Those 300 priests could be educated at much more modest digs. How about the 60 acres-plus occupied by Stella Maris in Dulaney Valley? The interest income on the proceeds of that sale, as well as other similar locations, would serve to keep up a perpetual funding source to maintain Catholic education as a viable option. George Hammerbacher, Catonsville Lori needs to make a plan, not a promise The decision by the Archdiocese of Baltimore to close or merge various schools is understandable Archdiocese to close three schools and merge two others," Oct. 26).

I would encourage Archbishop William E. Lori, acting in good faith, to propose a budget for how the $86 million will be redirected to the investment in improvements to existing educational facilities beyond simply making a "pledge." Richard Ulrich, Glen Arm LET ME GUESS- MEXICAN CRIMINAL OR AMISLIM IMMIGRANT YOU'RE POLITICAL. COKRECTKESS? OR OR THE FfUGHTEMING VRQ8PECT 2 our COMPLETER CORRUPT AMD RIGGED BUT I WAS vomica lumovh SYSTEM 'If TOLP TO BE SCAREP OF ALL THAT Talk to us The Baltimore Sun welcomes comments from THE BALTIMORE SUN A tronc, Inc. Company TRIFFON G. ALATZAS Publisher St Editor-in-Chief readers on subjects of local and national relevance by email, by Twitter or on our Web site, baltimoresun.com.

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