"The Settlement at Savage" residential development proposal

Part of the Sierra Club’s Mission Statement is to explore, enjoy and protect the planet. To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources.

In alignment with this mission statement the Howard County Sierra Club Group opposes the land swap that the developer, Bozzuto Homes, has requested for its proposed residential development of the Settlement at Savage Mill.  

The first point of concern is the land swap. It is required that parkland purchased with federal dollars from the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) which is administered by the National Park Service (NPS) can only be converted in exchange for land of equal market and recreational value. The proposed swap is clearly an unfair trade for taxpayers. These parcels are not equal in market value. The developer is offering extremely steep slopes on non-contiguous land (the area that leads down to the river), areas of erodible soils, and land which they will first clear and regrade.They are requesting public park land that is flat and free from impediments to building. Much of the land offered for trade does not even have recreational value. If the land swap does not happen, then Bozzuto can still build, however, they will have to scale back their site plan to stay within the confines of the property they own, just under 5 acres. This could mean removing the 5 single family homes which are currently drawn on the parcel they intent to gain with the land swap.

The land swap does not help the ecology of the region. In fact, if the land swap were approved, the developed area would increase in size. There would be more impermeable surfaces and more trees would be cleared, increasing the potential negative impact to the watershed of the Patuxent River, thus further degrading its already low quality rating of D-. Degradation of the river would impact sensitive species in the area including the Rare Laura’s Clubtail Dragonfly, the Threatened Glassy Darter Fish, and the Endangered Appalachian Snaketail Dragonfly. These species were identified by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR) as living in the area and contributed to the identification of both the Savage Mill Remainder property and the Savage Park land as a Targeted Ecological Area (TEA).

The land swap is against the principle behind the R-H-ED zoning, which was created to offer protection to a sensitive site by minimizing clearing and grading. The land swap would actually increase these.

In summary, there is no reason to extend this land swap offer to the developer. Only the developer benefits from this swap while the taxpayer loses valuable park land that had been purchased with federal funds.

In general consideration of the overall plan as proposed, the Sierra Club has serious concerns over the choice of storm water management systems proposed by the developer. The Department of Natural Resourced (DNR) made numerous recommendations on which techniques and technology would best manage storm water runoff. The developer ignored most recommendations and has chosen instead a large retention pond and level spreader system in an area with the steepest slopes to the river below. This technology was used in the Riverwalk property across the river in a less challenging topography and it failed, resulting in taxpayer funded mitigation to reconstruct and counter the erosion that had occurred to the trail. It would be prudent to re-examine the storm water management techniques recommended by the DNR to prevent such expensive mistakes from occurring on the Savage Mill site.  

Additionally, the Sierra Club feels that this land should be protected from development.  As a TEA the DNR had flagged this site for preservation. The topography of the area combined with the clearcutting of forest will result in the loss of the ecosystem services provided by that mature forest.  The trees and the rich forest understory act together like a sponge holding water thus preventing it from rushing down the slope. Trees need and use water and also allow its slow percolation into the soil and groundwater.  Their extensive root systems are holding the soil in place, keeping sediment from running into the river. When sediment runs into the river it clouds the water impairing the growth of underwater grasses resulting in a decline in underwater habitat for fish and other aquatic life.

Also important to note is that the Savage Mill property is a hub on the Green Infrastructure Network which has been designated by Howard County as important for ecosystem services and wildlife habitat.  A hub is defined as a contiguous block of interior forest. These hubs are very important locations for species that live in the interior of the forest and cannot live and thrive on habitat edges. The protection of these areas are critical to protecting Maryland’s biodiversity.