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From YouTube: Question 2
Description
Environmental Sustainability and Development
A
My
next
question
comes
from
Betty
from
Middle
River
who
asks
what
effect
does
the
building
along
route
43
have
on
the
environment?
She
also
wants
to
know
what
the
current
status
of
those
buildings
are,
but
when
route
43
was
designed,
great
care
was
taken
to
preserve
the
environmental
integrity
of
the
area,
and
this
commitment
has
continued.
In
fact,
Baltimore
County
has
really
been
one
of
the
leaders
of
the
state.
A
Our
new
Department
of
Environmental
Protection
and
sustainability
continues
to
be
on
the
forefront
of
ensuring
that
we
preserve
our
county
in
many
ways
environmentally,
but
the
comparison
with
route
43
is
that
these
are
private
property
owners
who
have
already
committed
to
make
use
of
the
land.
That's
in
zone,
that's
zoned
for
business
and
industrial
use,
and
they
are
making
decisions,
obviously
to
move
forward
as
the
economy
improves
and,
frankly
there
there's
a
balance
to
all
of
these
scenarios.
A
We
think
that
the
route
43
area
for
business
and
industrial
development
is
the
suitable
location,
as
opposed
to
putting
it
near
a
forested
areas
or
waterways
or
other
sensitive
land.
As
you
know,
route
43
is
adjacent
to
the
beltway
as
well
as
I-95,
so
it
has
a
existing
highway
network,
that's
already
in
place.
So
in
many
ways
it's
a
smart
growth
location
for
a
lot
of
these
businesses.
A
Obviously
we
need
jobs
in
Baltimore
County
and
we
want
to
encourage
the
creation
of
new
businesses
and
new
jobs
to
help
keep
people
employed
and
also
maintain
a
stable
tax
rate.
So
we
can
continue
to
provide
services
and,
of
course,
maintain
the
quality
of
our
environment.
So
thanks
for
the
question-
and
we
look
forward
to
seeing
some
great
progress
there,
Betty.