Maryland Officials Battling Over Land Control And Development

State and local officials in Maryland are battling over a plan to slow the rate of land development.

Officials gathered at the Maryland Association of Counties in Ocean City, and said they're afraid they'll lose local authority over land use issues if Plan Maryland is adopted.

But Gov. Martin O'Malley says there is nothing in the proposed development plan that takes away local control. Nevertheless, Richard Hall, Maryland's Secretary for the Department of Planning says a new draft will be issued in September, and officials will have 30 days to review it.

The draft unveiled last April seeks to unify development policies and practices across the state by factoring in population demographics, land use and economic development.

O'Malley's office say 27 percent of the state is already developed, and developed areas are growing twice as fast as the state's population.