The Pulte development saga: Judges ruled in favor of Planning Board and the developers, to the detriment of Ten Mile Creek.
Ten Mile Creek - Fall
Friends of Ten Mile Creek and Little Seneca Reservoir (FoTMC) has fought persistently and valiantly for many years to protect the high quality Ten Mile Creek from Pulte’s proposed development project, called Creekside at Cabin Branch. This project would irreparably harm the two tributaries that the Master Plan recognizes as the most sensitive and high quality subwatersheds in the Ten Mile Creek watershed, LSTM 110 and 111. The Master Plan singled out these two tributaries for extraordinary protection in the 2014 Amended Master Plan and made it clear that to preserve the quality of these headwaters, imperviousness must be kept not exceed 5%. However, Pulte’s development plan would go well beyond the 5% limit and severely degrade these subwatersheds.
FoTMC testified on behalf of the Ten Mile Creek watershed at Montgomery County Planning Board hearings in December 2020 and again in September 2021. Nevertheless, the Montgomery County Planning Board approved the Pulte plan, in violation of the language, intent, and spirit of the Ten Mile Creek Area Limited Amendment adopted in 2014. The Planning Board also rejected FoTMC’s Petition to Reconsider Approval of Creekside at Cabin Branch in February 2021.