The Baltimore County Planning Board approved the Jacksonville Community Plan on Feb. 20 and recommended that the County Council adopt it as an amendment to Master Plan 2030.

Abigail Rogers, community planner with the Department of Planning, presented the plan update and told the board the revision responds to outdated data, reflects new community facilities and aligns county terminology with current practice. The Jacksonville plan focuses on the village commercial core while covering broader rural community goals, and the Greater Jacksonville Association led the local process.

Key elements in the plan include a proposed expansion of the village boundary to include 14202 Jarrettsville Pike (rezoned to BLCR during the 2024 CZMP), a recommended applicant acknowledgement for new businesses within the village that they have read the Jacksonville plan, and guidance to preserve the rural character of the area. The plan emphasizes groundwater protection — asking that projects minimize impervious surfaces and mitigate contamination — and sets streetscape design guidelines to preserve a low, human scale in building height, materials and signage. The plan also encourages burying existing utility lines where feasible, avoiding unnecessary floodlighting, and creating “welcome to Jacksonville” signs to reinforce a sense of place.

Traffic recommendations in the plan respond to increased traffic volumes since prior data: the plan includes objectives such as a right‑turn lane at the Four Corners intersection (Sweet Air, Jarrettsville Pike and Paper Mill Road), widening a segment of Blenheim Avenue, and the realignment of Stansbury Mill Road. The Department of Planning noted the project list and traffic tables reflect updated counts and recent changes since the 1990s data set.

David Palmer, president of the Greater Jacksonville Association, addressed questions about vacant commercial buildings in the Manor Shopping Center and said property owners have been seeking tenants; community leaders said they prefer keeping development limited and focused in the village crossroads. Planning staff said the approved plan will be transmitted to County Council; upon Council review and adoption it will become an amendment to Master Plan 2030 and be referenced in county planning documents and online.

The motion to approve the Jacksonville Community Plan and forward it to County Council for review and adoption as an amendment to Master Plan 2030 carried on a roll call vote.