Not far from the waterfront in Herald Harbor, the yard of a squat yellow bungalow has spilled into the road. Climbing vines have claimed part of the street sign on the corner, and hungry bushes from the backyard have swallowed the fence.

The seemingly abandoned home on Riverside Drive in Crownsville will be among the next to receive a mow from a newly expedited county program - much to the relief of neighbors.

"That place has been an eyesore for years," said one Herald Harbor resident who asked not to be named in order to avoid neighborhood...