Towson residents who are concerned about high-rise developments in their neighborhood have created a petition to challenge a special zoning district for the area, according to a story by Larry Perl in The Baltimore Sun.
The petition says: “The proposed Towson Urban Center Overlay District (TUC) will expand the downtown area of Towson below Towsontown Blvd to Burke Ave, and will include the eastern side of York Rd, abutting Towson Green. This will bring high density residential development, high-rise buildings, and more commercial activity right to the doorstep of Towson Manor VIllage, Burkeleigh Square, and Aigburth Manor. Imagine 20+ story buildings with all sorts of commerce at the bottom of Burke Ave, Linden Terrace, and Willow Ave on both sides of York Road. This proposed overlay zoning district will directly impact the quality and character of our community. Please sign below to express your desire to keep the Towson Urban Center Overlay District’s southern boundary at Towsontown Blvd.”
Joe La Bella, president of the Towson Manor Village Community Association, told The Towson Flyer that adding the east side of York Road up to the Towson Green development just south of Towsontown Boulevard to the special zoning area ” will dramatically impact our neighborhood because it will permit high density, residential and commercial development right up to Towson Manor Village’s western border.”
“We are incredibly concerned about how this type of development will impact the quality and character of our neighborhood,” La Bella said. “It will increase traffic, parking problems, noise, and other impacts that are not desirable for a residential community. We love our proximity to the downtown core of Towson, but the [special district known as the Towson Urban Center] will bring to downtown core directly to our doorstep. Keeping the southern boundary at Towsontown Boulevard will help to protect the integrity and character of our neighborhood.”
You can view the petition here, and you can learn more about the overlay proposal here.