Rendering of the proposed Royal Farms at York & Bosley
Residents and developers are invited to testify in front of the Baltimore County Council next week about a controversial Royal Farms gas station.
The project, called Towson Gateway or Towson Station depending on whom you ask, would be located at the corner of York Road and Bosley Avenue.
“It has now been seven months since the Community Input Meeting on this proposal. I believe it is time for my colleagues and I to hear the viewpoints of Towson residents and other stakeholders in a formal setting,” Councilman David Marks said in a statement. “This is an opportunity for anyone to testify before the County Council regarding this project.”
The project is on the agenda for the council’s work session at 2:00 PM on Dec. 13 on the second floor of the Historic Courthouse.
Is Sam C actually a pseudonym for Kevin Kamenitz? Or is he merely KK’s PR guy? Or does he work for Caves?
None of the above. Just a tax paying, property owning resident who tired of the blight, xenophobia, and anti-change rhetoric that somehow is the dominating influence in this area. I could care less for Kamenetz or Caves, but they are the only ones investing a future that doesn’t consist of blight.
Where are the ideas and investments, time and money, from all the complainers who whine like children when change is proposed? You would think they would as least get lead some community involvement toward sprucing up the embarrassing blight zones found throughout Towson.
Instead? Fear, blame Kamenetz, and offer no viable solutions.
Sorry for wanting to see Towson improve, even if it means change for the status quo. We’ve seen what the complainers have given us. Blocks of embarrassment, abandonment, and chain link fences in areas that would otherwise hold strong commercial appeal. What investor/developer would want to invest in Towson given the current state of affairs? Maybe those at Caves should invest their money in areas willing to enter the 21st century. The complainers can get more chain link fences…..
Great! Another complaint session that will lead to years of blight at the northern gateway. Just like the decaying southern gateway complaint sessions, no viable alternatives will be offered by those so ardently against progress in Towson, aka “Blight City!”
We’ll get the normal “truck stop” cliches by those with zero understanding of transportation or the recognition of local routes and fueling practices. Semi will not drive into Towson to refuel when there are other more-convenient options located just off 695/95/83. In the end everyone will just blame Kamenetz, as usual, without offering any new ideas.
I really wish the obstructionists would at least maintain the properties they complain so hard to protect. There is zero investment aside from obstruction in these areas.
Reap what you sow, Towson! See you on the 13th!
Typical response of someone who has no clue. The neighborhood has offered any number of alternatives and welcome development-just not a Royal Farms with multiple gas pumps, noise and lights 24/7 and the crime that tends to accompany a convenience store. The developers, who apparently own and control the County Executive, are as rude, arrogant and condescending to the community as is Kamenetz. They insist on a gas station and will not negotiate. Sam C- next time try to glean some facts before you make a sarcastic response.
Typical response- use fear and blame Kamenetz. What studies are you referring to that suggest convenience stores create crime? Dennis, perhaps during your extensive evaluations of development projects, something you ignorantly stated I know nothing about, you came across the broken windows theory. Abandonment, neglect, blight, and decay lead to more social issues than a gas station located along a state highway, one that would be located in the middle of other well-lit business.
It’s a good time to own a chain link fence company in Towson! How else can we use well-situated, vacant properties? Walkable communities? Mixed use properties? Not in my Towson! That doesn’t match the xenophobic, anti-development sentiments of the few.
Most real estate markets would see potential for progress. Not Towson. Maybe those so ardently against progress can hang “Happy Holidays” signs on the chain link fences that are so bravely defending the land from improvement.
I know the facts of the projects and I know the self serving good old boy networks on both sides of the issues that are negatively impacting 60,000 Towson residents with their selfish, childish behavior.
Now excuse me while I invest in chain link fencing.
Under what crazed delusion do you make the leap from the community opposing a gas station to the community opposing all development at that site? Or did you even read my entire response? How is opposing a Royal Farm with 20 gas pumps negatively impacting 60,000 Towson residents? You claim to have all the facts but provide none. I blame Kamenetz because he has behaved exactly in the manner I described. What facts do you have to add to the conversation? Probably none.
Oh course I read it, I’m not self-serving and fighting against these blight zones for personal gain. I will not profit more than any other Towson citizen from progress and development. There isn’t a southbound gas station between Seminary Ave and Stevenson Lane along a major state highway. Simple understanding of the commercial real estate market indicates a clear market demand and a way to alleviate cross traffic congestion. Is that enough of a fact for you? No one had a better idea or outbid Caves for the property. Certainly there are smart people who recognize highest and best use of the land. What kind of solutions and long-term funding plans did you bring to the table? I’d much rather just about any use other than a gas station, except prolonged abandonment and decay, which is strong in Towson. The previous mixed-use plan was shot down. No one else offered a competitive bid for the property that was listed on the market. Do you have plans to buy it and develop it? Or, does your plan lead to more abandonment and decay? Do we want the government dictating legal private property uses (I’m sure you would welcome a neighbor intervening in how you use your property)? Is there no other individual, group, or development interested in acquiring the property? What viable options do you recommend? Why aren’t you doing more to attract those investors? I posed follow-up questions, based on your previous statements, that you ignored. Maybe you were too… Read more »