Sen. Jim Brochin and Del. Steve Lafferty hosted a meeting Monday night to get community input about the planned Royal Farms gas station at Bosley Avenue and York Road. Earlier in the evening, Councilman David Marks hosted a meeting about the Starbucks drive-through that is planned for Regester Avenue and York Road. Rachael Pacella of The Towson Times covered both meetings.
Journalist Rona Kobell attended the Royal Farms meeting not to cover it, but as a concerned resident of Towson. She posted the following recap on Facebook, and it is reprinted here with her permission:
“I’ve been covering public meetings for 20 years and witnessed all manner of things. Even by my standards, last night’s Town Hall meeting concerning Baltimore County Executive and likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate Kevin Kamenetz’ plan to put a 24-hour gas station on a public parcel of land that his administration sold to his major campaign contributor was pretty much epic.
A former state highway official essentially accused Baltimore County engineers of fraud: “I don’t trust Baltimore County traffic and public works. I’m onto their games. I know what goes on there.”
A real estate developer who lives in the neighborhood called the plan “one of the most invasive and misleading documents I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Another speaker said that, because no one from the county or the development firm was in attendance, he was looking for his “list” from Kamenetz of reasons why the gas station was a good idea. Then, he took out a dollar from his pocket and put it next to his cheek. “This is what we are up against, folks.”
These were not the rants of an angry public. These were the statements of the CHOSEN panel, which also included Del. Steve Lafferty and Sen Jim Brochin.
Of particular note: the gas station will only bring in $26,000 in property tax revenue. A grocery store – which is what the community initially wanted – would bring in $551,000. But a grocery store is unlikely to happen, because Caves has one going into their other major development in downtown Towson – or, they’re supposed to, but the project [Towson Row] has been nothing but a huge hole for months and is delayed.
Hardly any reporters attended the meeting – only Fox 45 was there the whole time, and given the alternate-reality reporting from the school board meeting a few weeks ago, that wasn’t particularly comforting. Rachael Pacella of the Towson Times rushed over from the other big meeting about a drive-through Starbucks that also went through a problematic approval process.
Also absent from the Town Hall was the councilman who is expected to introduce legislation to allow the gas station to happen, a PUD bill, which is required because the gas station is not a permitted use. He, too, was at the Starbucks meeting. He is expected to put in the legislation today at 2 p.m.
It’s unclear who will benefit from this gas station, as there are two others across the street. Who clearly won’t: the students at Immaculate Conception school, who will be playing in fields next to gas tanks. One of the last speakers, a mom of two Immaculate students, mentioned a study about leukemia rates being far higher for families living near gas stations. How, she asked the panel, can our government do this to us? It is, I think, an excellent question.”
The same story is going on with the Hamilton Community and Royal Farms. We are not against businesses but are against any one who bullies in to a neighborhood regardless of the neighbors safety and concerns. We have been fighting the mega Royal Farms gas station since 2012. We are going for the 2nd time before the Court of Special Appeals in Annapolis. We are not alone because communities in Virginia Beach, Monkton, Route 50 in Eastern Shore, etc are trying to fight Royal Farms. Check this article and others in the series. After the article was published, Baltimore City reversed again and supported the mega gas station.
https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2015/09/19/in-reversal-mayor-and-councilman-say-they-oppose-royal-farms-store-in-hamilton/
I too wonder why Caves Valley Partners seems to have a lock on Towson. It’s good to see developers take interest in revitalizing downtown, or uptown as Towson University students call it, but the county bidding process–including ‘requirements’ exclusions disqualifying winning bidders, so back to Caves–merits a closer look. There is clearly a pattern here.
And the concrete canyon design approach has for years, and more so today, taken big-box retail etc. to a whole new level. Cinemark is a lovely theater inside, but the theater/restaurant complex does not blend whatsoever with neighboring streets or environs–being an enclosed Disney/Universal Studios Box, which offers amenities yet resembles a fortress outside. It’s a major upgrade from what was there before, yet it’s hardly integrative urban design and does little to revitalize adjacent properties, such as the now-closed Bahama Breeze and former Vine restaurant locations. (Talk about a dead zone in the shadow of the Cinemark Wall).
This is where Master Plans come in, including filling in the blank storefronts all over town. An overall vision can help tie everything together. Rona Kobell’s post featured here, an op-ed-style that by its nature offers opinion, also raises good questions that should be answered about the impetus and logic of the massive Royal Farms gas station complex (and another big wall). Answers and truth never hurt anyone, unless there is something wrong to expose.
You make some very strong points here, especially concerning a master plan or vision for the future.
In my decade or so of observing local decision making, it’s clear that Towson lacks leadership with a vision. Kamenetz offers a vision of growth and development that is at odds with many in the community. Social organizations like the GTCCA are mostly self-serving and can organize a fight but offer little beyond obstruction (whether good or bad). Unfortunately, there is very little coordinated leadership and vision that can put forth viable alternatives.
The most resounding efforts throughout Towson feed off of the “not in my backyard” mentality. Towson is not unified politically (not party affiliation, rather as an entity), socially, or economically. All of these need to change, along with adding local leaders who are not self-serving and truly dedicated to only Towson’s future, not a large swath or all of Baltimore County. Towson has outgrown its ability to be a part-time obligation, and that is not a knock against David Marks or Kevin Kamenetz. Towson needs a dedicated elected official(s) to make tough decisions, sometimes challenging the old guard, to get things done. This constantly “putting out fires approach” and appeasing the protestors gets us no where. Concerns need to be heard and elections need to be had but not every decision will make everyone happy, nor is it reasonable to think it could.
Otherwise it’s just more years of blight and build-where-you-can development as interest and investment moves elsewhere.
Sam C- in spite of our total disagreement in prior posts, I have to say that your commentary here is spot on.
Happy holidays, Dennis 😉
Completely one sided as they criticize the other media – LOL- This is like when the Towson Flyer, complained about the softball field that Towson University put on their OWN campus. A campus that has been there for 150 years! Oh! What a surprise! We didn’t know that when we moved next to it!!!
Wow! Told like it is! Seems there should be an investigation into this project, by journalists and others: Public land. A developer/major campaign contributor to the elected county executive. Sweet-heart done-deal with only a scant $26,000 in annual tax revenues. A large gas station within 1,000 feet of a school in violation of EPA guidelines. All around, a Royal (Farms) Mess.
As a taxpayer, resident, and reader I would like to see a tally of campaign contributions to the executive and council members, as well as an analysis of the county bidding (no-bid?) process involving Mr. Kamenetz’s close friends at Caves Valley Partners, which seems to have an undue amount of big-time projects in Towson: the Royal Farms’ gas station debacle. Towson Row rubble pile. Cinemark concrete monstrosity. Presbyterian Manor. . . What sort of havoc will be wrought there in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood?
We can pursue more logical development projects than these. Will scandal over cronyism and worse follow Mr. Kamenetz in his run for the governorship?
Railing on the Cinemark project? Did you like the boarded up Burger King, abandoned office building, and crumbling parking lot?
It’s nice to have a place residents can walk for dinner and a movie. Sorry it hasn’t lived up to the fearmongers cries about traffic and fear of outsiders coming to Towson.
Come on, folks, any and all change isn’t bad.
It’s a free market. Gather some friends, pool some money, and open businesses you see fit if you don’t like what’s going on. Then, you can rehab the Presbyterian Manor rather than letting it crumble beyond repair, or you could clear up chain-linked lots and open businesses.
Time for some solutions….
It’s sad to see that only one side of the story was told. A RFP / Contract was awarded back in 2013. The proceeds from this property pay for the New Fire Company #1 in Towson. The project was awarded to another developer but then was granted to #2 bidder after #1 could not meet all of the requirements. Please study the facts PRIOR to getting the story out!
It’s all public record!
This is the poster, Rona Kobell. As Editor Kris said, this is my take on the meeting as a concerned resident, which I posted on my own Facebook page. I am a reporter by profession, but I did not write this post as an objective observer, nor did I attend the meeting as one. I attended as a resident of Towson who is concerned that a piece of public land is being sold to a developer who has given lots of money to the current county executive, who by the way is also running for governor. The gas station, as noted, will generate a small fraction of the tax revenue that a shopping center would. It also could contaminate the land, water and playgrounds of the adjacent school. It offers no community benefit, as it is supposed to under the PUD requirements. So yes, I used my communication skills to tell one side of the story – the side I heard. And Kris posted it so that other people could hear it, too. I would have loved to find the other side, but I did not encounter one person at the meeting who favored the gas station. And no one from the county or Caves showed up. And yeah, it might be old, but a bad idea with no transparency in 2013 doesn’t get better with time.