Thursday’s community-input meeting regarding the planned Towson Station development at York Road and Bosley Avenue showed three main concerns from area residents:
- The development is not pedestrian friendly, they say
- Drivers will use it as a cut-through, they fear, and pose a danger to the people utilizing the development
- It’s an uninspired strip mall, some said, when it could have been so much more
“We’re not against development at all. We’re a community and we’re neighbors and we’re consumers and we need something better than what you’re doing,” Mark Lee, a Towson resident, told officials. “It’s just so average.”
The input meeting was a required step in the development process. Caves Valley Partners, the developer, now has up to one year to submit formal design plans to the county. The public can also testify at a hearing at which an administrative law judge will ultimately rule on the plan. That could involve a denial, an approval, or an approval with conditions. The date of that meeting will be dependent on when Caves Valley submits its plan.
The site has long been a source of controversy. Caves Valley had sought to circumvent zoning requirements and put a 24-hour Royal Farms gas station at the site, a plan that Towson Councilman David Marks initially supported but then opposed. The county council approved the gas station over Marks’ protests, but then the late County Executive Kevin Kamenetz ordered the developer and the community to negotiate a new plan that didn’t include gasoline.
Many people at the meeting raised questions about the added traffic the development would bring. They noted that at rush hour the intersection is almost at a standstill and that it can take four to five light cycles before a car can get through.
There was also much discussion about why the site was designed to make it so easy for cars to use it as a cut through between eastbound Bosley and southbound York.
“This is really a legitimate concern; it’s an accident waiting to happen,” said one audience member. “I see a huge problem for anyone walking into the retail space and I question the wisdom of this. … This is crazy.”
David Karceski, an attorney with Venable who represents Caves Valley, said that the county and state are responsible for traffic issues and that the developer would take their concerns about the cut through into consideration.
The developers presented two different plans: one with a drive-through bank in the northeast corner and one with a drive-through fast-food restaurant in that corner. Karceski said the developer is leaning toward making it a bank but nothing was confirmed. If it is a fast-food restaurant, it is likely to be Chick-fil-A, as the developer specified that the chicken chain would be allowed although most others would not under the agreement negotiated with the community.
The lack of pedestrian access was also a concern among residents. There are just two access points for pedestrians, as the northern corner will be surrounded by walls that will rise up at least 8 feet from the sidewalk.
During the negotiations over removing the gas station from the project, one of the community members who participated in some of the talks, Beth Miller, who is an architect, presented an alternate site plan for the developer’s consideration. It provided the same amount of retail space, but included a terraced plaza, parking above retail shops — similar to Belvedere Square — and a more pedestrian-friendly entrance. That plan was rejected by Caves Valley.
Alternate design proposal that CVP rejected
A leasing brochure indicates that Mission BBQ, MOD Pizza, Nail Trix and Men’s Wearhouse have signed leases at the site, though officials at tonight’s meeting declined to discuss tenants.
“Am I happy there’s not going to be a 24-hour gas station there? Yes, I am, and I am not against development,” Heather Benassi said after the meeting. “But I see it as a strip mall, essentially, and I think people in this area were hoping for something better.”
Below is video of the meeting recorded by Lee and shared here with permission:
-Kris Henry,
The Towson Flyer
I see another major issue if the drawings are accurate. The light on Kenilworth Drive has two lanes, (one left turn only, and one right turn only.) Having the entrance to the development line-up with Kenelworth, will cause even more extreme back ups where the problem already exists. The entrance from Bosley to the development should be moved much closer to York rd to deter this issue.
Definitely just another unimaginative strip mall. Would have liked to see something more Main Street like with areas for shoppers to congregate. Like the Avenue in White Marsh or the center of Hunt Valley with the big fireplace, gardens and seating.
It’s not that big of a site. Do any of you commenting actually live in the immediate area or just nearby (Lutherville, Stoneleigh, Rodgers Forge)? How many people do you foresee walking down and then back up the giant hill to come down from downtown Towson to meet up at this location that’s in the middle of strip malls, car dealerships, and fast food restaurants and along a major thoroughfare? I find it odd that people who are not immediately impacted by this are so focused on this particular development.
Just another development with a bunch of surface parking and little else to offer — no imagination, nothing really transformative. We can’t rely on developers for innovative ideas for what to do with our built landscape. This is something that strong city planning and city councils have to push. But when your government is in the pocket of developers, what do you expect?
Completely agree.
Yes too much space used for parking! Use the abundant surrounding parking garages, increase the sidewalks and walkways, making it a pedestrian-friendly space. We want a more walkable/bikeable neighborhood!
Ann, there are no parking garages in the vicinity of this area. Any parking garages are up a very steep hill. The neighborhoods across the street (Towson Park and Stoneridge) are already strapped for parking space.