Developer of Silo Point interested in old fire station at York, Bosley

Silo Point

Patrick Turner, the developer behind the Silo Point mixed-use development in Locust Point, says he wants to buy the old fire station site and York Road and Bosley Avenue. The property is currently being reviewed for a highly controversial 24-hour Royal Farms gas station.

Turner contacted Councilman David Marks earlier this month to tell him of his interest in the site.

Turner

When asked in an interview Tuesday if he was envisioning a project similar to Silo Point in Towson, Turner said he wasn’t necessarily interested in residential units, but was instead more likely to propose — if given the chance — a mix of retail and office space. He said he would work closely with surrounding communities to make sure the project was to their liking.

Turner said that because the location is so prominent and serves as a gateway to Towson for those traveling from the north, a gas station would not be appropriate there.

“With that particular location, if it’s done right, a new project could really add to the feeling of Towson,” Turner said.

He added that financing the purchase would not be a problem and said his well-known Westport project fell through not for lack of money but because he was diagnosed with cancer and had to focus on his chemotherapy and other treatments.

Turner, head of the Turner Development Group, said in a letter to Councilman David Marks that he would pay the same $8.3 million that Caves Valley Partners has already bid, plus an extra $200,000.

“We can settle as soon as 60 days or when all necessary documentation is in place. We will develop a plan that will meet community approval such as my Silo Point project did,” the letter said.

Proposed Royal Farms

“Should the opportunity arise, the Green Towson Alliance looks forward to collaborating with a qualified, selected developer for this high profile piece of public land,” Wendy Jacobs of the GTA said in an email. “The community deserves an environmentally friendly, quality-of-life enhancing use for that site; something that would be pedestrian and bicycle friendly, contain appropriate open space,  and would not contribute to air or water pollution. We are certain this can be achieved without causing harm to the County budget.”

Because a gas station is not allowed by the area’s zoning, Caves Valley applied for a PUD (Planned Unit Development) to avoid having to comply with the zoning.

Marks approved moving the PUD application forward, saying he was doing so in part because the Kamenetz administration had threatened to withhold funds from his district if he didn’t — something they said is not true.

The site also had interest from Harris Teeter and Whole Foods, though neither of those projects made it through the initial stages. Opponents of the Royal Farms note that a gas station flies in the face of downtown Towson’s goal of becoming more pedestrian friendly and of utilizing stricter architectural standards.

Marks has since dropped is support of the PUD and has introduced legislation that would kill the project. It is not yet clear if he can garner enough votes to stop the Royal Farms. Council members generally defer to “councilmanic courtesy” when it comes to projects that only affect one district, but that is not necessarily the case here.

Councilwoman Vicki Almond, who represents the western portion of Towson, said she was not sure if she would vote to kill the project, which has faced voracious opposition from nearby residents and environmental groups.

Caves Valley officials could not be reached for comment.

“This letter proves that there is interest by other parties in thoughtfully redeveloping the county-owned land at York Road and Bosley Avenue,” Marks said in a statement Tuesday.

“I did not solicit this letter; it was proactively offered by the Turner Development Group. I believe that re-bidding this property would likely produce a better development plan with more robust community support.  The alternative will be years of controversy and litigation, with Baltimore County not receiving a cent from the sale of this land for a long time to come,” Marks said.

Peggy King, a Towson resident who lives near the fire station site, said she is “very happy to see there is interest in the property which does not involve a gas-station complex.”

The resolution to kill the Royal Farms will be discussed at the Council’s 2PM work session on Aug. 1.