A New Greenway in Perry Hall, at No Cost to Taxpayers

In the 1960s, Baltimore County had an ambitious plan for new roads that included the construction of Perry Hall Boulevard between White Marsh and Belair Road.   The road was never finished.   One section was built near Chapel Road at the Perry Hall Apartments, and another farther south at White Marsh Mall.   The two sections were never linked, mostly due to community opposition and environmental restrictions.

Today, some of the area between the sections has been built-out, but a lot of it remains undeveloped.   The original alignment for Perry Hall Boulevard is still owned by Baltimore County.  

The 2009 dedication of Indian Rock Park.

In 2009, the Perry Hall Improvement Association convinced Baltimore County to designate the 15 acres west of Perry Hall High School as Indian Rock Park.   The park is undeveloped, although there are plans to construct a hiking and biking trail.  Baltimore County has an opportunity to expand Indian Rock Park by adding the acreage north of Ebenezer Road that was once planned for Perry Hall Boulevard.  To the south, the county could add the publicly-owned land that stretches along Perry Hall Boulevard between Silver Spring Road and White Marsh Boulevard.

Imagine the possibility:  a slender, nearly unbroken chain of forests that stretches from East Joppa Road to White Marsh Boulevard, permanently protected from development.

Although there are no plans right now, I am concerned that at some point in the future, there may be an interest in selling the old Perry Hall Boulevard alignment to generate revenue for the county.   I will be downzoning this property to limit any future development, but the better opportunity is to add the land to Indian Rock Park.   And since Baltimore County already owns the land, it's an improvement that won't cost a penny for the taxpayers.