A Month for Remembrance

May is a month for remembrance in Baltimore County.

On Friday, May 4, Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens sponsored the Annual Fallen Heroes Day ceremony.  Since 1986, this event has honored all those in Maryland's public safety community who have lost their lives over the previous year.  More than 1,200 people typically attend the service.  This year, attendees honored Maryland Trooper First Class Shaft Hunter, who died  when his patrol car collided with the back of a parked tractor-trailer along Interstate-95.

Source:  Patch.

A week later, on Friday, May 11, we honored those police officers who have given their lives while serving the people of Baltimore County.  Over the history of the Baltimore County Police Department, eight police officers have died while on duty.   The ceremony is held at the police memorial on the south lawn of Patriot Plaza, next to the Historic Courthouse.

This weekend, I attended a similar service at the firefighters memorial, which parallels the police monument on the other side of Patriot Plaza.  In Baltimore County, the professional fire stations are complemented by a system of volunteer firefighter units.  Many jurisdictions have volunteer stations, but rarely is the relationship so extensive.  We owe a debt of gratitude to all our firefighters and paramedics.

And finally, this Memorial Day weekend, we will honor all those who have served in our armed forces.    

The men and women who guard our communities and our country deserve our eternal gratitude.  Those of us in public office should do whatever we can to provide them and their families the resources, pay and benefits they deserve.

Breaking Ground for the Stoneleigh Elementary School Addition

With classes out for the summer, work will soon begin on the addition at Stoneleigh Elementary School. The 200-seat expansion is one of many projects designed to alleviate overcrowding throughout the York Road corridor.

Stoneleigh Elementary School.

Towson is one of the most desirable communities in Baltimore County. Schools like Stoneleigh Elementary are not overcrowded because of development, but because younger families are attracted to Towson's neighborhoods and our excellent school system. 

I have been a strong supporter of the Stoneleigh Elementary School addition, as well as the Hampton Elementary expansion and the new Carver High School. I applaud County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and our state legislators for their support of these projects. In Fiscal Year 2013, about 48 percent of all the consolidated public improvement projects are in the Fifth District, excluding those that cross district lines. The level of investment in Towson's schools has been extraordinary.

But I really want to commend the parents who led the way for projects like the Stoneleigh Elementary School addition. I can remember the first meeting I had with the nucleus of parents who became Stoneleigh United. I told them it would be very difficult to secure the funding, but they pushed hard. Kudos to Juliet Fisher and all those who believed in the project.

Looking forward, we need to look at our middle and high schools, which are already experiencing overcrowding (although Carver High School may be able to accommodate some growth). I am looking at the development potential of more than 480 acres of land as part of the rezoning process. We need to make sure our communities can sustain future development.

But for now, as the Stoneleigh Elementary School addition gets underway, I want to thank the Kamenetz administration, our state legislators, and parents and community leaders who helped make it possible.

New Laws Protect Open Space, Reform Development Process

The current Baltimore County Council is now 18 months into its term. With five freshmen, this Council has brought new ideas and energy to the table, particularly in the area of planning, zoning, and development.

Bill 2-11 created the Baltimore County Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee. Already, we are seeing a renewed interest in new trails and sidewalk projects. Our office is working to extend the Indian Rock Park trail in Perry Hall and create bike lanes in the Towson area.

Bill 3-11 requires a Community Input Meeting for a new development to be closer to an affected neighborhood. I introduced this bill because I remember when Perry Hall residents had to travel to the Rosedale library to learn about a project in their own backyard. The same thing happened in Carney, where residents were required to go to the Perry Hall library even when there were closer places to meet.

Resolution 29-11 directs the Planning Board to review whether zoning regulations can better stimulate Transit-Oriented Development.

Many of our bills have reformed the Planned Unit Development process. A PUD is a special project that is not contingent on traditional zoning. Planned Unit Developments can play an important role, particularly by encouraging mixed-use development, but they must be done selectively. Bill 36-11 requires a Community Input Meeting and agency reviews before the County Council even considers a PUD resolution.

Bill 64-11 qualifies NeighborSpace of Baltimore County as a community benefit under a Planned Unit Development. Bill 4-12 puts the PUD documents on-line.

I am most proud of Bill 7-12, which creates the first-ever open space zoning designation in Baltimore County, "Neighborhood Commons." We should have areas that are specifically preserved from development. Bill 7-12 gives a County Councilmember this important tool during the rezoning process.

Bill 15-12 gives the public additional notice for a proposed variance or special exception, and it requires these changes to be posted on-line.

Bill 21-12 bans panhandle building lots in Carney, Cub Hill, and Parkville, blocking this type of infill development in a hilly and densely-populated part of Baltimore County.

Bill 23-12 expands the type of projects that can qualify for a property tax credit if the homes meet certain environmental standards. This legislation is good for taxpayers, as well as for the environment.

I worked on many of these bills with Councilman Tom Quirk, who also has a strong interest in planning and development issues. But here's what is extraordinary: not only did the legislation secure support from both Democrats and Republicans, but not a single vote was cast against any of the bills I just mentioned. We will continue looking for ways to advance public participation in the development process.

The Transformation of Northern Towson

The stretch of York Road from the Towson circle to the Baltimore Beltway is undergoing one of the most remarkable, and unheralded, changes in Baltimore County.

The renovation of the Investment
Building.  Source:  The Baltimore Sun.

For years, this was an ugly corridor, and then it became a corridor lined with vacancies. Now, businesses are moving into the area and cleaning it up.

The Brooks-Huff store and McDonalds were among the first to renovate. Since then, Verizon Wireless moved into the space once occupied by Towson Ford, and Walgreens opened at the corner of Fairmount Avenue. DMS Development worked with the Towson Park neighborhood to design a Walgreens store that is probably one of the most attractive in Central Maryland.

Across the street, construction is underway on the new Carver High School. This week, the School Board approved easements that will lead to a new Patient First at an abandoned car wash. That Patient First represents dozens of professional jobs for Towson, and the type of health care facility not found in northern Towson.

But perhaps the most exciting development along this corridor is the Towson City Center project. The redevelopment of the Investment Building is transforming the Towson skyline. All but two floors are completely leased, and when the building opens, it will lead to hundreds of more patrons for Towson's businesses.

There are signs of economic rebirth throughout Towson, but the most dramatic changes are occuring in this northern section.

The Pit Bull Decision

I met Tony Solesky the last weekend of the campaign in 2010.   Mr. Solesky operates a painting and home improvement company, and he was finishing a job in the Loch Raven area where I was campaigning with another candidate.  Mr. Solesky told me about an incident involving a pit bull attack that had seriously injured his son Dominic several years ago, and he asked me to remember him if I got elected.

Well, I was elected several days later, and Mr. Solesky was one of the first people who visited me.  We have spoken several times over the past year.  This week, Maryland's highest court ruled in favor of the Solesky family, declaring when an attack specifically involves pit bulls, it is no longer necessary to prove the individual dog was dangerous.

The decision has provoked a sharp response from pit bull advocates, who counter that these dogs are influenced by their care and their environment, like all other creatures.  These advocates worry that the decision will lead to abandonment of the dogs as owners worry about being evicted for possessing them.

It might be a surprise, but animal welfare is one of the toughest and most emotional issues facing local government.  In addition to the pit bull issue, there are those who question the county's policy of exterminating animals at the shelter.   I do not have all the answers, and I do not know how the County Council will react to these issues, but I do know that no one should have been forced to endure the pain inflicted on Dominic Solesky.