Resurfacing to Improve Bangert Avenue and Chapel and Forge Roads

During this difficult economy, money is tight in Baltimore County. We need to spend our limited funding wisely. I believe that capital projects like schools, roads, and infrastructure are important to keep our neighborhoods desirable places to live.

 

I have been able to secure commitments from County Executive Kamenetz for new school and road improvements in the Fifth District. This afternoon, I was happy to announce the first of road resurfacing projects throughout the Fifth District.  

 

Baltimore County will resurface the entire 1.1-mile stretch of Chapel Road from Joppa to Belair Roads; the 2.9-mile stretch of Forge Road; and the .92 mile length of Bangert Avenue. Altogether, that includes nearly five miles of heavily-traveled roads in Perry Hall. None of these roads will be widened.

 

I would like to thank the County Executive for his support. I would also like to thank Senator J.B. Jennings and Delegate Kathy Szeliga for consisently advocating for improvements to these roads, which are mainly in the Seventh District. Chapel Road is the dividing line with the Eighth District, which is represented by Senator Kathy Klausmeier and Delegates Joe Boteler, Eric Bromwell, and John Cluster. The Perry Hall Improvement Association has also championed these improvements.

 

There will be future resurfacing projects throughout the Fifth District, but this work is a good start. As a transportation professional, I am pleased we are investing in the roads that are critical for families and local commerce.

Information About Saturday Night's Incident in Downtown Towson

I have had numerous conversations with police, business owners and leaders regarding the incident in Downtown Towson on Saturday night. I have also communicated with Towson University's President, Dr. Maravene Loeschke, even though the event seems not to be specifically related to Towson University's Homecoming.

I respect the Police Department's work as we sort out what occurred and what steps can improve public safety in the immediate future. Below is the official statement from the Police Department:

http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/News/policereleases/0924rechercrowdarrests.html

This was an isolated incident of an unusual magnitude.

There are many outstanding restaurants, businesses, and events in Downtown Towson, with many positive developments underway. We will continue to make a great Baltimore County community even better.

Chapel Road: A Unique Place in Perry Hall

Like hundreds of other families, we enjoyed the Perry Hall Apple Festival this weekend.   Chapel Hills Farm and Nursery and the Perry Hall Improvement Association deserve a lot of credit for sponsoring such a wonderful, family-friendly event.

Source:  Patch.

Chapel Hills Farm and Nursery is popular with families because it's a reminder of Perry Hall's small-town past.  During the fall, when Maryland's weather seems perfect, the farm sponsors hayrides and other seasonal events.   The rest of the year, you can always wander up to the goats with your kids or have them explore the pirate ship while you buy some flowers or vegetables.  It is one of my favorite places in Perry Hall.

Like Weber's Farm in Cub Hill, growth has encroached on the farm.   My goal as County Councilman is to make sure the Chapel Road corridor retains as much of a small-town, lightly developed feel as possible.

The Baltimore County Department of Public Works has, at times, supported widening Chapel Road.  In August of 2011, I obtained a commitment from the county that were no plans to expand the road.  I support resurfacing Chapel Road, but I do not want this to become an expressway that obliterates the homes along its route (Honeygo Boulevard was always envisioned as a corridor for traffic in this area).  At my request, the county has not required the builders of two pending housing developments to build their entrances any larger than the current Chapel Road.

Zoning will affect what can built in this area in the future.  Last month, at my request, the County Council downzoned 69 acres along Chapel and Joppa Roads.  This will lighten future development and take pressure off infrastructure in this area.  

I want to thank all those who made this weekend's festival possible.  I hope this area continues to be a very special part of our Perry Hall community.

Seven Oaks Elementary School to Receive Air Conditioning in 2013

Source:  Patch.

This morning, I confirmed with the school system's director of physical facilities that Seven Oaks Elementary School will receive air conditioning in 2013.

"Seven Oaks is included in a group of four schools that we hope to complete through an Energy Performance Contract program (the first phase of perhaps three). It was included as part of the group of schools that were evaluated to fit into the program," Baltimore County Public Schools physical facilities director Michael Sines responded to an inquiry I made.

Although it was built in the early 1990s, air conditioning was not included as part of the original structure.

Air conditioning at the school has been a top priority for me and the four state legislators who represent the area, Senator Kathy Klausmeier and Delegates Joe Boteler, Eric Bromwell, and John Cluster. I would like to thank them for their bipartisan support of this project, and especially Superintendent S. Dallas Dance and his team. 

Downzoning Decisions Will Lighten Future School Overcrowding

On Tuesday, August 28, the Baltimore County Council adopted my rezoning recommendations in the Fifth District. The recommendations lower the future development potential of 417 acres. Of the acreage that changed during the rezoning cycle, 95 percent was lowered in development potential, which means fewer new homes throughout the Fifth District.

Some of these changes were opposed by developers and landowners, but it is critical for Baltimore County to anticipate the future growth that could occur on undeveloped land. 
 
In Towson and Loch Raven, we lightened the impact of future development on 67 acres, the largest change ever adopted in this area. Some of the rezoning affects community parks and a city-owned reservoir, but the most substantial rezoning affected the Mount Pleasant Golf Course. The old zoning allowed hundreds of apartments or townhouses to be built at the Mount Pleasant Golf Course if the city ever sold the property for development. The new zoning prohibits any new development by designating the 38 acres as open space.

The county has poured millions of dollars into Towson’s schools, which are overcrowded largely due to demographic changes. I don’t want overdevelopment making the situation even worse.

In Carney and Parkville, we downzoned 87 acres, including 67 acres in the Cromwell Valley. I also recommended downzoning undeveloped properties near Northwind Road and Magledt Road. By lightening the zoning, we prevented the impact of growth on Carney and Harford Hills Elementary Schools, Pine Grove Middle School, and Loch Raven High School.

The Council downzoned 263 acres in the Perry Hall area, including 55 acres of wooded property southwest of Perry Hall High School between the Ebenezer Road corridor, Honeygo Boulevard, and Silver Spring Road. This is one of the biggest chunks of undeveloped land in Perry Hall. I believe that without the rezoning change, builders would have proceeded with plans to erect dozens of new homes here over the next two decade, maybe even sooner. 
 
I have advocated for more and better schools for the past 15 years, both as President of the Perry Hall Improvement Association and as President of the school system’s Northeast Educational Advisory Council. In my mind, the county should unquestionably have purchased land for new schools when money was more plentiful. During these tight times, our options are more limited.

Recognizing these limitations, I used my power as a County Councilman to reshape the zoning in the Fifth District to make sure that future development has a lighter and better impact on our schools.

Never Forgetting My Community Roots



Two years ago, I made the difficult decision to quit my job in the federal government to run for the Baltimore County Council.   My family stood by me, despite the threat to our livelihood.   We ran with strong community support and pinched pennies to buy the yard signs, bumper stickers, and handouts needed for a successful race.

Many of my contributions in that first race, and over the past year, have been from friends and neighbors who made small donations because they believed in me.  

I have never forgotten my roots as a community leader.   Anyone who has read the Patch--especially the stories written by the regional editors--knows of my work over the past 20 months:

During the rezoning process, we limited growth on 417 acres, the most downzoning in the Fifth District in two decades.

I worked with my colleagues of both political parties to pass legislation that created the first open space zoning in Baltimore County history.  Then, we applied it to 173 acres, more than in any other County Council district.

We banned panhandle building lots in the environmentally-sensitive Carney and Cub Hill areas.   During the rezoning process, our work eliminated homes from being built behind Summit Avenue and a 7-11 convenience store from being approved at Magledt Road near the snowball stand.

Many of my decisions have not been popular with developers and landowners, but they were best for our communities.

I am very proud of the good work we are doing for our communities, and of the many friends and neighbors who believe in me.   I will never forget my local roots, which is why I work nearly six or seven days a week to make our neighborhoods better.   Thank you for your support.

New Downtown Design Standards Will Protect Adjacent Neighborhoods

One of my priorities has been to improve the look and vitality of Perry Hall's commercial district, which is centered on Joppa, Ebenezer, and Belair Roads.   In 2011, the County Council passed legislation that established a commercial revitalization district that offers economic incentives to propertyowners.   This summer, I submitted--and the County Council approved--legislation that requires new construction to be approved by the Baltimore County Design Review Panel. 

On Tuesday, September 4, the Baltimore County Council passed a resolution that specifies the standards for new construction.  The resolution amends the Perry Hall Community Plan to say, among other things, that new buildings should be predominantly designed with brick; that parking should be located along the sides and rear of any new building; and that pedestrian amenities and landscaping are important elements of new construction.

There are also important protections for surrounding neighborhoods.

For example, the resolution says that "commercial buildings that are located near a residential neighborhood should respect the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhood."   Loading docks should be screened, and for fast food restaurants, drive-thru features should be placed in a position that has the least disruption for nearby homes.

If, for example, McDonalds were to be redeveloped, this last point would hopefully provide some added protection for the townhouses along Minte Drive.

The new standards do not affect changes to existing structures.  But if new buildings are planned, we are going to have to live with their look for decades to come, so a little more review and thoughtfulness is very important.