Finishing Touches on Towson City Center

Workers are finishing the renovation of the old Investment Building in northern Towson.  Now christened Towson City Center, the building will open this summer and herald a new chapter in the redevelopment of Downtown Towson.

Why is Towson City Center so important?  There are a number of reasons.  

Towson City Center will bring hundreds of new employees into Downtown Towson who will patronize our restaurants and other businesses.   This mass of activity is absolutely critical in stimulating the downtown core.   My hope is that the residential development off Towsontown Boulevard, Towson Green, will have a similar effect from the south.

The redevelopment of this old building is already having an impact on Towson's skyline.   The new glass skin on the building looks great. 

And because Towson University is leasing 58,000 square feet of the building, there is a symbolic effect to the project.   Goucher College and Towson University are critical elements of our local economy.   The more we can weave these two institutions into the downtown core--administrative functions, offices, and even classrooms--the stronger the core will become.

Caves Valley Partners has invested at least $27 million in this project.   County Executive Kevin Kamenetz has been a critical supporter, as was his predecessor, Jim Smith. 

Last fall, I introduced legislation that modified the sign requirements for the area that includes this project.   I did so because I knew Towson City Center was an essential ingredient for Towson's revitalization to move forward.   With the signage now erected, I do not believe it is overpowering at all. 

The prospect of a new, job-producing building in the heart of Towson is very exciting, and I thank all those who have made this project possible. 

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.