Towson Development News

[KLynch]

Originally Posted by oneworld25

The Baltimore rail plan calls for a rail line to be built out to Towson but it would cost a fortune since it would have to be mostly underground. What I'd like to see is a subway line that goes from Towson to Hopkins, continues under Charles St. through Mt. Vernon and ends in Federal Hill.

That would make too much sense!

[scando]

Originally Posted by oneworld25

I addressed this in another thread. The right of way was available in the northwest area of the region and that's why the subway was built where it was built. It was supposed to be a starter line for a comprehensive regional transit system that would have included a line up to Towson.

This being said, I put some of the blame for there not being a heavy rail connection to Towson on William Donald Schaefer. While I was only a little kid when it opened, from my understanding the whole reason the light rail was built where it was built was because Schaefer wanted to have a rail connection to Camden Yards when the park opened and in order to do that the rail line had to be built without federal funding. Schaefer (who probably never once rode transit in his adult life) didn't seem to care that building a rail line that did not connect with the existing rail line and that went through some of the least densely populated parts of the region was not a very good idea. Had Schaefer been willing to wait around for federal funding, we could have probably gotten a rail line that went through Camden Yards, connected to the existing subway, and went to Towson as envisioned in the original plan. .....

The other aspect to that story was that the light rail, being built without federal funds and in a big hurry, was built along the existing right of way of the defunct Northern Central railroad. The ROW was abandoned, available for cheap and didn't present any of the problems that come along with purchasing property for transit in a suburban area. It presented few terrain or grade problems, got past Lake Roland and the beltway with no difficulty and it passed by all of the places that were important stops in 1860 (the big problem). In spite of its weaknesses, however, it remains as the cheapest 30 miles of rail transit that we will ever see around here. A comparable subway would probably have NEVER happened (like the other subway lines we never got), due to suburban opposition, decades long delays for Federal $$ and the cost to the State. Now that most of the snags in the system have been resolved a piece at a time, EXCEPT HOWARD STREET, most of it runs reasonably well. If only we could do something with Howard, it would really be a pretty good line. I keep hoping that something will move on replacing the Howard St tunnel, so that might be used for Light Rail; it's in the perfect place.

It turns out that the ill-conceived, short-sighted, on-the-cheap Light Rail is the best transit we have gotten over the past 20 something years.

[scando]

Originally Posted by Infoman

I never understood why Towson didn't have a Baltimore Metro station/line when it was originally built. Why would the State, Baltimore, The Federal Gov't, etc not want to connect two main districts of the metro together, its almost a no-brainer. Yes crime would've been higher around the stations but overall it would've been a much smarter investment than Towson.

I wish a private developer would come through and work with the MTA to build more lines in Baltimore, and the surrounding metro area.

It WAS part of the future, but that future is now the past, because Baltimore will probably NEVER get another subway line. According to the Feds, downtown Baltimore isn't big enough to justify it and they don't operate on the "build it and they will come" philosophy. For the future, the Red Line is as good as transit will probably ever get around here and even that is doubtful and doesn't go anywhere near Towson.

As for going to Towson, it presents an elevation problem (500 feet above downtown, 300 feet above the Jones Falls Valley) that might be solved by running a spur off the Light Rail parallel to the Beltway (which has a gradual slope to Towson), but you can imagine the complications (i.e., $$$$$) of getting past the on and off ramps. Otherwise, you'd need it to run up big hills, through expensive neighborhoods (like the Charles Street corridor or Ruxton) where opposition would be well funded and politically connected or up the already congested York Road. You'll grow old and grey waiting for this to happen.

[rockin'.baltimorean]

Towson University Investing $10.2M in York Road Property
Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Towson University has spent $6.2 million to purchase a property on York Road with plans to spend another $4 million to refurbish the structure.

The university bought the 40,000-square-foot building to house several programs that fall within its Division of Economic and Community Outreach, including TowsonGlobal Business Incubator, which will occupy one whole floor [see story].

The university has been a tenant for several years and decided to go ahead and purchase the building as it would save money in the long run compared with renting, says Mark Behm, Towson’s interim vice president of administration and finance and chief fiscal officer. Towson bought the building from Garrison Forest Foods Inc., state property records show.

The building currently houses Towson’s continuing education programs and the Regional Economic Studies Institute. These tenants will move out temporarily in November while the building undergoes a 13-month renovation, Behm says. The renovations will include upgrades to the electrical system and adding an elevator to make it handicap accessible.

http://bmoremedia.com/devnews/towsonu100212.aspx

[BlueSock]

There's a lot going on in Towson.

http://www.baltimorebrew.com/2013/04/23/60-million-apartment-complex-slated-for-towsons-south-side/

According to Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, downtown Towson is experiencing a boom, with more than 1,500 luxury apartments built over the last four years.

At the Towson traffic circle, the once-vacant 12-story Towson City Center has been fully leased by Caves Valley Partners, with corporate headquarters for MileOne, Remedi Senior Care and Towson University’s Institute for Well-Being.

An $85 million Towson Square entertainment center, to be anchored by the 15-screen Cinemark movie theater and eight restaurants, began in January.

An LA Fitness center at Towson Commons is also under construction, adding a “Hollywood touch” to downtown, according to a press release from Kamenetz’s office today.

They are also looking into developing the land that the fire station currently sits on.