Baltimore County Development News

[NorthaBmore]

Well if Towson does get bigger and get a lot of HQ's, like I hope and believe it will, it will still just be a large suburban edge city like Tysons Corner, White Plains, or Stamford. If you ask someone living in Vegas about one of those places, they'll have no idea what you are talking about, with the exception maybe of Stamford. But, White Plains, Stamford, and Tysons are known throughout the notheast, even by people who aren't skyscraper and urban nuts like we are. I can see Towson getting to that level sometime not to far into the future, but national recognazation of Towson will never happen.

[Infoman]

I hope it could, but connecticut has like three known cities and NJ has two Newark, and Jersey City (they are very known), Massachuset's only has 1, Cambridge is known to a certain degree, NC has like 4, Georgia has 1, so I guess we are fortune it to atleast have one known city, some state's don't have any.

[rockin'.baltimorean]

Originally Posted by NorthaBmore

Well if Towson does get bigger and get a lot of HQ's, like I hope and believe it will, it will still just be a large suburban edge city like Tysons Corner, White Plains, or Stamford. If you ask someone living in Vegas about one of those places, they'll have no idea what you are talking about, with the exception maybe of Stamford. But, White Plains, Stamford, and Tysons are known throughout the notheast, even by people who aren't skyscraper and urban nuts like we are. I can see Towson getting to that level sometime not to far into the future, but national recognazation of Towson will never happen.

great point!

[Exrexnotex]

Dundalk acreage sold far below purchase price

By Bryan P. Sears

A deal to sell a county-owned Dundalk tract will cost county taxpayers nearly $20 million.

The county will sell the 9.8-acre parcel, for which the county paid nearly $21 million in 2006, to a company owned by Baltimore businessman John Vontran for nearly $1.64 million.

In 2005, Vontran was charged with illegal gambling, charges that county prosecutors have not pursued.

The tract was once the site of the troubled Yorkway Apartment complex.

County officials defended the sale to Vontran, former president of Amusement Vending, a company that places video poker machines in bars and restaurants. Vontran’s company, Yorkway LLC, was selected to purchase the property through a competitive bid process.

Don Moehler, a spokesman for County Executive Jim Smith, said that from the beginning officials had told the County Council, which approved the sale Sept. 15, that the county would not recoup what it had paid for the land.

He said the Yorkway had been “a cancer” and added:
“There was never an expectation that we would recover all the money we paid to remove the blight from this neighborhood. I don’t know how you put a price on community transformation.”

Vontran likewise defended the deal.

“Just because the county paid all that money doesn’t mean the property is worth that. I have no control over what the county brings a piece of property down for.”

He said there is a payback to county taxpayers beyond raw dollars.

“They get rid of a drug haven. The money the county would put out in police manpower and extra trash pickups is saved,” Vontran said. “You can’t put a price on that.”

Vontran said in an interview that he has not been in the vending and video poker machine business for several years and now focuses on development projects in Dundalk and the Canton area of Baltimore.

The phone number once used for his vending machine business is now used for the headquarters of his various development companies, said Vontran, 44 and a resident of Perry Hall
.
As part of the deal with Vontran, the county is removing the tract from Smith’s Renaissance Revitalization program.

Councilman Kevin Kamenetz said that move and the sale price, concern him.

Under Renaissance Revitalization, a developer is required to hold a series of meetings, called charettes, with community members. A plan developed in the meetings would have to be approved by 80 percent of those attending for the county to proceed.

But “all that is before us is a bill of sale,” Kamenetz said Sept. 9. “If we approve this, we have no more leverage over the developer. We need to see a game plan.”

After a Sept. 9 council work session, Kamenetz threatened to block the contract from even coming up for a council vote.

In the end, Kamenetz voted with five other councilmen to approve the sale after Vontran agreed to submit his development plan to the county’s Planned Unit Development process. Under that process, Vontran will have to get the approval of both the council and the county Planning Board. The public will have an opportunity to review the plan and make its concerns known before final approval.

Only Councilman Sam Moxley, a Democrat who represents Catonsville and Arbutus, voted against the sale. He said he was concerned that the county was not getting enough out of its investment because of the slump in the housing market.

“It costs the county nothing to hold onto it,” Moxley said.

The Yorkway development will be Vontran’s largest development project, which he said will be “work force housing” priced from $249,000 to $269,000.

County Administrative Officer Fred Homan said it was necessary to remove the property from the program in order to redevelop it.

“The intention was to be able to use the charette process,” Homan said. “ But developers were not willing to come to the table in this market.”

Councilman John Olszewski Sr., reminded colleagues at the Sept. 9 session that the Yorkway complex had accounted for 3,500 calls for police service a year.

This will be the largest project developed by Vontran, who said he got his start rehabilitating a dozen or so houses in Canton.

He currently has one project under way in Canton, with four houses completed.

Vontran is the former president of Amusement Vending, a company that placed video games and vending machines in bars and restaurants in the county and city. A 2006 report by the Abell Foundation estimated his company once licensed 93 video poker machines in Baltimore County.

Since 2000, Vontran personally has donated $2,050 to Olszewski’s campaign. Amusement Vending donated an additional $1,900 to that campaign and $250 to Smith’s campaign, according to state Board of Elections records.

Both Vontran’s lawyer and spokesman have ties to Smith. David Gildea, a land-use attorney, worked as a clerk for Smith during his tenure as a Circuit Court Judge. Vontran initially referred questions about the Dundalk development to Damian O’Doherty, a Towson resident who was both a spokesman and top aide to Smith.

Vontran said he is not personally close to either Olszewski or Smith.

Vontran faced illegal gaming charges in Baltimore County three years ago. The charges included possession illegal slot machines and failure to comply with licensing requirements.

Those charges were later placed on an inactive docket that allows prosecutors the option to pursue the charges at a later date. So far, those charges remain inactive.

Vontran said he could not comment on the charges and has been out of the business since 2007.

“I had my fill of it,” said Vontran, who added that he no longer owns any bars in Baltimore City since selling one named the Purple Goose in southwest Baltimore this year. Vontran said he still owns the land on which that bar site.

[Exrexnotex]

Good riddance. I wonder where all the drug dealers "relocated" to ?

It's a big loss the county took , thou. Ouch.

[oneworld25]

Originally Posted by Tricia_Lvs_Baltimore

And we certainly can't forget the beautiful Quarry Lake at Greenspring:

I live in Pikesville off Reisterstown Road and in my opinion Quarry Lake was a disaster. The county had an opportunity to build a really nice mixed-use development like the Kentlands in the Gaithersburg area. But instead we got stuck with a gated community full of McMansions and a phony main street.

[Tricia_Lvs_Baltimore]

My girlfriend and I drove past Quarry Lake the other day, and I wouldn't exactly call this development a disaster. Retailers are moving in and those single-family homes are being sold like hotcakes. I would call it a complete success.

[folsomfanatic]

Originally Posted by oneworld25

I live in Pikesville off Reisterstown Road and in my opinion Quarry Lake was a disaster. The county had an opportunity to build a really nice mixed-use development like the Kentlands in the Gaithersburg area. But instead we got stuck with a gated community full of McMansions and a phony main street.

ISN'T THE KENTLANDS A PHONY MAIN STREET?

LOL

I THINK QUARRY IS GREAT. THERE JUST ISN'T ROOM AROUND THE QUARRY EDGE TO BUILD BIG BLOCKS AND MASSES OF ACTIVITY. THE LINEAR NATURE OF THE DEVELOPABLE PARTS OF THAT SITE MADE IT DIFFICULT TO CREATE A CRITICAL MASS,

KENTLANDS IS SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE IT HAD ROOM FOR MAJOR DEVELOPMENT SURROUNDING THE RETAIL CORE.

[Dr. Remington]

i do like the way that kentlands built brand new, old-looking neighborhoods. but while quarry lake's style is bland and looks like 80% of other developments in the region, it's exactly what joe and betty suburbanite love and I'm sure it will be a success commercially if not aestheticly.
by the way have you seen some of the brand new old looking stuff they're building in maple lawn near columbia? its crazy! there's a model called "the bolton hill" that looks like a haunted house compared to most new developments. pretty rad IMHO but not for everyone - lots of $$$ i'm sure

[oneworld25]

ISN'T THE KENTLANDS A PHONY MAIN STREET?...I THINK QUARRY IS GREAT. THERE JUST ISN'T ROOM AROUND THE QUARRY EDGE TO BUILD BIG BLOCKS AND MASSES OF ACTIVITY. THE LINEAR NATURE OF THE DEVELOPABLE PARTS OF THAT SITE MADE IT DIFFICULT TO CREATE A CRITICAL MASS,

I wouldn't call Kentlands a phony main street. The idea was to create a Main Street area that people would be able to walk to from their homes, just like they can in older communities. When I think phony main street, I think of something like the Avenue at White Marsh, where no housing is within walking distance. You do have a point about the geography of the site making it difficult for a Kentlands type development.

do like the way that kentlands built brand new, old-looking neighborhoods. but while quarry lake's style is bland and looks like 80% of other developments in the region, it's exactly what joe and betty suburbanite love

I'm not sure sprawl is what joe and betty suburb want. After all sprawl was a direct result of government funded highways, zoning laws that demanded complete separation of commercial and residential zones (in most jurisdictions it would be illegal to build a Kentlands type development), and a number of other government policies. Sprawl has nothing to do with the free market. In fact, given how successful Kentlands has been there is probably a large market for traditional neighborhoods.

[Tricia_Lvs_Baltimore]

State likely to OK DeVry proposal for new Towson site

For-profit school plans to offer tech training
Baltimore Business Journal - by Sue Schultz Staff
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A new DeVry University location in Towson could help the region’s technology businesses meet demand for highly skilled workers, say state higher education leaders in favor of the for-profit school’s proposal.

The Maryland Higher Education Commission could approve later this month a new site in Towson for the private career school. The state agency recommended approval this month of nine degree and certificate programs offered by DeVry, including technology management, wireless communication, entrepreneurship and project management.

MHEC will cast its final vote on the plan Sept. 24.

“There’s a gap that needs to be met,” said Genny Segura, senior education policy analyst in academic affairs for MHEC. “Technology training is expensive, and often public institutions can’t offer what is needed because of limited state dollars.”

[rockin'.baltimorean]

cool!! this will be the 2nd devry in maryland (the only one is in bethesda)

[Maudibjr]

I noticed some construction material and backhoes were being gathered at the Owings Mills Metro stop. Might this project finally get off of the ground?

[Tricia_Lvs_Baltimore]

I hope so. David S. Brown is the developer of this one, right?

[oneworld25]

Originally Posted by Maudibjr

I noticed some construction material and backhoes were being gathered at the Owings Mills Metro stop. Might this project finally get off of the ground?

The Project was off the ground for a while. But the County then wanted to expand the Community College and couldn't get to an agreement with Howard Brown (the son of David S. Brown). So construction has currently stopped. From what I hear this Howard Brown guy sounds like a real jerk. He's getting sued left and right.

[Tricia_Lvs_Baltimore]

Oh, I see. That explains this email I got yesterday from this guy who works for David S. Brown.


Flag this messageRE: Metro Centre at Owings MillsTuesday, September 23, 2008 3:02 PM
From: "Kenneth Chapman" <KChapman@mtamaryland.com>Add sender to Contacts To: trish_lvs_baltimore@yahoo.com

Ms. Mendes,

Construction is temporarily on hold until the developer and Baltimore County resolve some issues. It is hoped that construction will resume early 2009.

Thank you.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: patricia mendes [mailto:trish_lvs_baltimore@yahoo.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 12:24 PM
To: Kenneth Chapman
Subject: Metro Centre at Owings Mills



Good morning, Mr. Chapman. I am sending you this email in reference to the Metro Centre at Owings Mills project presented by David S. Brown enterprises. I have a couple of questions. Has the entire project been suspended? Are they still going to proceed with it? I am asking because I have noticed that construction work has totally stopped on the whole project altogether. Please get back to me when you have a chance. Thank you dearly in advance.

[PeterSmith]

Tricia, you've become quite the investigator as of late. It's as if you were a journalist or reporter of some kind.

[jeremai]

LOL! Yes, good work Tricia. Steve should be proud.

[rockin'.baltimorean]

yes, i'm sure he is...very proud!

[hpal3]

http://www.corridorinc.com/component...pper/Itemid,8/

Construction to Begin on Luxury Apartments in Owings Mills, Maryland





WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Fore Property Company (FORE) will
begin construction next month on a 226-unit Class-A eco-conscious community
in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Situated on 15.6 acres, the apartment community is located less than a
mile from the Owings Mills Metro subway station near the intersection of
Lakeside Boulevard and Painters Mills Road and only 20 minutes from Towson
and downtown Baltimore.

4 Groveton's exceptional setting will underscore its special appeal to
those wanting the benefits of a modern, upscale, environmentally conscious
lifestyle, within close proximity to employment, shopping, dining and
entertainment. Residents of this gated community will also enjoy extensive
adjacent areas dedicated to forest conservation and recreational greenway.
This showpiece community will feature a striking three-level clubhouse with
a variety of luxury amenities -- including a swimming pool with custom
waterfall, health club, indoor virtual golf, billiards and shuffle board
tables and multiple picnic areas with grills and outdoor fireplaces.

FORE is proud to introduce 4 Groveton as Owings Mills' first
LEED-certified residential apartment community. This project is designed to
meet the U.S. Green Building Council's guidelines on sustainable green
development. When completed, 4 Groveton is anticipated to be a healthier,
more efficient building both in terms of construction materials and
fixtures used by residents.

Currently FORE's affiliate, CANV/NC LLC, is soliciting bids from local,
regional and national subcontracts in anticipation of starting construction
next month. Interested subcontractors should contact Dean Schroeder, Vice
President of Construction at (202) 965-1224 ext. 20 or
dschroeder@foreproperty.com.

Fore Property Company (FORE) is a full service, national real estate
company with over 30 years of experience in developing, constructing and
managing communities. FORE has built over 17,500 apartment units in over 70
communities in 14 states and 34 cities. For additional information about
Fore Property Company and all of their communities visit:
http://www.foreproperty.com.