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Lutherville-Timonium redevelopment would benefit region, readers say

Writer's picture: The Baltimore BannerThe Baltimore Banner

The fact remains that Greater Baltimore is an overall urban metropolitan area that is growing. The mindset of “no apartments, no compromise” is that of those who are frozen in time and cannot understand the future. Economically competitive cities the world over have moved away from automobile-centric mobility infrastructure and land use.


February 1, 2023


Amid opposition to the proposed Lutherville Station redevelopment from some nearby homeowners, I would encourage individuals who live in the area, less than 5 miles away from a large U.S. city, to closely consider the broader historical and geographic context of what exactly they have bought into. As far back as 1967, Baltimore County had the environmental sustainability foresight to establish an Urban-Rural Demarcation Line to “maximize the efficiency of County revenues on infrastructure in urban areas and preserve important natural and agricultural resources in rural areas.”


Fifty-six years later, the Lutherville Station site is next to a rail transit stop, in a county with an urban-rural demarcation line (URDL), a few miles away from Baltimore — a key Northeast Corridor city that seeks growth, in part through expanded infrastructure investments, including a more robust metropolitan-area transit system.


The fact that Baltimore County has the URDL means that over time, growth will have to be located closer to all current residents. And while some of us like to make trivial distinctions between urban and suburban, the fact remains that Greater Baltimore is an overall urban metropolitan area that is growing. Concerns about school crowding might be valid and county government should plan for the provision of educational facilities in line with projected growth. However, the mindset of “no apartments, no compromise” is that of those who are frozen in time and cannot understand the future. Economically competitive cities the world over have moved away from automobile-centric mobility infrastructure and land use. That said, residents who do not favor growth, density and walkability should not live in a municipality with an URDL, in such proximity to a major U.S. city. Instead, they should consider moving farther out into more exurban or rural areas.


Read the article on The Baltimore Banner.





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