By Ellina Buettner and Muhammad Waheed
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers
The Baltimore County Council on Monday took the first step toward approving a new housing development in Dundalk that would bring more than 300 residential units to a portion of land adjacent to the Sparrows Point Country Club.
In a unanimous vote, the council approved a resolution that essentially starts the approval process for the so-called Country Club Estates project, which proposes to build 66 detached, single-family houses, 53 villas and 193 townhomes along Wise Avenue and Grays Road.
Council member Todd K. Crandell, R-7th District, introduced the resolution, saying the proposal is “an exciting project for the community of Dundalk,” which he represents.
“This is a real opportunity,” Crandell said at the meeting. “[This is] one of the most unique communities in all of Baltimore County, if not the state of Maryland. I think it really puts Dundalk back on the map, and the process so far has played out where the developer has worked with various members of the community.”
The council said the project would create a stronger job base, improve the area’s housing stock and revitalize commercial corridors.
But not everyone agreed.
Dave Rader, who is challenging Crandell for the 7th District seat in the June 26 Republican primary, said the community association he is involved with is just two miles from Sparrows Point and was not contacted by the developers about the project.
“As councilman, I would not have proposed this,” Rader said. “I would not have accepted it knowing that so many communities were let down.”
Scott Collier, a Dundalk resident, argued that there is not enough space for the new development.
“I can tell you after speaking to residents about that, they feel that our community is oversaturated now,” Collier said. “They don’t feel like they can travel up and down Merritt Boulevard.”
CRD Golf, LLC, has filed an application asking the council to review its proposed housing development for a 76-acre partial that the company plans to purchase from the Sparrows Point Country Club.
The land is currently zoned for a mix of residential, resource conservation, business and industrial use, according to county documents. CRD has proposed what is called a Planned Unit Development (PUD), a special zoning designation that allows a project to exceed normal building density limits in exchange for providing some public benefit, such as building a new park.
Under the proposal, Sparrows Point will reduce the number of holes on its golf course from 27 to 18 before selling this section of the property to CRD. In addition to the 300-plus housing units, the developer will include an 18-acre park with walkways that connect the houses to the park.
In other action, the council unanimously approved a bill that will require future county executives to hold at least two public meetings before he or she releases the annual budget proposal to the council.
The meetings must be held between 30 and 90 days before the budget’s official release so that the public gets a chance to provide its input before the spending plan is finalized by the executive. The bill was amended to require that the meetings be held at different geographic locations in the county.
Councilman Wade Kach, R-3rd District, said he introduced the bill because under the current budget process, residents can have little impact on the shape of the roughly $3.5 billion spending plan once the county executive has finalized the budget. That’s because the council can only cut spending from the executive’s budget – it cannot add or move money around, Kach said.
The bill will be in effective for the 2020 budget process and will not impact the 2019 budget that County Executive Kevin Kamenetz is preparing for release in April.
During the council meeting, several residents took the opportunity to ask the council to fix the growing problems at Dulaney High School. They said the school is falling apart and is a safety hazard for students.
“My elementary school is one of the many schools in Baltimore County that has been renovated or is new,” said Diana Williams, a Cockeysville resident and fifth grade public school teacher. “The disparity between these schools that have been renovated, that were replaced, [and] Dulaney is stark. Dulaney High School is currently the worst high school in Baltimore County without a funded solution.”
Towson resident Yara Cheich also suggested that the council find a financial solution for Dulaney.
She said the only investment made within the last 40 years was for a new roof in 2012. She compared Dulaney’s current conditions with that of other surrounding schools, which have recently received new bleachers, auditorium equipment, and better floors.
She also stated that the electric box in the school is 54 years old even though it has a life expectancy of only 30 years.
“Dulaney High School isn’t going to go away,” Cheich said. “The advocates aren’t going to go away, because the children are in the conditions that are like Lansdowne [High School].”
Kamenetz, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor this year, has said he will include money in his proposed 2019 budget to build a new Dulaney. However, council members have voiced opposition to that plan, saying there are many other schools, such as Lansdowne, that are also in bad need of repairs.
Tom Quirk, D-1st District, where Lansdowne is located, agreed with Williams that Dulaney’s condition is poor. But he assured her that other high schools in the area are experiencing similar issues, adding that “this isn’t Dulaney verses everyone else.”
Council Chairman Julien E. Jones Jr., D-4th District, said the county is going to have to make some tough decisions over the next few years. He complained that the state owes the county $230 million that could go a long way to solving some of the school problems.
Councilwoman Vicki Almond, D-2nd District, said she sympathizes with the students at Dulaney.
“My heart breaks for this,” said Almond, who is running for county executive this year. “I feel like I’m having to choose a favorite child, and it hurts. I was at Dulaney, I saw the termites in the drawer. I couldn’t believe it, and I still don’t have an answer.”