The Baltimore Light Rail runs just west of Lutherville Station, connecting Baltimore County to Baltimore City and continuing on to the BWI airport. These nearby amenities and Lutherville Station — once redeveloped — would benefit one another.
August 19, 2024
A nearly vacant building complex flanked by two huge asphalt parking lots to the north and south are what currently make up Lutherville Station, off Ridgely Road in Timonium, Maryland. On a late-summer morning, the place looks desolate, even with the recent addition of a church that’s moved into one of its main buildings.
“The site is a tear-down,” says Mark Renbaum, the lead developer of an ongoing effort to revitalize Lutherville Station. He has plans to transform it into a mixed-use site with residential units, retail space, office space, a dog park, an event lawn, and other amenities.
Through Lutherville Station LLC, he has submitted an application to have his vision for Lutherville Station gain designation as a Transit Oriented Development (TOD).
What’s there now
East of Lutherville Station, also along Ridgely Road, is the Yorkridge Shopping Center, featuring a Kohl’s department store, a Michael’s arts and crafts store, a Mom’s Organic Market grocery, and other establishments. The Baltimore Light Rail runs just west of Lutherville Station, connecting Baltimore County to Baltimore City and continuing on to the BWI airport. The hope is that these nearby amenities and Lutherville Station — once redeveloped — would benefit one another.
Ridgely Road dead-ends at the Lutherville Light Rail stop. The thinking is that the Light Rail, plus the new residential units Renbaum wants to build, would bring new business to the shopping center, which Renbaum manages. The TOD application predicts more than $9 million in annual revenue, including more than $3 million for Baltimore County, if the project goes forward.
“[It’s] a once in a generation opportunity for Baltimore County,” Renbaum said in a press release, calling the Lutherville Station site “the most obvious TOD site” in Baltimore County.
A spokesman for County Executive Johnny Olszewski downplayed the submission, saying that the TOD application was “nothing new” and was essentially an update of a previous application. In September 2022 a proposal was submitted to make Lutherville Station a TOD. That proposal listed the owner of Lutherville Station as Schwaber LS, LLC. Mark Renbaum is the CEO of Schwaber Holdings.
Community opposition
The project has met considerable opposition from the Lutherville community, many of whose residents are upset with the proposed density of housing on the site, fearing that new housing would worsen traffic congestion and overcrowd area schools. Most of the black and white NO APARTMENTS NO COMPROMISE signs have been taken down, however. A few black and yellow signs calling for NO HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT have taken their place.
Lutherville Station LLC’s recent application to become a Transit Oriented Development isn’t likely to put an end to the controversy surrounding the project. The TOD application calls for 560 residential units, an increase of more than 100 over a previous proposal. Renbaum says the increase was made possible by the passage of House Bill 538, which he says would allow for as many as 1,300 residential units on the site. Renbaum says he would comply with existing regulations for making a designated number of the new residences affordable. The others would be available at market rate.
The increase in the number of proposed residential units is likely to become a point of contention. Eric Rockel, vice president of the Greater Timonium Community Council, was taken by surprise by the change, and wonders whether it will undermine “any trust [Renbaum has] built up in the community.” Rockel stressed that he was speaking for himself, as the Greater Timonium Community Council has not yet taken up the issue. The TOD application was submitted on Aug. 13.
Gov. Wes Moore signed HB 538, which is scheduled to become law on Jan. 1, 2025.
In a prepared statement released by his office, Baltimore County Councilman Wade Kach, in whose district Lutherville Station lies, said the TOD application “flies in the face” of efforts to resolve the issue in ways that take into consideration the area’s uniqueness. “In my opinion,” said Kach, the TOD application is a sign that “the developer has not acted in good faith.”
Next steps
The TOD application first goes to Baltimore County. If it’s approved, it then goes to the state for TOD designation. The Maryland Department of Transportation has authority for final approval.
Renbaum says being approved as a TOD would be but “the first of many steps” required for the Lutherville Station project to come to fruition. He seems prepared for a long battle to get longer, yet tired of having to continually fight it. “We’re ready to start the process,” he says, and adds that it’s time for all the groups with a stake in Lutherville Station to come together.
Read the article on The Baltimore Fishbowl.
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