&ERA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Sustainable Preservation and
Enhancement of an Historic
Urban Neighborhood: A Study
of East Towson
EPA's Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA) has identified unique solutions to environmental concerns developed
by organizations throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Local universities are working with MAIA to document successful
solutions. This publication is one of a series designed to communicate these solutions as a service to state and local
governments, regional offices, and non-government organizations that make a variety of environmental decisions.
Background
In the late 1960s, Baltimore County, Maryland delineated two
distinct land management areas, urban and rural, by creating
an urban-rural demarcation line (URDL) - see Figure 1. The
URDL was established to indicate which areas would receive
public water and sewerage. It allows the County to manage
growth in a manner that preserves important natural and
agricultural resources and maximizes the efficiency of County
revenues expended for transportation improvements, utilities,
schools, and other capital projects. By providing public water
and sewer services only in the urban area and not in the rural
area, development has been concentrated in the urban area, thus
reducing sprawl.
In 1972, Baltimore County adopted its first formal master plan in
reaction to a 26% population increase from 1960 to 1970 -
492,428 in 1960; 621,077 in 1970. This plan attempted to create
a philosophy of accommodating growth and development in
an orderly, environmentally sensitive manner while conserving
adequate open space.
Baltimore County's plans
continued to address problems
of urban sprawl. In 1975 the
County plan established urban
and rural zoning. The 1979
plan created growth areas
and rezoned the agricultural
area allowing only one house
per 50 acres on parcels of
100 acres or more and no
more than two new houses
on the parcels between two
acres and 100 acres. Since
1979, thousands of acres of
additional land have been
rezoned to the lower density.
Currently, County planning is focused on revitalization of homes
and businesses in Towson. Owings Mills and Perry Hall-White
Marsh are the County's designated growth areas.
Figure 1. Map of urban/rural districts.
Towson is unique in that it is the only designated
urban area in the Baltimore County Master Plan. It
is the seat of County government, the legal center
(containing Baltimore County Circuit and District
Courts), a higher education center (containing
Towson University and Goucher College), a
medical center (including Saint Joseph's Medical
Center, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, and
Sheppard Pratt Health Systems), a corporate
center (Black and Decker), a commercial center
(Towson Town Center and Towson Commons),
and a community of close-knit neighborhoods that
surround and intertwine within the Towson urban
area. There are other urban areas in the county
such as Catonsville, Reisterstown, and Dundalk,
but they do not have the above urban structure.
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The East Towson community, within
the Towson urban area was settled in
the mid-1800s when Captain Charles
Ridgely, owner of the Hampton
Mansion north of Goucher College,
freed his slaves. Originally, Ridgely
gave his slaves 22,000 acres of land,
including parts of White Marsh,
Goucher College, and Sandy Bottom.
Over the years, commercial areas crept
into the neighborhood, and developers,
realizing that the Towson neighborhood
was prime commercial land, were able
to buy the land cheaply from residents.
Thus, East Towson became smaller and
contained less residential housing.
Over the years, East Towson residents
developed a lack of trust of County
government due to broken promises.
A blatant example is the Harris Hills
Development Project, where ten years
ago in 1995 the County worked with
a builder to develop a residential
community with affordable housing
in East Towson (see photo). The first
option to buy in this new affordable
development was promised to East
Towson residents and their descendants.
In 1999, the community
was close to losing part
of its history, the Jacob
House (right), a 150-year-
old log cabin that was built
by slaves freed by Captain
Ridgely. In 1998, afire had
destroyed part of an addition
and the owner was in the
process of demolishing the
complete structure when
the County stepped in.
Although the East Towson
community did not entirely
trust the County, they had
run out of options. With
a grant from the Office of
Community Conservation
and a contribution by a
neighboring business (Black
and Decker), the community
was able to have the house
dismantled. The logs are
currently being stored, and
when the County identifies
an appropriate location
within the community,
the Jacob House will be
reconstructed.
Ji3fc» J
Jacob House
By assisting East Towson
in saving the Jacob House, the
County regained some of the community's trust. Ultimately, the
County helped the community realize its goals, including stabilizing
and preserving it, developing and maintaining
affordable housing, and maintaining the integrity
of the entire community.
The community was excited about the project
because it was intended to allow generations
that left East Towson the opportunity to
return. Available housing had dwindled with
encroaching commercial development, and the
remaining homes were occupied by families
who were born there. However, agreements with
the community were broken, and people from
the community were not given the first option to
buy. The houses were sold slightly under market
value and the County subsidized the 90 units at
approximately $19,000 each.
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Who did it?
Where did they do it?
What did they do?
How did they do it?
Who did it? Initially, the Baltimore County
Office of Community Conservation formed
an advisory committee. The advisory group
was made up of members of the community
(residents, businesses, religious groups, and local
historians); departments in Baltimore County
government including the Office of Community
Conservation and the Office of Planning; the
Maryland Historic Trust; and the National Historic
Trust. The community representation was to insure
that development and renovation was in keeping
with the wishes of the East Towson residents and
not how developers or the County thought it should
be. Abroad cross section of people provided the
expertise and guidance needed for the development project to come to fruition. The group
identified potential problems associated with the project and how to resolve them. They
discussed options such as new housing on vacant lots, renovation of existing housing, and
how to architecturally blend the new with the old in the community. Design guidelines
were developed to set standards for the architectural features of the community. The design
guidelines suggested pitched gable roofs like many of the existing houses and no garages
in keeping with the existing neighborhood. From an architectural standpoint, the new home
design guidelines provided a similar look to the existing historic homes, while still meeting
the needs of a more modern family with three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and a
full basement.
Pennsylvania Avenue
T I
in
ernox Avenue
Towsontown Boulevard
EAST TOWSON, MARYLAND
New house
New duplex
Renovation
Figure 2. East Towson site rendering.
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Carver Community Center
Where did they do it? The project focused
first on Lennox Avenue, because the Carver
Community Center, located near Lennox
Avenue, had recently been renovated. Lennox
Avenue also contained the best example of
what the original community looked like, and
it was zoned residential. Pennsylvania Avenue,
an adjacent street, was already changing - it
had been rezoned residential office. Lennox
Avenue, with its residential zoning, still had
places where renovations and new residential
development could make a difference.
On Lennox, two houses were chosen for
renovation, lots were also purchased, and four
new houses were constructed (see East Towson
site rendering, Figure 2).
VINYL
New Construction
- Front Elevation
FREHNISHEP
SUITER
3 Bedroom
2.5 Bath
Master Suite
1stfl Family Room
Gas Heat
Central Air
Front Porch
Rear Deck
1800 sq ft
New Construction, Front Elevation
What did they do?
Fourteen houses on
Railroad Avenue,
Lennox Avenue and
Pennsylvania Avenue
are currently part of the
East Towson project.
Of the fourteen houses,
eight are currently
complete and occupied. The remaining six houses are under
construction or varying levels of renovation. A builder was
hired for the new construction, and a property management
firm is doing the renovation.
The County code requires a 10-foot building set back and
off-street parking. Because the lots are small and historically
there had not been off-street parking, the developer was
granted exemptions to both of these requirements. The
exemption allowed for an 8!/2-foot building set back and
preserved no off-street parking. Generally, there were very
few changes needed to the regulations or County codes for
this project to be completed.
As part of the holistic design for the neighborhood, the
committee proposed a community garden, acquired a
volunteer designer to screen the Baltimore Gas and Electric
Company (BGE) transformers with plants and a mural,
planned narrowing of Fairmount Avenue to slow the traffic
(calming), and proposed designs for creating a walkway. If
the traffic calming is successful, the now-dismantled Jacob
House will be reconstructed on a prominent site in East
Towson. Also, due to East Towson's proximity to Towson
businesses, the community has approached the County about
restricting parking by non-residents and/or providing special
residential parking permits.
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It was determined that too much
had previously been changed in the
neighborhood to make it a national historic
district. However, all houses within the
community are listed in the Maryland
Historic Trust (MHT) inventory. Although
the houses and the neighborhood are
not labeled as historic, the MHT has a
photographic record of each house.
The MHT has been flexible in requiring
the use of original materials because
maintenance and energy efficiency can
be an issue that affects affordability. For
instance, if the original windows in the
front of the house are restored, efficiency
windows may be used on the side and the
back of the house to decrease heating and
maintenance costs. Compromises have
also been reached on issues such as siding;
a high quality vinyl siding with muted
colors was used to create a more historic
look and was more cost effective than
replacing the original wood. The ultimate
goal is to provide the owners with energy
efficient and low-maintenance housing
while preserving as much historic integrity
as possible.
Partners and Collaborators
Baltimore County Office of Community Conservation
Baltimore County Office of Planning
Black and Decker, Inc.
Fannie Mae Baltimore Partnership
Historic Towson, Inc.
Key Bank and Trust
Liberty Federal Savings Bank
Louis Diggs
Maryland State Historic Trust
Neighborhood Housing Services ofBaltimore-
Hillendale Office
Northeast Towson Improvement Association
Metro Housing, Inc.
St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center, Inc.
SunTrust Bank
How did they do it? The advisory committee looked
at the project holistically to determine which parcels were
developable. The developer, St. Ambrose Housing Aid
Center, worked with the committee and the County to acquire
properties for redevelopment. St. Ambrose assists first-time
homebuyers in purchasing affordable homes. It is a tax-
exempt 501(c) 3 organization and depends on contributions
to support its programs, which are all aimed at strengthening
neighborhoods undergoing racial and economic changes. St.
Ambrose operates a number of housing programs and at the
community's direction, they acquired selected properties and
parcels for redevelopment. Its development program acquired
land that was vacant, already on the market, or through
auction. Generally, word got out within the community that
St. Ambrose was interested in purchasing land, and interested
sellers would contact them.
Funding
Because revitalization of homes and businesses
in Towson is a focus of County planning and the
County had made mistakes in the area with the
Harris Hills project, a new funding tact was also
taken with the East Towson project to help the
community realize their goals of developing and
maintaining affordable housing. Working with
several institutions, sources of funding for the
new or renovated homes were found, including
County bond funds from the HOME Investment
Partnerships (HOME) Federal loan program and
lending institutions.
Because the County subsidizes the homes, the
owners are required to stay in the homes for 15
years. If the homeowner sells prior to that, they
have to pay the County the cost of the subsidy.
If the homeowner stays the 15 years, the County
subsidy is forgiven during year 16.
Baltimore County does not provide low-
income housing to its residents, but it does
offer rent vouchers to qualified low-income
families. Rent vouchers vary according to the
family's income, number of family members,
and where they live. The subsidy the County
provides for a new or renovated home in East
Towson is approximately equal to a monthly
rent voucher over the 15 years, but this does
not take into consideration the social benefits of
increased home ownership - pride in ownership,
maintenance of the property and surrounding
area, stability of the neighborhood, reduced
crime, etc. - which can far surpass the increased
initial outlay of capital.
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55
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UMBC
CUERE
EPA Region 3
Philadelphia, PA 19103
EPA/903/F-05/003
April 2005
Patricia Bradley
bradley.patricia@epa.gov
410-305-2744
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment
Environmental Science Center
VOlMapesRoad
Ft. Meade, MD 20755-5350
www. ep a. go v/maia
Elizabeth Glenn
eglenn@co .ba.md.us
410-887-2908
PJWiderman
pjwiderman@co.ba.md.us
410-887-5887
Marcia Williams
mdwilliams@co.ba.md.us
410-887-3803
Baltimore County
Office of Community Conservation
Drumcastle Center
6401 York Road, 2nd Floor
Baltimore, MD 21212
www. baltimorecountyonline.info
Susan Harrison
sharris 1 @umbc. edu
410-353-6800
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Center for Urban Environmental Research
and Education
1000 Hilltop Circle - TRC 102
Baltimore, MD 21250
www. umb c. edu/cuere
Lessons/Accomplishments
1. It would be advantageous for redevelopment plans
such as this one to be in the County master plan.
Because the County had to gain the trust of the
community in this case and it was a new process,
it was not included.
2. The County was able to keep its promise of
affordable housing for the community by learning
from the mistakes of the Harris Hills project and
by locating potential buyers who were interested
in returning to the community up front.
3. The collaboration between the development team
and the community resulted in the community's
satisfaction with the outcomes of the project.
4. The committee was important to the overall
success of the project because they represented
a cross-section of people that could provide
the expertise and guidance needed for the
development project to come to fruition.
5. Neighborhood Housing Services, a non-profit
organization, worked closely with the potential
new homeowners to assure they were prepared for
home ownership. Potential homeowners attended
three to four workshops on home owning. Then
they attended one-on-one counseling, entered
into a contract, and worked with a lender for
financing. Of the 14 houses slated for renovation
or reconstruction, eight potential owners have
completed the contract process and four have
attended the one-on-one counseling and are
preparing to enter into contracts.
Photographs and illustrations were provided by Baltimore
County; modified by graphic artist for this publication.
The Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA) is an interagency, multi-
disciplinary research, monitoring, and assessment program to develop
high-quality scientific information on the region's natural resources:
current conditions, stressors, trends, and vulnerabilities. MAIA results and
information must satisfy a broad group of stakeholders'needs, convey
important information relevant to their assessment questions and issues,
and be understandable and useful in making management decisions.
Printed on chlorine-free 100% recycled paper with
100% post-consumer fiber using vegetable-based ink.
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