The owner of the commercial shopping center next to the Lutherville light rail stop in Baltimore County is pledging to continue to work to add housing there digging in his heels despite intense community opposition and resistance from the County Council some of them even planting black signs in their yards with a clear message for him in response: “NO APARTMENTS Then Baltimore County Councilman Wade Kach changed the property’s zoning last summer to make it more difficult for Renbaum to move forward But Renbaum said he’s undeterred and would continue to try to generate support for the vision which MLR scaled back to address some of the concerns The Baltimore Banner thanks its sponsors. Become one. at all,” he said Monday at an event held at the site by the Urban Land Institute - Baltimore the local arm of a national academic think tank Renbaum said he envisions producing something unseen in Baltimore County today: a hybrid “campus” that would add park space, housing and retailers beside a public transit stop He’s applied for the site to be designated by the state as a “transit-oriented development,” giving it more latitude for housing development and state funding But first he needs the County Council’s approval Renbaum said he reduced the number of planned apartments by about 200 in response to community concerns about congestion and possible crowding at the nearby schools He also said Monday that he would be open to working with neighbors and county government leaders to contribute a portion of the project’s new net revenues to the schools the county will lose out on potentially millions of dollars in new taxes and fees over time “Your taxes are going to go up when the state doesn’t grow and it’s not generating additional revenue,” he said “And you don’t have projects like this paying for it.” Many blame the state’s lack of investment in Baltimore’s light rail as the catalyst behind its decline Maryland’s chief of transit-oriented development said at Monday’s event that it “doesn’t really make sense” for the state to reinvest in light rail and other aging transit lines if such work isn’t accompanied by development around stations Maryland faces a housing shortfall of at least 96,000 units, according to state government estimates. Baltimore County, obligated by the federal government to increase its supply of affordable housing, has not yet met the target of 1,000 new units by 2028 rent prices throughout the region have soared the state’s highest-ranking housing official said at Monday’s event that the shortage can be traced back to more than a decade of outdated permitting “it may be more broken here than anywhere else.” lawmakers are considering a bill this year that would compel local governments to “expeditiously approve” housing development in certain areas unless there is a clear reason for denying it such as a public health threat or an environmental hazard Day said he hopes to change the “basis of denial” for projects such as Lutherville Station put them in a position where they’re having to look at ‘yes’ as the answer we’re trying to get to,” he said “It would incentivize a local jurisdiction coming to the table Marylanders largely support building more housing, according to public opinion polls and have even urged local and state government leaders to remove barriers resistance to new housing remains well fortified the councilman who changed Lutherville Station’s zoning to limit its growth said Monday night that he hopes Renbaum and project neighbors can reach a compromise “I’ve offered to sit down with the community associations “I really think it’s a good idea for everybody to sit down and try to work out the issues I don’t think it’s a positive thing for the community at all.” Kach did not attend Monday afternoon’s event president of the Lutherville Community Association Baltimore Banner reporter Danny Zawodny contributed to this article Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. 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If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or customercare@thebaltimorebanner.com developers for the Lutherville Station have been working to push the redevelopment project forward now state leaders are gathering to help make that happen despite a setback from the Baltimore County Council The Lutherville Station was Originally Timonium Mall In December 2023, Schwaber Holdings purchased the property a company which Renbaum is the CEO in hopes of making it a mixed-use space housing both businesses and multi-family apartment homes But for the last several years there has been little momentum for the project Now Maryland state leaders hope to push the project forward you know if you step outside of this building what you will see is an empty mall you'll look at a property that is not giving back to this community not in terms of tax revenue and what could be done better," says Jake Day The proposed development would include 560 apartments "The vision of this project is such a no-brainer and to say no to this vision would be doing an injustice we think to the future of what this should be," says Mark Renbaum But many people in the county think the number of apartments is too high The county council agreed so it changed the zoning to DR16 which only allows for 16 units per acre says despite the zoning restrictions he is still optimistic about redeveloping the space "When you have one council person who wants a specific thing typically the rest of the council will vote accordingly so the question is does the entire county council necessarily feel that way about downzoning Jake Day says this project is vital because there simply aren't enough places for families to live not only in the county but in the entire state this is ground zero for transit-oriented development which makes it ground zero for conversations about the housing shortage that we have in the state of Maryland it's not just Baltimore County that is affected the entire state is short 96,000 housing units and we've got a long way to go to catch up which means we need to speed up," says Jake Day Now developers are waiting to see what new legislation comes out of the Maryland General Assembly — The 40th annual Fallen Heroes Day ceremony will honor Maryland first responders who died in the line of duty at the Fallen Heroes Memorial in Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium It is the only statewide ceremony in the nation that brings together all segments of the public safety community The ceremony will open with a procession of honor guard units from across the state Families of the fallen heroes will receive a replica of the Fallen Heroes Memorial and a resolution from the Maryland General Assembly The ceremony will conclude with a wreath placement The bell housed on Maryland’s 9/11 Rolling Memorial will toll in honor of each fallen hero and all Maryland first responders who have made the ultimate sacrifice Klausmeier will deliver a memorial address and the keynote speaker will be Baltimore sportscaster Scott Garceau the newly appointed president and executive director of the Maryland Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors Other honorees include Master Firefighter Michael T The ceremony will also remember police officers and firefighters who died in the line of duty before Fallen Heroes Day was established Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens set aside burial spaces for fallen heroes and their spouses The first observance of Fallen Heroes Day was held May 16 and was later moved to the first Friday in May the 70-acre cemetery was purchased by John O Mitchell III of the family-owned Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home in Rodgers Forge/Towson The Mitchell family continues the tradition of the Fallen Heroes Day ceremony The Fallen Heroes Memorial is within Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens at 200 E 81 members of the public safety community are buried at the Fallen Heroes Memorial a total of 234 fallen heroes will have been honored at the annual ceremony For more information, go to dulaneyvalley.com or call 410-666-0490 NOTE: This story has been updated with a new photo and new information This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct or share your thoughts at http://bit.ly/3RapUkA with our News Automation and AI team National Vietnam War Veterans Day Ceremony in Hagerstown this Saturday, March 29, 2025 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page (WBFF) — At a Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce event Thursday morning the developer behind the Lutherville Station project addressed lawmakers about the proposal's status progress wins and we want to continue on progress," Renbaum said Instead of the building that has been sitting on the property the proposed development for Lutherville Station includes 560 apartments Renbaum said they recently updated their application with Baltimore County Lutherville Station has yet to receive the proper zoning approvals from county officials ALSO READ | Lutherville Station development could move forward with the help of a new state law "I appreciate Wade Kach for opening the door for some housing that is needed at a site like this but the door hasn't opened full enough," Renbaum said and we need to do that with the county and the state." the project could still move forward due to the Housing Expansion and Affordability Act which will go into effect on early in 2025 the bill allows for high density developments near transit hubs "I think we need all parties to work together it needs both the county and state working together," Renbaum said Some of the pushback from community members has been related to infrastructure concerns "That just doesn't make sense on this site given the constrained road access and possible school overcrowding," said Eric Rockel with the Greater Timonium Community Council "I have always said I would like a number in the 250 to 300 range." The 560 apartments proposed as part of the project is 110 more than what was initially proposed Renbaum said the original plans for the project included 560 apartments "When we initially approached the community in April of 2018 which was two and a half years before we even acquired the property we initially had 560 apartment units," Renbaum said "We spent countless hours and years working alongside the community and over a two and a half-three year process we gradually scaled down the number of units from 560 ultimately to about 450 units." "There has been no progress made unfortunately as interest rates have gone up considerably we said we needed to go back to the initial number of units we had which was 560," he added In response to infrastructure concerns and how he would address them Renbaum said the project would create more economic growth and investment in the area Lutherville Station pays $91,000 a year combined in state and local taxes our project would be over $3,000,000 a year," Renbaum said "Our project alone could solve a lot those problems and probably more infrastructure problems This is all about fear and trust and people have to come together." 2025 at 5:13 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Costas Inn announced Friday that it will open a second restaurant this spring The outpost will be located in Timonium at the Maryland State Fairgrounds’ horse track grandstand The new eatery will be in Timonium at the Maryland State Fairgrounds' horse track grandstand "When we were asked to explore this opportunity, we knew it was the perfect fit. The overwhelming support from our community so far has been tremendous, and we’re excited to bring our signature crabcakes and a variety of delicious dishes to this newly renovated space," Costas Inn said Friday on Facebook Costas Inn was opened in 1971 by husband-wife duo Costas N The crab house at 4100 Northpoint Blvd. has since hosted celebrities like Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. "Seinfeld" actor Jason Alexander and "Saturday Night Live" comedians Michael Che and Colin Jost "This next chapter wouldn’t be possible without our amazing team and the loyal Costas family who have supported us for over 50 years Thank you for being part of our journey—we can’t wait to welcome you to Timonium soon," the Costas Inn post said Maryland State Fair President Fran Burns congratulated and welcomed Costas "Costas Inn at Timonium will be another fantastic dining option during the Md. State Fair and our thoroughbred races! Welcome Pete Triantafilos and his wonderful Costas family," Burns said Friday on Facebook Customers can follow Costas Inn on Facebook or visit costasinn.com for opening updates Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Two third grade girls who attended Lutherville Laboratory died in a car crash on the Beltway in Baltimore County last weekend school officials and family members confirmed joyful and beloved members of the school community “The family would like to thank the entire community for their love and support,” he said in a statement we pray our support for all of the families impacted by this tragedy.” encouraged families to reach out to the school’s counseling office if they or their children need additional support and said the Baltimore County Public Schools’ Traumatic Loss Team was on-site we extend our deepest sympathy to Bailee and Serenity’s friends and loved ones,” he wrote in a letter Monday to parents and the school community A celebration of life for Bailee has been scheduled for April 17 The school’s PTA shared information about a fundraiser for the girls’ families in a post on social media describing it as a “heartbreaking loss” and saying the two girls were “among friends wherever they went.” Maryland State Police officials are investigating the crash Officials have not released the name of the driver took off during a traffic stop on the inner loop of Interstate 695 around 11:05 p.m Officials said police did not pursue the vehicle An initial investigation indicated that the driver lost control and then hit an embankment and a tree Cody Boteler cody.boteler@thebaltimorebanner.com Cody Boteler is a reporter on The Banner’s Express Desk trending stories and interesting things in and around Baltimore His work has appeared in The Baltimore Sun 💛Bailee Brooks & Serenity Gross🖤 \n\nThe Lutherville Lab community is devastated to share about the heartbreaking loss of.. Baltimore and the surrounding counties are full of unique neighborhoods The W Home Group will highlight their favorite neighborhoods to sell in and what makes each one so distinctive Today we're in Lutherville with agent Jason Enrique. Lutherville is an easy commute to Baltimore City and close to amenities while still being a smaller, tight knit community. For nearly 8 years, it's been home to Karma Boutique They also stock items from local vendors like Mouth Party Caramels and Lotus Jewelry and there are plenty of local parks and the Loch Raven Reservoir is nearby for nature lovers The community is mostly made up of single family homes and the average home price is about $478,000 so working with an experience and knowledgeable agent makes a difference That's why the W Home Group is the number one team of agents in Maryland Contact Jason Enrique at 410-458-8133, or learn more about the W Home Group here The developers behind the proposed Lutherville Station recently submitted an amended application to Baltimore County for a recommendation of a Transit Oriented Development designation which is 110 more than what was previously proposed “Lutherville Station is a once in a generation opportunity for Baltimore County,” said Lutherville Station developer Lutherville Station is the most obvious TOD site in the county that promises to bring new state and local tax revenue to fund critical priorities and help address the state’s housing shortage.” a County spokesperson said they are reviewing the amended application While the developers do not currently have the proper zoning for the proposed project The Housing Expansion and Affordability Act, which was signed by Governor Wes Moore earlier this year, will go into effect on January 1 With the aim of creating more affordable housing "removes local government barriers to the construction of affordable housing and promotes increased density where appropriate." The bill allows for some of those increased densities near rail stations the Housing Expansion and Affordability Act would allow for more than 1,300 housing units at the site hundreds of apartments more than what is currently being proposed ALSO READ | Waste Watch: The Cost of Moving D.C. United's Minor League To Baltimore While supporters of the project have said it will benefit the community and economy and be a positive way to redevelop the space "We told him previously that the number in the original application was too high he raises it to an even higher level," said Eric Rockel the Vice President of the Greater Timonium Community Council said they have concerns the large residential development could impact schools but ultimately in the course of any time we have a discussion we make the point where he has got to bring the number of units down," Rockel said "Its was clearly evidence that he is not listening very closely." This amended application is the first step in the process there will be additional meetings and discussions related to this project in the future — There's a plan underway to build more "flex" office buildings on a vacant lot in Timonium A local developer - who also owns an office building near the light-rail tracks just north of Padonia Road - wants to build flex buildings on the other side of the tracks Baltimore County is scheduled to review the project in early January The extension of the "Texas Station" project would put buildings and parking off of the cul-de-sac that backs up to Lowe's It would connect to existing water and sewer mains at the Texas Station Court cul-de-sac RELATED | Brewery/cafe getting ready to open in Timonium For years, developer Mark Renbaum has argued with skeptical Baltimore County residents that building new apartments alongside office, retail and green space at Lutherville Station would give new life to one of Maryland’s most divisive, and consequential, pieces of land Black and white signs that read “NO APARTMENTS NO COMPROMISE” and “SAVE SUBURBIA” cropped up in nearby yards he seems to finally be taking the “no compromise” to heart After the passage of a new law taking aim at a statewide housing shortage and greenhouse gas emissions Lutherville Station LLC resubmitted its application to Baltimore County for designation as a transit-oriented development Renbaum’s modified plan would build 560 apartments as part of an ambitious new development a stone’s throw away from a light rail station Renbaum called the proposal a “once in a generation opportunity for Baltimore County” as he looks to capitalize on the state’s new bullish energy for transit-oriented development A bill that passed this year in Annapolis allows for greater housing density on certain land parcels located within .75 miles of a rail station aiming to kick-start housing construction at a time when supply can’t keep up with demand and prices are increasingly unaffordable Lawmakers also hoped to bring potential riders closer to train lines that have been slow to recover since ridership plummeted at the start of the pandemic the state transportation department revealed new plans for the Reisterstown Plaza Metro Station that swaps a sprawling parking lot for about 800 new apartment units Multiple apartment buildings are going up along a downtown stretch of the light rail as part of a revitalization of the Howard Street corridor and one of the many promises of the Red Line a future east-west light rail planned across Baltimore’s urban core is the additional development it could spur around stations The Lutherville Station development plan includes 110 more housing units than previously proposed and includes two inner courtyards a community dog park and a five story parking garage with nearly 1,000 spaces 96,250-square-foot office building would go up right next to the light rail station; an event lawn that could host concerts or outdoor markets would go in next to that Renbaum says the new state law would allow him to build up to 1,300 apartments on the site the project needed sign off on a zoning change from Wade Kach and Renbaum is still holding out hope he can get local community associations on board Kach said in a statement Wednesday that the plan “flies in the face of the efforts to reach an agreement on a redevelopment sensitive to this area’s uniqueness.” They argue that more housing density means more strain on county resources — worse traffic more stormwater runoff that could lead to flooding and more students enrolling in already overcrowded schools Recent county legislation took aim at school overcrowding, gradually lowering maximum school enrollment from 115% capacity to 105% It would also require developers to seek special permission to build more housing in areas with overcrowded schools But the final version of the bill has a carve-out for affordable housing in part to keep the county’s obligation to the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development through a settled discrimination lawsuit which manages outreach for the development venture said Wednesday that Lutherville Station is intended as market rate apartments but the company is in ongoing conversations with state and local officials and intend to comply with any affordable housing requirement and Renbaum says he has a plan for each of the concerns residents have named The new TOD application includes results of a traffic study that says the proposal would generate fewer daily car trips than if the current building were fully occupied one of the region’s most prominent traffic engineering firms who was commissioned by Renbaum for the study Though Tuesday’s application marks a significant milestone he’s still years away from getting shovels in the ground This story has been updated to clarify that Mark Renbaum is a principal with MLR Partners Daniel Zawodny Daniel.Zawodny@thebaltimorebanner.com Daniel Zawodny covers transportation for the The Baltimore Banner as a corps member with Report For America He is a Baltimore area native and graduated with his master's degree in journalism from American University in 2021 He is bilingual in English and Spanish and previously covered immigration issues Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes. If the problem persists, please contact customer service at 443-843-0043 or customercare@thebaltimorebanner.com. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. BALTIMORE COUNTY — SONIC has permanently closed its Towson and Lutherville restaurants, their corporate office confirmed. The two locations, along with their Middle River store on Pulaski Highway, closed abruptly in August. At the time, signs were posted on the doors saying that the restaurants were closed for renovations and repairs. The Rosedale restaurant has since reopened. A map search lists the Towson and Lutherville stores as permanently closed. A SONIC spokesperson issued the following statement: The future of the Pulaski Highway store is unclear. Workers at neighboring businesses say the signs are still up saying the restaurant is being renovated, however, they have not seen any work crews there. The company did not respond to requests for more information about other stores. TIMONIUM, Md. — A new combination brewery and cafe/roastery is about to open near the State Fairgrounds in Timonium. It's the brainchild of Baltimore's Diamondback Brewing Co., and Towson's Aveley Farms Coffee - and it's expected to open within the next few weeks. They are teaming up to open a whole new business at 9490 Deereco Road, in an office park between I-83 and the light-rail tracks. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AveleyFarmsCoffee (@aveleyfarmscoffee) This will be the second location for both Diamondback and Aveley Farms Diamondback Brewing, which is currently in South Baltimore's Locust Point, is scheduled for a liquor-license hearing in Baltimore County on Monday. Aveley Farms opened nearly two years ago in downtown Towson, and has proved to be a popular destination on Chesapeake Avenue. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AveleyFarmsCoffee (@aveleyfarmscoffee) View this post on Instagram A post shared by AveleyFarmsCoffee (@aveleyfarmscoffee) The new facility is set to be a 3,000-square-foot indoor taproom and dog-friendly outdoor beer garden that will feature seasonally-rotating pizzas An abandoned shopping center in Baltimore County the Lutherville Station sits with empty lots and empty store space but one developer is looking to change that It was built during the Lyndon Johnson administration It is time to redevelop that property," said Mark Renbaum the Principal of MLR Partners and the Lutherville Station Developer He said an original application was submitted in 2022 It proposed turning the site into a mix of housing and commercial developments They submitted an amended application to the county with big changes because of House Bill 538 That bill incentivizes developers to add affordable housing units to future projects by removing zoning barriers "All that is happening right now is that the County Executive would put this project in a priority letter to MDOT specifically to provide a recommendation that the state pick this up as a Transit Oriented Development designation,” said Renbaum He said the TOD at Lutherville Station would include more than 2 acres of open space improvements to an existing transit hub for the state and Baltimore County "The concerns are that for this site that's just too many housing units," said Eric Rockel Rockel said overcrowding schools and increased traffic are a worry for those in the community along with changing the character of the immediate area He said the number of apartments needs to be scaled down "I'd say something under 300,” said Rockel He also stated that when the county reviews the application there will be transparency and open meetings in that process We didn't see that in the last application he submitted it would be upon the Olszewski administration to make it an open and transparent process,” said Rockel House Bill 538 will go into effect January 1 of next year Health Care Heroes Baltimore County-based law firm relocates HQ to Timonium The Albers & Associates law firm recently moved its corporate headquarters to 9515 Deereco Road in Timonium Bankruptcy Judge Michelle Harner's order seeks to preserve victims’ rights under the Child Victims Act [...] The Justice Department unit that ensures compliance with voting rights laws will switch its focus to investiga[...] The federal sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs The Walters Art Museum is not subject to the Maryland Public Information Act The attorneys general of Maryland and other states filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's attempt to[...] A federal judge permanently blocked an executive order targeting a law firm Sign up for your daily digest of Maryland news Supporting small businesses is an investment in Maryland’s prosperity – one that drives growth a[...] Listen to this article As I write this shortly after Earth Day 2025 I have on my desk a 46-page pub[...] Listen to this article Based on recent data provided by the U.S there was [...] I took the oath prescribed in Maryland Business Occupations[...] Listen to this article Maryland has a lot to celebrate when it comes to climate action but also muc[...] Lawmakers in Annapolis have passed hastily considered extended [...] Listen to this article In the past decade employers who sponsor pension plans have been subject to [...] Submit an entry for the business calendar The Daily Record is a digital-first daily news media company focused on law Get our free e-alerts & breaking news notifications Subscribe for access to the latest digital and special editions Click here for information about plaques permissions and reprints of previous editions Javascript is disabled in your web browser You can't access site without javascript so please enable it for your seamless and unintruppted user experience of our website TIMONIUM, MD – Parish leaders, pastors, and ministry teams from across the country will gather for the Rebuilt Conference 2025, taking place June 2-3 near Baltimore. With the theme “Can You Imagine…” this two-day event challenges and equips Catholic leaders to reimagine what’s possible in their parishes and take steps toward growth The conference kicks off with Bishop Adam Parker, who will invite attendees to open their hearts to the Holy Spirit’s guidance in parish renewal. From there, Father Michael White, pastor of Church of the Nativity – Rebuilt Parish’s home parish – will explore the leadership required to step into God’s vision for the church today Through honest conversations and real-world strategies and examples attendees will be equipped with clear steps and fresh ideas to bring back to their parishes The sessions will cast the vision and provide clarity while the breakouts will offer a roadmap for action This year’s conference features more than 40 breakout sessions led by pastors and staff from Church of the Nativity and the thriving parishes that are successfully implementing the Rebuilt Parish Model in their communities Additional topics include parish operations Rates are currently $299/ individual, and discounts are available for teams of five or more. Rates increase March 25 and registration closes at the end of April.  For more details and to register, visit rebuiltconference.com Rebuilt Parish is a Catholic renewal movement dedicated to helping parishes make disciples. Rooted in the transformation of Church of the Nativity, Rebuilt equips pastors and parish leaders through conferences, coaching, online courses, and resources that empower them to revitalize their communities. rebuiltparish.com contact Chrissy Kelleher at chrissy@rebuiltparish.com Alex Parker is joined by Kaiser Permanente's Mid-Atlantic Regional President Israel Rocha to discuss the opening of Kaiser's new Lutherville-Timonium Medical Center Kaiser is truly living out their mission by making healthcare easier