POLL: Larger Signs in Downtown Towson?
A bill that passed on Monday would allow larger signs on large office buildings or buildings with a state use. Community leaders say the bill is unnecessary. What do you think?
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The Baltimore County Council on Monday approved a bill that allows for larger signs on certain office buildings or properties with a state use.
The bill, sponsored by Councilman David Marks, passed at the meeting. But it is being opposed by Towson community leaders who say the bill was narrowly crafted to benefit Caves Valley Partners, owners of the Towson City Center.
"I'm not a fan of proliferation of signage everywhere, but quite frankly when you look at projects like Towson City Center and some of the other buildings in Towson, they're the only game in town," Marks told Patch.
Community leaders, including members of the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations, say there would be nothing stopping people like the Towson City Center's owners from seeking zoning variances, and that a new law wasn't necessary.
We want to know what you think. Was the bill the right thing to do? Or does it set an unwelcome precedent, as some community leaders claim?
Patricia Flynn Sadtler
1:54 pm on Friday, October 21, 2011
The Towson residential community needs much more specific information on this bill allowing new signs for Towson without obtaining the previously required zoning variances. Who is eligible now; where are these buildings located; which buildings have a state office; what size signs will be permitted; when will this be happening; who else may be eligible in the future; how close are these properties to Southland Hills, West Towson, etc.?
Development of the Towson City Center is a positive action that has been eagerly anticipated by many Towson residents, but not if it is at the expense of the tranquility and ambience of our surrounding residential neighborhoods. Large glaring lights and neon signs are not an asset to abutting communities.
Tyler Waldman
2:05 pm on Friday, October 21, 2011
Hi Patricia. The bill only covers the downtown Towson area. The only private buildings currently eligible would be Towson City Center and, possibly, Towson Commons when it's renovated. As for what constitutes a state use, that's where it gets muddy, like if a building owner leases space to a state agency, for example, and that's what seems to make community leaders a little uneasy.
Tyler Waldman
2:06 pm on Friday, October 21, 2011
By the way, we posted the bill so you can check it out for yourself (it's attached below the photo).
David Marks
7:38 am on Saturday, October 22, 2011
Patty, Tyler is correct. I tightened that bill as much as possible, and at the specific request of the representative of the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations who testified before the County Council. I am open to further actions if it appears any signage will compromise the attractiveness of the downtown core. Regarding the issue of why this could not be obtained through a variance, even if the GTCCA supported a variance, other parties could oppose it, and I did not want legal action potentially delaying critical projects in downtown Towson. I'll repeat what I've said before: I will take a job-producing building with signage in the heart of Towson any day over a derelict, boarded-up building. That's what we've had for too many years in parts of downtown Towson.
Bart
8:54 am on Saturday, October 22, 2011
I have been a resident of Towson for more than 30 years. During that time, I have witnessed the constant bickering between those who want to see Towson prosper and those who want to keep everything the way it was, but who also decry the shabbiness of downtown Towson.
You can't have it both ways!
Marks' bill is a good one, especially as he has made it specific to the center of the area. Waiting for the dragging on of zoning variance hearings in order to put up appropriate signage will keep away positive development in the heart of Towson, and, therefore JOBS.
Towson has been languishing long enough, while the "Old Guard" wrings their hands over progress.