Thursday, December 13, 2012
Ruth Baisden, president of the Greater Parkville Community Council, wants the Revenue Authority to formalize promises for money and parking at a meeting Thursday.
The leader of a Parkville community group wants the Baltimore County Revenue Authority to formalize concessions to help revitalize the Harford Road corridor as part if its sale of the public parking lot on Lavender Avenue. Ruth Baisden, president of the Greater Parkville Community Council, sent the letter to the Baltimore County Revenue Authority on Dec. 13. The quasi-public agency is scheduled to finalize a sale of the property Thursday morning. Last year the Baltimore County Revenue Authority voted to sell the 56-space public parking lot, located along Harford Road between Lavender and Taylor Avenues, to Towson-based DMS Development for a sum of $500,000. The developer would turn the parking lot into a Walgreens store. "These concessions…
Friday, October 26, 2012
Parkville community leaders were promised $100,000 from the sale of the Lavender lot.
A promised $100,000 grant to the Parkville community from the sale of the Lavender Avenue parking lot could be in limbo. Members of the board of the Baltimore County Revenue Authority discussed possible changes to to the deal during a meeting Thursday. Among the possibilities is a proposal to allow communities from all over the county to apply for a portion of the money or to have the authority spend the money on behalf of the Parkville community rather than handing the money over to one or more civic groups. The board is also considering the creation of a committee to create a process for handing out the grants and oversee the spending of the money from the sale of the 56-space public parking lot and other lots that might be sold in the …
Monday, May 7, 2012
Former board member calls on his colleagues to resign after approving deal with Bill Madonna Golf Academy.
A controversial contract between the Baltimore County Revenue Authority and a Florida-based golf pro has been cancelled less than a year after it began. The termination of the contract less than a year after it was approved led one former board member—Les Pittler—to call for the resignation of several of his former colleagues. Donald Hutchinson, chairman of the authority's five-member board, said he negotiated a buyout of the contract. Bill Madonna will receive $25,000 and the right to teach at the authority's Greystone course for three consecutive weeks later this year in return for an early termination of the four-year agreement. "This is not a reflection of our unhappiness with the quality of the academy and the quality of the …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The authority's board hired Kennth Mills at an annual salary that is higher than that of Baltimore County's executive.
Kenneth Mills will return to run the Baltimore County Revenue Authority nearly 20 years after he left the same position to work in the private sector. Mills, director of business development for Baltimore-based Southway Builders, was hired Tuesday as the new chief executive of the authority at a salary higher than Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. Mills will be replacing William "Lynnie" Cook, who left unexpectedly last month, and is expected to start in early April. "(Mills) will be able to get off and running immediately," said Donald Hutchinson, chairman of the authority's board. "He's a nice guy, a strong leader and someone who understands this business." Mills was a finalist along with Cook nearly three years ago when the …
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Council approves new lease with Baltimore County Revenue Authority, improvements to the animal shelter and a $4.5 million bond issuance for a windshield wiper manufacturer in Halethorpe.
Opponents of a proposed transgender anti-discrimination bill returned to Towson Monday night to speak out against the proposed legislation. Ann Miller, a Republican activist, told the council that opponents "are not the bigotted, hate-mongers we're labeled as by the special interests backing this bill. "Our concerns are valid and serious and (the bill) would negatively impact the entire county," said Miller. The testimony of about 15 people was nearly identical to that given two weeks ago when Councilman Tom Quirk, a Catonsville Democrat, first introduced the bill. The bill will be similar to a law passed last month by the Howard County Council, Quirk said. Proponents of the legislation say it was spurred by a highly- publicized attack on …
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Developers will review plans with the project's neighbors next month.
In the wake of recent revisions, the developers of Towson Circle III will hold a town hall in the East Towson neighborhood close to the project. Councilman David Marks announced the meeting, which will be held Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. at 300 Lennox Ave., in an email to constituents on Tuesday. If school is canceled or closed early due to inclement weather that day, the meeting will be canceled. Towson Circle III is a joint project of the Cordish Companies and Towson-based Heritage Properties. In September, the developers revealed that the complex would feature more retail space and less office space than previously planned. In December, the Baltimore County Revenue Authority approved plans for an expanded garage.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The new plan eliminates office space and adds 150 more parking spaces to a public garage at a cost of an additional $2.5 million.
The Baltimore County Revenue Authority unanimously approved an amended lease agreement that will allow it to build a larger garage for the proposed Towson Circle III project. The five-member board voted today to add 150 spaces to what had been a planned 712-space garage for the theater and restaurant complex slated to be built on Joppa Road adjacent to the Towson Town Center. A second amendment, also unanimously approved, will allow the authority to seek taxable bonds to finance the project instead of the tax-fee bonds that had been planned. Parking rates and private use requirements for the garage would not meet the requirements necessary to use tax-free bonds for the project, according to documents prepared by the authority. The …
Monday, December 19, 2011
Proposed changes would add $2.5 million in costs to joint project between developer, county government and the Baltimore County Revenue Authority.
The Baltimore County Revenue Authority is expected on Tuesday to consider amending the Towson Circle III project to accommodate a bigger parking garage, a change that could add $2.5 million to the development. The proposed change to the four-acre development would increase parking spaces by 150, from 712 to 862, according to a memo obtained by Patch that outlines the proposed changes. The garage will be managed and paid for by the revenue authority. It is not clear from the memo who requested the change in the garage. The authority's board of directors had not previously approved nor asked for an increase in the size of the garage. Towson Circle III is being developed by the Cordish Companies and Heritage Properties on a four-acre lot …
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Private courses are losing members as a result of the economy and the lack of youth membership.
There is looming uncertainty over the viability of country clubs and the sport of golf itself, although one thing is certain: “The game isn’t growing from the youth on up as it was in the past,” said Tom Rhoads, an associate professor at Towson University and expert in the field of sports economics research. “The game is not getting any larger.” Patch reached out to Rhoads—who has spent 15 years in the field of applied microeconomics relating to sports issues—to discuss the future of the sport in the wake of Chestnut Ridge Country Club’s Sunday closing. The club planned to shut down operations, Patch reported last week, after decades of providing an upscale private course to the people of Baltimore County. Rhoads attributed a lack of …
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Revenue Authority chief arranged trip to the exclusive Pine Valley Golf Club through a contractor. But county and state ethics laws don't appear to apply to the agency.
A round of golf at storied Pine Valley Golf Club in New Jersey is an invitation-only experience enjoyed by an exclusive set of golfers, among them President George H.W. Bush, actor Sean Connery and champion player Arnold Palmer. Now add to that list William "Lynnie" Cook, chief executive of the Baltimore County Revenue Authority. But Cook's trip to one of the nation’s most exclusive courses—as the guest of a revenue authority contractor—is raising questions from ethics watchdog groups and state and county legislators. The golf outing has also highlighted an apparent hole in county ethics laws at a time when County Executive Kevin Kamenetz is seeking to strengthen the code. Ethics rules in Baltimore County and Maryland prohibit county and …
number9dream
11:34 am on Thursday, December 13, 2012
In today's world, given $100,000 what kind of "revitalization" could possibly be worth the investment? more ›