Foundry Row Development Comments To Be Heard

The proposed Foundry Row development that includes a Wegmans grocery store, will likely be a topic of discussion Thursday during a Baltimore County Council meeting in Pikesville.

The 6 p.m. meeting set for is a chance for residents to comment on 35 issues—including the proposed Owings Mills development at the former Solo Cup plant—related to the county's Comprehensive Zoning & Mapping Process.

At 5 p.m., residents can begin signing up to speak before the seven members of the Baltimore County Council.

The four-year CZMP process has already gone through the county county Planning Board.

On May 3 the board approved its staff's recommendation on the Foundry Row development: To change zoning at the property from the current manufacturing zone to business major (BM) zone.

The change would allow , proposed by Greenberg Gibbons and Vanguard Equities, to move forward.

That proposal includes Wegmans, a national fitness store and sporting goods store, as well as upscale shops, restaurants, and 40,000 square feet of office space, according to the Greenberg Gibbons Commercial website.

Some organizations including the and the Liberty Road Business Association, have for Foundry Row, in part because a new business would keep shoppers in the Reisterstown Road corridor, they have said.

However, others, including some business owners and a group of residents called Say No To Solo Coalition, are against it. They have said it would siphon traffic away from existing businesses.

The council will vote on Foundry Row and the other CZMP issues on Aug. 28.

Other projects that are up for zoning changes include land near Garrison Forest School, Chestnut Ridge Country Club, rezoning of the Colonial-style Sterling House at 27 Hooks Lane near Hooks Village, and the proposed along Interstate 795.

Council Chairwoman Vicki Almond, who represents the 2nd district, said this public meeting Thursday evening could attract numerous commentors.

"The fact that we have so many caring and involved citizens is very healthy for our county," she said. "This is an opportunity for residents of the 2nd District to express their opinions on zoning inssues in their neighborhoods."

Jonathan Schwartz, senior council assistant, said Almond's office has received hundreds of emails and phone calls on CZMP issues in the district. And the meeting is another way residents to let county government know their opinions.

"This is one way that constituents can have their voices heard," he said.

What do you think of the proposed Foundry Row project? Would it help or hurt businesses already in the area?