Saturday, December 31, 2011 12/31/2011 01:54:00 PM

Waltherson January Newsletter & Meeting

Our January meeting will be held at Harbel at 7:45 PM on Wednesday January 4th.  We will be discussing a proposed Hookah Bar just north of Ailsa Ave at 5009 Harford Rd.

You can find the January Newsletter at the link below. 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/76853333


Thursday, December 1, 2011 12/01/2011 11:42:00 AM

Section 8 Housing Community Conversation

For anyone interested, please see the meeting times below.  Mt Pleasant church is located at 6000 Radecke Ave  Baltimore, MD 21206


Join Delegate Cheryl D. Glenn
45th Legislative District

·      Saturday, December 3, 2011, 10 a.m. – 12 noon, Mt. Pleasant Church
Section 8 Housing Program Community Conversation (with Dept. of Housing and Community Leaders and Activists)

·      Saturday, January 7, 2012, 10 a.m. – 12 noon, Mt. Pleasant Church –
Delegate Glenn’s 4th Annual Pre-Legislative Session Community Conversation
(with Community Leaders and Activists)

·      Monday, February 13, 2012, 6-8 p.m. –
45th Legislative District Annual Night in Annapolis – Senate Building – West 1 & West II


For questions or additional information, contact Delegate Cheryl D. Glenn at District Office at 410-563-0228 before January 10, 2012 after January 10, 2012 call the Annapolis Office at 410-841-3257.

Update on St. Anthony's school building


Below is an update regarding the roundtable sessions on the old school building at St. Anthony's just east of Belair and Frankford. There is a proposal by Baltimore International Academy Charter School to purchase and relocate into the building.  There is contact information at the end of the letter who you can contact with your opinion on the application.  Please leave your thoughts in the comments as well.

The Catholic Faith Community of
Saint Anthony of Padua / Most Precious Blood
4414 Frankford Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21206-5133
Phone: (410) 488-0400    Fax: (410) 488-0032
E-Mail:  sapmpb@comcast.net                Website:  www.stampb.org

                                                 November  26, 2011

Re: Update on the vacant former Mother Mary Lange/St. Anthony School

Dear Neighbor,

As promised, we are writing to you with an update after our recent roundtable sessions. 
State and City representatives, community residents, parishioners  and members of the business community were in attendance.  It was a wonderful representation of interested parties.

 Over 200 proposed uses, opportunities, community needs and concerns were expressed.  A full report is being prepared and will be sent out soon.  The suggested uses fell into ten categories with educational uses and community enrichment being predominant.   Among educational uses,  the Charter school known as the Baltimore International Academy (BIA), a language immersion school, was mentioned  most often.  The BIA is housed at present on the grounds of the Maryland School for the Blind but must vacate their  facility to accommodate  the School for the Blind’s expansion.    

We are grateful toState Delegate Cheryl D. Glenn, the 45th District representative to the Maryland General Assembly, and Barbara Jackson,  President of the Frankford Improvement Association,  who  met  with the Archbishop of Baltimore, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien , shortly after the Roundtables.  At this meeting, Archbishop O’Brien stated that  the application of the BIA  was still “on the table”.  At this date, it is the ONLYcredible application.

BIA has expressed continued interest and has the financial  ability  to purchase and upgrade the building.   The Parish received a fresh application from them and on their behalf, the parish made application to the Archdiocese.   We believe we are fortunate that such an opportunity exists for use of this vacant building, knowing it is a preferred use as expressed at the Roundtables.

The application has been sent to a recently formed committee that  reviews and recommends approval of  real estate sales and leases in the Archdiocese - RETAC - Real Estate Transaction Committee.  Committee  members,  who are listed below,  are now  reviewing  the application and gathering comments.   

During all these deliberations, a funny thing happened to the school building:  it was in the Movies!!  HBO approached the archdiocese and asked that it be used for an episode of their new comedy which will come out in the spring called “VEEP”,  starring Julia Louis- Dreyfus. It was exciting having Hollywood on our doorstep.  For a few days, some of you thought you had moved to the Westside as the school was renamed “Westside Academy” for the week!  (Not to mention the ‘village’ that grew on the parking lot!!)

Now a big request:  you can help accelerate approval of the time sensitive BIA application.  If you are in agreement with the application of the Charter School,
 we invite you to ADD YOUR VOICE! Send a letter or e-mail  outlining your wish for the building to be used as a school,  such as the BIA.   Please feel free to write from your heart,make your thoughts known, especially your hopes for the community, the school’s influence in the past and how  this Charter School  will affect the future of our community.  Of course, time is of the essence, so it is important to write within the week.

We are sincerely grateful for your participation,  interest, support and voice  on behalf of our community.  We will keep you updated.

Sincerely,
 Community Roundtable Committee

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE ADDRESSEES TO WHICH  LETTERS SUPPORTING THE PURCHASE OF THE MOTHER MARY LANGE SCHOOL BUILDING BY THE BIA CAN BE SENT.

Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien, D.D                           Bishop Denis Madden, D.D, V.G
Apostolic Administrator and chair of RETAC                  Auxiliary Bishop and Urban Vicar        
Archdiocese of Baltimore                                                   Archdiocese of Baltimore
320 Cathedral Street,                                                          320 Cathedral Street
Baltimore, MD 21201                                                          Baltimore, MD 21201
archbishop@archbalt.org                                                  nvicar@archbalt.org

Monsignor Richard W. Woy                                    Monsignor Robert Hartnett
Vicar General,                                                                       Executive Director
Archdiocese of Baltimore                                                   Office of research and Planning
320 Cathedral Street,                                                          Archdiocese of Baltimore
Baltimore, MD 21201                                                          320 Cathedral Street,
wvicar@archbalt.org                                                            Baltimore, MD 21201
                                                                                                bob.hartnett@archbalt.org

Mark Pacione,
Office of Research and Planning                          
Archdiocese of Baltimore,  ----------------->     Mark is an alumnus of St. Anthony’s School  
320 Cathedral Street,                                        and grew up in the neighborhood.
Baltimore, MD 21201                                                mpacione@archbalt.org 

Belair Road Revitlization

December, 2011


 Below is the content of the December issue of the Compass Newsletter detailing the release of the TAP study for the Revitalization of Belair Rd.  The full report can be found at this link.


A Message from the Director…
As we begin to look forward to the new year, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of the citizens, elected officials, business leaders, developers, non-profit organizations and partners for helping us make Baltimore a better, safer and stronger City in 2011.
As part of this collective effort, I am very pleased to share with you the recent release of “Revitalizing the Belair Road Corridor” a study by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Baltimore that was the result of a Department of Planning grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).  The grant helped fund a unique partnership between ULI Baltimore, the City of Baltimore, and Baltimore County to collaboratively study and plan for the revitalization of Belair Road, a regional gateway corridor.
The report is already being used to help promote the revitalization and physical improvement of the corridor and surrounding communities, and we will continue to work with our partners in the City, the County and the Belair Road communities to implement the report’s strategies in 2012, and into the future.
I hope you’ll find the results of this report both interesting and promising.  In the meantime, happy holidays and best wishes for a safe and prosperous new year.

Sincerely,

Thomas J. Stosur, Director

Planning by the Numbers…

When we compare the total amount of all retail sales in the Belair Road corridor study area, with the total amount of consumer spending by all residents of the study area,  data reveals that approximately $233 million in spending “leaks” out of these Baltimore City and County communities every year.

Did you know… 

In the 5 mile study area for the Belair Road TAP,the top land uses are:
  • Auto Related Businesses (12%),
  • Beauty Salons and/or Barbershops (12%),
  • Vacant Auto Dealerships (12%), and
  • Other Retail (11%),
And among the "other retail", the top land uses are:
  • Liquor Stores (18%)
  • Variety Stores (14%)
  • Second Hand Goods (12%)
  • Cell Phone Stores (8%)

Hot off the presses… 

"Revitalizing the Belair Road Corridor: A ULI Advisory Services Technical Assistance Panel Report"

On Wednesday, November 16th, ULI Baltimore partnered with the City and County of Baltimore, to publicly release the ULI TAP report at the Maryland School for the Blind’s Jen C. Russo Arts Center.  The ULI TAP Co-Chair, Matt D’Amico introduced Baltimore Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Baltimore County Executive, Kevin Kamenetz, who both expressed their support and gratitude for the hard work that went into developing strategies to revitalize the Belair Road corridor, one of the gateway corridors that link the County and the City.
During the event, Panelist Chuck McMahon provided an overview of the history of the corridor.  He reviewed the corridor’s aging commercial infrastructure, its density of automotive land uses, and the challenges of commercial vacancies and underutilized commercial space.
Panelist Peter Garver’s presentation focused on development potential, highlighting the unique commercial nodes that surround major intersections and have an existing foundation for pedestrian oriented retail.  It was proposed that these nodes, located at Belair-Erdman, Gardenville and Overlea, could be linked by redeveloping adjacent “opportunity areas” which were identified in the report. Mr. Garver also made recommendations for potential retail and residential development in these opportunity areas.
The overall recommendations included streetscape beautification, façade improvements, strengthening nearby residential neighborhoods, and the branding and marketing of the corridor and its nodes to the residents and the commuters that pass through daily.
Following a review of recommendations, planners Jill Lemke (Baltimore City) and Laurie Hay (Baltimore County), presented a brief overview of next steps being undertaken to implement the plan.  For example, a non-profit partnership has applied for Community Investment Tax Credits which will allow businesses and individuals to donate to the effort and by doing so, earn tax credits of more than 50% of the value of the contribution.  The funds generated could be used to fund a detailed market study and other revitalization projects.  In addition, a number of transportation improvement projects were outlined, including a commitment from Mayor Rawlings Blake to fund a Complete Streets strategy for the corridor.
At the conclusion of the presentations several community residents pledged their continued support for the redevelopment of the Belair Road corridor and offered to continue working with the City and County on future programs and planning efforts.

The Belair Road TAP 

Planning for the Belair Corridor 

In March 2011, the Planning Department partnered with the Baltimore County Department of Planning, TND Planning Group and the Urban Land Institute (ULI) of Baltimore for a two day study of the Belair Road Corridor.  The study area runs from Sinclair Lane on the southern edge, to the I-695 beltway in Baltimore County.
The event was part of the ULI Baltimore Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) program which provides expert, multidisciplinary advice on land use and real estate issues facing communities in the Greater Baltimore Region. Similar to ULI District Councils throughout the country, ULI Baltimore utilizes its broad membership to offer objective and responsible advice to local governments, stakeholders and organizations.
During the Baltimore TAP nine ULI panelists studied development issues and opportunities along  the corridor, drawing on their experiences in real estate, retail development, transportation, architecture, economics and urban design.
The study focused on the following questions:
  • How can the corridor be revitalized to reduce commercial vacancies and attract new retail?
  • How can traffic and transportation challenges be addressed along the corridor?
  • What strategies could be used to create active nodes at major intersections?
  • How can we develop a cohesive branding strategy and streetscape identity, while maintaining the unique qualities of each node?
  • What can the City and County do to alter the perceptions of the corridor?
On the first day of the TAP, which was held at St. Anthony’s of Padua, the panelists took a bus tour of the study area to see the various retail nodes and large vacant parcels.  After the tour, panelists interviewed over 30 stakeholders from the County and City in focus groups that included elected officials, homeowners, business owners, and community organizations.
During the second day of the event, the City and County Planning Departments and the panelists collaborated to outline a draft report.  The process culminated with an evening presentation by ULI staff to stakeholders in St Anthony’s main sanctuary. Each of the ULI panelists gave a brief presentation on what they saw as the strengths and weaknesses for development along the corridor.  Staff presentations highlighted the future development potential in the area and responded to follow-up questions from the audience.  ULI panelists left the event with additional information and research they used in developing the final TAP Report.

Sunday, November 27, 2011 11/27/2011 09:08:00 PM

December Meeting

A copy of the December Newsletter can be found at the link below.  Our meeting will be held at Harbel at 7:45 PM on December 7th. 


December Newsletter

Tuesday, November 22, 2011 11/22/2011 09:44:00 AM

Thanksgiving Day & Mandatory Furlough Day Closings


Director Alfred H. Foxx reminds Baltimore City residents that, since Thanksgiving Day is a City holiday, Department of Public Works’ offices and yards will be closed on Thursday, November 24, 2011, a holiday; offices will also be closed on Friday, November 25, a Mandatory Furlough day.
On Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, November 24:
  • Trash and recycling, both curbside and City containers WILL NOT BE COLLECTED.
  • Saturday, November 26, 2011, will be the make up collection day for trash and recycling in those areas that are regularly scheduled for pick up on Thanksgiving Day.
  • There WILL BE NO BULK TRASH collection scheduled.
  • Citizen drop off centers WILL BE CLOSED (all yards including Quarantine Road Landfill, the Northwest Transfer Station and the Eastern, Western and Northwestern Sanitation Yards).
  • All City buildings WILL BE CLOSED.
  • Parking meters WILL NOT be in effect.
On the Mandatory Furlough day – Friday, November 25:
  • Trash and recycling, both curbside and City containers, WILL BE COLLECTED as regularly scheduled.
  • There WILL BE NO BULK TRASH collection scheduled.
  • Citizen drop off centers WILL BE CLOSED (all yards including Quarantine Road Landfill, the Northwest Transfer Station and the Eastern, Western and Northwestern Sanitation Yards).
  • All City buildings WILL BE CLOSED with the exception of the Police Headquarters complex.  Citizens will be unable to pay City bills or obtain permits at City offices.  Some bills can be paid online; please visit www.baltimorecity.gov.

Saturday, November 5, 2011 11/05/2011 10:26:00 AM

Bulk Collection is still FREE

Curbside Bulk Collection is currently provided to Baltimore City residents at no additional charge. The service will remain FREE through June 30, 2012.  A fee for service WILL NOT be instituted on January 1, 2012.
 
Budget challenges continue to drive the evaluation of all services for efficiency. Bulk Collection is being reviewed and a fee for this premium service is being considered.  A fee will not be implemented before July 1, 2012. City residents will be given advance notice of any changes to service.
 
To schedule bulk collection, residents must call 311 at least three days in advance of their communities’ regular bulk collection day, and place no more than three items for pick up.

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