November Meeting & Annual Election

A copy of the November Newsletter is linked to below. Our November meeting will be at Harbel at 7:45 PM on Wednesday, November 7th.  We will be holding our annual elections and have a guest out to speak about a potential new restaurant at 5501 Harford Rd (the old blockbuster building).

November 2012 Newsletter

Downhill Derby canceled

Unfortunately, the Downhill Derby has been cancelled for Sunday, October 28, 2012.

This was a difficult decision to make, but based on current weather forecasts for Sunday, we feel this is the best thing to do. We do not want to jeopardize the safety of any participant or spectator involved in this event.

Please inform your family members, friends and neighbors that the Downhill Derby has been cancelled.

Thank you to Rec & Parks and every volunteer who took part in the planning of this event. My apologies to all drivers that were looking forward to this race.

Thank you for your understanding,

Regina

Regina Lansinger, Director
Hamilton Lauraville Main Street
5500 Harford Road - Suite 201
Baltimore, MD 21214

Hurricane Sandy

The Mayor's Office of Emergency Management is working closely with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service to monitor and prepare for Hurricane Sandy and the potential for severe weather this weekend.

At this point, most forecast models predict heavy rain for our area beginning Sunday night and continuing through Monday.  If the storm stays within current projections, it is possible that we could experience fallen trees, minor flooding, and power outages.

Regardless of the eventual path of the storm, there are things that families and business can do now to be prepared for a severe weather event. You should be ready to manage the most common crises affecting our region – weather-related power and water outages – if you have certain basic supplies. Buy these three essentials first:

·         A battery-powered radio with extra batteries. If the power goes out, a battery-powered radio is the only way to receive information.
·         Flashlights or battery-powered lanterns with extra batteries. These are essential even during relatively brief power outages. (Don't use candles! They pose a serious fire risk.)
·         Water to last three days. That’s at least one gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation. Mark the date on the container, and replace it every six months.

City residents are also encouraged to clear any debris from your neighborhood storm drains to ensure proper drainage during heavy rain. To protect your food during a power outage, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. Food will stay frozen for 36 hours or more in a fully-loaded freezer if you keep the door closed. Consider freezing containers of water ahead of time. The blocks of ice will help keep your food frozen longer.

For more information on preparedness, click the following link: http://emergency.baltimorecity.gov/Preparedness.aspx

For forecast models and storm tracking, click on this link: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Citizens are reminded they can also call 311 for the latest information about the city’s preparations during weather events.

Real Estate and Economic Development Assessment of Belair Road

Below is a communication from Harbel regarding the Real Estate and Economic Development Assessment of Belair Road:

As many of you may remember the Urban Land Institute (ULI) created a Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) of experts in the engineering, development, landscaping, architectural and real estate industries to evaluate the Belair Road commercial corridor. They recommended that the first step in redeveloping the corridor was to initiate a market study or a Comprehensive Real Estate and Economic Development Assessment of the Belair Road corridor. The members of the TAP made it clear that developers would not seriously consider investing in the corridor until such a study was performed.

Since the issuance of the TAP report, an ad hoc group of representatives from the Baltimore Development Corporation, HARBEL, Belair Edison Neighborhoods, Inc., the Gardenville Belair Road Business Association, the Greater Baltimore Committee, the Baltimore City Department of Planning, the Baltimore County Department of Planning, and the Urban Land Institute have been meeting to ensure this first step was accomplished. Largely through the efforts of 2^nd District Councilman Brandon Scott, Kristen Mitchell of the Baltimore Development Corporation, Cathy Kratovil of the Gardenville Belair Road Business Association, and Naomi Benyowitz the Executive Director of HARBEL, HARBEL is now offering a Request For Proposal (RFP) that asks qualified firms and organizations to:

• ·         Evaluate the current health of the business environment
• ·         Determine the potential for retail, office, entertainment, institutional, housing, and mixed-use development
• ·         Identify appropriate niche markets
• ·         Specify the intensity and scale of uses for redevelopment
• ·         Identify areas best suited for redevelopment opportunities in the near-term, mid-term and long-term, using the framework for nodes and opportunity sites laid out in the ULI tap report
• ·         Evaluate the community perception of the retail environment through a consumer-intercept survey
• ·         Explore existing public incentives that may facilitate economic development potential

This is great news, and it is the first step in revitalizing the Belair Road Commercial Corridor.

You can view the RFP at:

 http://www.harbel.org/PDF/RFPBelairRoadAssess.pdf

Current Burglary Trends in the Northeast District

The police are investigating burglaries in the area, please be aware of the following:

The Northeast District has shared the following concerning the manner in which suspects are currently committing burglaries: 

• They are entering homes through a basement door, kitchen window, or side door
• They are placing items in suitcases found in the house and are exiting via the front door
• They are typically leaving the area via a car or a U-haul of box truck parked in front of the house being burglarized 

The police are asking you to call 911 if you observe any of the following:

• People walking with suitcases
• People entering the rear and side of houses that appear to be unusual
• If you see suspicious people getting into cars or box trucks or suspicious cars or box trucks is in your neighborhood, try to get a full or partial tag number and call 911
• If you see a U-haul or a box truck in your area and persons are loading items into it call 911, and again try to get a full or partial tag number and call 911

Please be as specific as you possibly can when describing property stolen from you

• The police are recovering what they believe to be stolen property, particularly jewelry, but they have often been unable to match it to that which has been reported stolen, thereby charging the person in possession of it with a crime and returning it to rightful owner.  Please try to be as specific as you possibly can be concerning descriptions of property that is stolen especially jewelry.

The police are finding that burglars are posing as lawn care personnel.  They then wait until the victim goes to work and burglarize the house

·         They are suggesting that you attempt to use lawn care providers that you know

·         If you agree to let someone you do not know cut your lawn, make sure you ask and receive photo identification and that you record their full name, address, and date of birth

The police believe that burglars are posing as home repair contractors

·         They are asking, if you see work vans in your area, you call 911.

·         The police are finding many large items such as big screen TV’s are being taken in recent burglaries, and they believe that burglars are using vans and box trucks to transport these items out of the area.

Community Bill of Rights Law

Effective Today: Revised Community Bill of Rights Law Allows Community Associations to Sue Owners of Nuisance Properties! 
Community Law Center invites neighborhoods to take advantage of the revised law to tackle nuisance properties!

Baltimore, MD (October 1, 2012) - Owners of abandoned properties in Baltimore City should start bringing their properties up to code, or the local community association might sue them to do just that. Today, the revised law, known as the Community Bill of Rights, goes into effect. This amended legislation makes it easier for community organizations to use the law that has been unused but on the books for 15 years.

The revised law allows for community organizations to pursue code enforcement violations to reduce nuisances in their own neighborhoods. Community associations are empowered to address problem properties by filing a private legal action against the property owner. Owners could be forced by a Circuit Court order to correct the problems with their properties that are causing a nuisance in the neighborhood.

Community organizations interested in taking advantage of this new legislation should apply for free legal assistance from Community Law Center online at www.communitylaw.org/apply-for-services or by calling Ingrid Hitchens at 410-366-0922 x 13.

 

Community Law Center, Inc. is a nonprofit law firm that provides legal representation to nonprofits and community associations in Maryland to create stronger nonprofits and more vibrant neighborhoods.