A Baltimore County councilman said Thursday he's fed up with protracted redevelopment efforts at Fort Howard and plans to change the zoning on the property to further restrict what can be built there.
Councilman Todd Crandell had been pushing a zoning bill for the former Veterans Affairs hospital property at Fort Howard with the goal of facilitating private development there.
But after a meeting this week with the VA and the developer, Crandell said Thursday that he has no "comfort level" with the latest plans and is withdrawing his zoning bill.
"I have no trust that the VA or the developer has the will or the means to do the right thing, reach common ground, and gain an understanding of the truly unique nature of the property and the surrounding community," said Crandell, a Dundalk Republican.
Crandell said he hasn't decided how far he will go with down zoning the site. The council will vote on hundreds of zoning changes at the end of August as part of the quadrennial Comprehensive Zoning Map Process.
After the VA closed the hospital in 2002, the federal government designated it for redevelopment. The VA has leased the 104-acre waterfront property to two successive developers who both failed to get their projects off the ground.
The current lease holder, Timothy Munshell of Fort Howard Development LLC, initially proposed about 1,400 units of homes and assisted living, a hotel, offices and retail shops, which Crandell blocked because he felt that was too intense for the property.
More recently, developer Armando Cignarale of Cignal Corp. indicated he was interested in exploring a partnership with Munshell on the Fort Howard project. Crandell said Cignarale pitched a 400-unit development of town homes and assisted living. The councilman's bill would have allowed that project while setting some parameters for the details of the development. The bill was due for a vote on Monday.
But on Tuesday, Crandell said the VA and Munshell expressed interest in 575 residential units, including "workforce housing" apartments that would have an income limit for tenants. The 575 units represents the maximum possible number homes that could be built with the current zoning of 5.5 units per acre.
Munshell did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
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