A $4.5 to $5 million project that would add office space and bring retail stores as well as a possible national restaurant chain to one of the main entrances to Arbutus is moving forward.
If Arbutus Station receives approval from Baltimore County, a two-story building with 20,000 square feet of office and retail space and another 7,576 square foot building of restaurant space will be added to 2.46 acres of land bordered by Sulphur Spring Road and Old Sulphur Spring Road.
A development plan conference on the project was held by the county on Feb. 18. That was the next step in the process for receiving county approval.
Residents will be allowed to comment at a public hearing scheduled for March 12 at 10 a.m. in Towson.
The site is owned by Catonsville commercial real estate developer Steve Whalen's Whalen Properties.
The project will take 10 to 12 months to build, with grading expected to begin early this summer, Whalen said.
"We should be looking at occupancy availability by April or May next year," Whalen said.
The ground floor of the office building is likely to be used for retail businesses such as a dry cleaner or insurance agency, Whalen said.
The top floor could be leased for office or administrative use, or medical offices, Whalen said.
"That space has really been pretty neglected, and the opportunity to do some nice office space I think would be very helpful to the community to upgrade existing tenants or attract other users to the space," Whalen said, referring to the property a short distance from an industrial park on Sulphur Spring Road.
Whalen envisions the restaurant space to be filled with a chain restaurant such as casual steakhouse Texas Roadhouse.
"I've had an experience with them at a couple different locations and they do a really nice job," Whalen said. "I think something like that would be ideal for the Arbutus community. There is no steak house there right now."
Whalen said he would also consider a casual chain such as Mission BBQ, which offers takeout.
Another idea would be to have two smaller restaurants instead of a large one, Whalen said.
"We'll go out to the market and see what kind of interest we can generate," Whalen said.
"We've owned this property for what seems like forever. It seems like a mode of operation we've gotten ourselves into, buying these things and holding them for a long time," Whalen said.
Whalen said he began acquiring different parcels for the project about 27 years ago. He now owns five parcels where the site will be built.
The last parcel was purchased in 2013 from the owner of auto body business, John's Auto Service, Whalen said.
A stipulation of the sale to Whalen was that the body shop owner could lease the space for $1 a month, he said.
A lease on the shop expired Dec. 31, Whalen said.
"One of the first things that we will do is we will raze the building in the next 30 to 60 days," Whalen said, referring to the shop.
First District Councilman Tom Quirk, who represents Arbutus, Catonsville and Lansdowne, said the project will be part of the budding revitalization in Arbutus.
"We're starting to build some momentum in Arbutus and we'll see investment follow this project," Quirk said, citing the recent transformation of Leon's Triple L Restaurant into the newly renovated Oak Creek Cafe.
The Arbutus Business and Professional Association and Arbutus Commercial Revitalization Group have also given their plan their blessing, Whalen said.
"Steve Whalen does great work," said Bettina Tebo, president of the ABPA.
Deborah SeBour, an Arbutus real estate broker who founded ACRG, said the group supports Whalen's project.
"We feel that this will bring new, higher end business to the area and we, as business owners ourselves, appreciate that Steve Whalen has chosen Arbutusfor hisinvestment opportunity," SeBour wrote in an email. "We are hoping that 'new development'where the rental costs are slightly higher thansome of our older business facilities, will encourage other property owners in the area to renovate and update existing buildings, allowing them to see a gain in their own net rental revenues."
Whalen is a member of the group.
Despite support from business leaders in the community, members of the neighborhood closest to the site on Arbutus Avenue, aren't looking forward to the new buildings.
"We do not want it. We believe that it's going to bring in traffic," said Sandy Weiss, 59, who has lived on Arbutus Avenue for 15 years. "I don't think anyone on Arbutus Avenue wants it."
"If anything, we need a nice, nondenominational church, but not a restaurant with empty office space," Weiss said.
Weiss said she doesn't want to see woods at the intersection of Sulphur Spring Road and Waelchli Avenue removed. The trees serve as a buffer between the neighborhood and the busy street.
Whalen said his solution is to add a landscaping screen and fencing to block traffic.
Others have expressed concern about an entrance from their street to the restaurant and office building.
"We said to them, 'We will not access Old Sulphur Spring Road.' and the plan does not have any access to Old Sulphur Spring Road from our parking lot," Whalen said.
Betty Rottman, 82, who has lived on the street for 45 years, expressed worry over parking.
"Where are they going to park? It's a big place, but where are they going to park?," Rottman said.
There will be 167 parking spaces at the site of the 176 spots required, according to the site plan.
"I can sympathize with the neighbors who live there by the woods," Tebo said.
"But then in the same breath, it's a development project which the Arbutus community desperately needs," she said.