The Towson Manor Village Community Association is planning an "emergency meeting" this week to discuss two proposed zoning changes in the Towson Triangle that the association fears will lead to taller, higher-density development.
The Towson Triangle is an area bounded by Towsontown Boulevard, Bosley Avenue and York Road.
American Legion Towson Post 22 has requested to change the zoning on 9 acres inside the triangle from Business Major to Business Major – Town Center Core. Another group, DMS Development LLC, has proposed a similar change to 2.6 acres in the triangle.
The addition of a Town Center Core designation, or CT, would allow buildings in that area to be exempted "from any required front, side or rear yard setback, or any setback from the center line of any street, or any building height limitation," by the director of permits, approvals and inspections, according to the county's zoning code.
The community association, which represents 500 homes, is opposed to those changes. They have scheduled a meeting to discuss the issue at 7 p.m. Aug. 17 at First Lutheran Church, at 40 Burke Ave.
The county is in the midst of its Comprehensive Zoning Map Process, done every four years, during which any person can request a change in zoning on any property.
The county's Planning Board has already reviewed, heard public comment and issued recomendations for those proposed changes — 161 proposals in District 5 alone, which includes Towson. The board has recommended adding the Town Center Core zoning as requested by DMS Development.
"We will not accept defeat," Towson Manor Village Association President Joe La Bella said in an email. "This battle to prevent overdevelopment in the Towson Triangle is not over and set in stone."
Aug. 30 the Baltimore County Council will hold a special meeting and give a final vote for the new zoning designations.