Dundalk residents began to make their case Thursday that turning the county's North Point Government Center into a commercial development will cause a loss of open space and is not in the community's best interest.
Michael J. Moran, an attorney representing the Greater Dundalk Alliance told a Baltimore County administrative judge that "people in government" have an idea of what's best for the community, but "denizens of Dundalk" have think differently.
"Those two views of what the community should look like are in direct opposition to one another," Moran told Judge John E. Beverungen.
Beverungen is reviewing plans from Baltimore-based Vanguard Retail Property Development to turn the government building at the corner of Wise Avenue and Merritt Boulevard into an eight-building complex called Merritt Pavilion with shops, restaurants, offices and a gas station.
The government center currently houses a police station, county offices, sports programs and a theater program.
In November, the Baltimore County Council approved a modification of the deal for Vanguard to buy the property from the county, by raising the price from $2.1 million to $7.6 million and allowing Vanguard to pay the price with a combination of up-front cash, a payment plan and forgoing property tax breaks. The county will use the extra money to build a community recreation center on the property that Vanguard initially had agreed to build.
Lawrence E. Schmidt, an attorney for Vanguard who used to be the county's administrative judge, said Merritt Pavilion is "very attractively designed" and will provide jobs. He noted all of the county agencies that reviewed the project recommended approving it.
Schmidt said many complaints about Merritt Pavilion are actually about the county's actions in selling the land -- not with the design of the project itself.
"Many of these issues are irrelevant," he said.
Moran laid the groundwork to challenge specifics of the proposal. He said that while the county will retain some ball fields on the property, there will be a net loss of open space. He questioned whether it was appropriate to build a commercial complex close to high-voltage utility lines that run along the property; and also questioned whether the county has completed all steps to sell the land — the government center was originally a junior high school that the school system donated to the county, and he believes the state must sign off on the deal.
About a dozen Dundalk residents attended Thursday's hearing. The judge has reserved up to four days for hearings in the case.
twitter.com/pwoodreporter