Nearly 17 years after the first residents moved to Coldspring, site preparation is progressing for extensions on the hills overlooking the Jones Falls Valley between Cold Spring Lane and Greenspring Avenue.
Unless last-minute hitches develop, more than a hundred individual homes and townhouses will soon start rising in that city-sponsored "new town" that was introduced with great fanfare in the 1970s but then quickly stalled.
The 252 existing Coldspring homes were built of cinder block on common areas known as decks. Parking is underground; many units are stacked one above another.
The new homes will be quite a departure from architect Moshe Safdie's original design. Whether townhouses or single family homes, they will all look like typical suburban homes.
Constructed by Ryland Homes and Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, they will have vinyl siding, individual garages, optional fireplaces and other features demanded by today's buyers. Even the Coldspring moniker has been rejected. Instead, the section is called "Woodlands."
Mr. Safdie's original master plan always called for new construction along the Cylburn Park perimeter. His houses there were to be larger and equipped with extras not available at Coldspring -- such as fireplaces -- but of the same cinder block construction.
In fact, several of the current owners bought at Coldspring, hoping to move up to the new section. Some of them are now considering Woodlands.
From the standpoint of stylistic harmony, it is too bad that the Safdie vision of a self-contained new town never came to be. At the same time, builders in the city have for too long disregarded the dictates of the market. If buyers want fireplaces and individual garages, they have be offered those amenities.
As the new Woodlands houses begin rising, the building industry will watch their sales with a keen interest. If the houses move rapidly, others may want to consider adding to the Coldspring housing stock. Meanwhile, a six-story mid-rise for senior citizens, containing 120 units, is being planned.
Coldspring has a splendid location. Surrounded by woods, it has easy access to both downtown Baltimore and Towson. It's good to see that community moving ahead again.