Aero Acres wasn't supposed to be here today.

The Middle River community was supposed to be temporary housing for workers at Glenn L. Martin Co. -- now Lockheed Martin Corp. -- during World War II. However, 58 years later, many of those people still live in the neighborhood shaped like an airplane and with street names such as Fuselage Lane and Propeller Drive.

Robert Kaetzel, a Realtor for Re/Max Elite in White Marsh, said Aero Acres is just one of those neighborhoods where people never had the desire to leave.

"This neighborhood is very down to earth; there's just not any snobbery here," Kaetzel said.

One of those people is Bob Bragg, who, with his wife, Lou, has lived in Aero Acres since 1951. The Braggs moved into the neighborhood, adjacent to Victory Villa, shortly after getting married. They had met while working at Glenn L. Martin.

"This is a real close-knit community," Lou Bragg said. "When one neighbor is doing work on their house, others offer to help. At one point, we thought about moving. I'm glad we didn't."

Residents have done much during the past five decades to improve their homes, originally thrown up a dozen a day in 1941 and 1942. When built, Aero Acres was a community of 310 homes, each one-story with two bedrooms.

Today, it is known as "America's first planned community."

"I have known people who have added stories to their homes, added basements and aluminum siding," Kaetzel said.

Warren Hines spent some of his childhood years growing up in Aero Acres. Now 36, and with his own children, Hines returned to Aero Acres to raise his family. It's not unusual for one generation to follow another in becoming an Aero Acres homeowner. Much of it has to do with the prices of the houses, which Kaetzel said range from $70,000 to $105,000.

"When people start to build a family, many of them want a single-family home with a nice yard. Aero Acres gives them an affordable option," Kaetzel said.

Bob Clift arrived in 1970, selecting Aero Acres because "the price was right." He has remained because of the closeness of the community and the accessibility it gives its residents. Just about everything from shopping malls to schools to Interstate 695 is nearby.

Some of the nearby businesses are the Martin Boulevard Shopping Center, Golden Ring Mall and the new Food Lion supermarket on Fuselage Avenue. Orems Elementary School and Eastern Technical High are within walking distance for students.

However, the place that brings the most children together is the Salvation Army's Boys and Girls Club.

From the late 1940s until the late 1960s, when it was destroyed by arson, the Reds Shields Boys Club was the hub of the community. It remained closed until 1994, when the Salvation Army reopened the club on the same site. The center has a chapel for Sunday services, as well as a regulation-size basketball court and classrooms for pursuits from ceramics to computers.

During the past few years, Baltimore County has helped revitalize Aero Acres, spending more than $40,000 to build a baseball diamond and a playground.

"We try to work with the community to give them what they want," said Norman Knoerlein, supervisor of Eastern Baltimore County Parks and Recreation. "However, without the support the civic groups and the community give us, we would not be able to help them like we do."

Every summer -- at the corner of Martin Boulevard and Compass Drive -- a carnival is held and the proceeds help support local youth programs.

The Boys and Girls Club and Food Lion represent but a fraction of the revitalization effort under way in eastern Baltimore County.

While much of the effort has been warmly welcomed, some expansion has been met with caution.

Residents are concerned about the possibility of a CVS pharmacy opening at Martin Boulevard and Compass Road. They are concerned that the proposed 10,000-square-foot building would add traffic, causing congestion and elevating noise levels in the community.

The building would also endanger a school bus stop on Compass Road, some argue.

"I think with all of the senior citizens who live in the area, it would be nice for them," said Ruthle Smith, who has lived on Stabilizer Road for more than 30 years.

"However, that is an awful crowded area and I can understand the concerns of those people who would have the CVS be basically in their back yard."

Hines said CVS coming to Middle River is part of the changing times.

"When people originally came here everyone worked at Martin's. Nowadays, though, people who live here work in all types of jobs -- from factory jobs to office jobs."

Nevertheless, Kaetzel said, Aero Acres has remained a constant sign of stability for the area.

"Aero Acres doesn't need revitalization," Kaetzel said. "This is a place which has stood the test of time and offers families who don't want a townhouse a chance to buy their own home."

Aero Acres

ZIP code: 21220

Commuting time to downtown Baltimore: 20 minutes

Public schools: Orems Elementary School, Middle River Middle School, Eastern Technical High Schol, Kenwood High school.

Shoping: Golden Ring Mall, Martin Boulevard Shopping Center, White Marsh Mall, the Avenue at White Marsh

Number of homes currently on the market: 6

Average Listing price: $74,566*

Sales price as a percentage of listing price: 98.4%

Average days on market: 175

Pub Date: 3/07/99