Baltimore County's up-and-down relationship with the defense industry may be poised to soar again. In the early 1940s, growth on the county's east side exploded as Middle River's Glenn L. Martin factory employed tens of thousands to build B-26 bombers. Now, the very land that housed those wartime laborers is considered a prime spot for their 21st-century counterparts - thanks to the latest round of Pentagon base realignment and closure decisions.
As great an impact as the BRAC decisions are expected to have on Harford and Anne Arundel counties because of expanding Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Meade, the effects on Baltimore County could prove nearly as significant. A state planning office report predicts the county will acquire 3,898 jobs directly or indirectly attributable to BRAC and 3,653 new households; that's the most of any jurisdiction outside the bases' home counties.
And that may be an underestimate for a variety of reasons, including a greater capacity in water and sewer service than in places such as Cecil or Harford counties, and the availability of office space near Interstate 95. Then there's the matter of personal preference. Most of the transferred workers are, for instance, coming from upper-middle-class suburban communities. Those relocating from Fort Monmouth in northern New Jersey are likely to find Baltimore County a more comparable experience than the more rural, less culturally diverse neighborhoods closer to Aberdeen.
County officials claim they are anticipating the influx and have drawn up plans to accommodate it, but so far those efforts seem sketchy at best. This fall, the county launches its quadrennial comprehensive rezoning, and that will offer an ideal opportunity to shape the anticipated growth.
Elected leaders have begun lobbying Annapolis to help upgrade roads and transit systems that connect county neighborhoods such as Catonsville and White Marsh with the bases. But that could prove a difficult vote for the county's more conservative state lawmakers who are opposed to a gas tax increase as a means to pay for such improvements.
The county should be particularly interested in upgrading MARC commuter rail service as an alternative to the traffic-congested I-95 corridor. Taking the needed steps to revive the faded U.S. 40 corridor, including rezoning and perhaps even acquiring and dismantling eyesores, would also be welcome. The pre-interstate highway now lined with crumbling motels and storage lots remains a shabby gateway to the north.
BRAC offers a unique opportunity for the county to enhance its quality of life. Miramar Landing, a Middle River development of fashionable single-family houses and town homes, was built on a site formerly occupied by Villa Gardens housing Glenn L. Martin's decidedly more-blue-collar workers. If Miramar is a cornerstone of Baltimore County's east-side renaissance, this latest defense boom is a fitting way to build on it.