County council approves urban design perks for Towson core

The Baltimore County Council passed legislation July 6 that would offer an accelerated development review process for projects in the Towson Core that meet the Urban Design Principles endorsed by Towson's business and residential communities.

The vote came quicker than expected, according to Councilman David Marks, who introduced the measures that apply only to downtown Towson.

Council members did not wait until August because they already had reached consensus, Marks said Wednesday.

"Many thanks to Tomorrow's Towson and its affiliated groups for many years of work on this bill, long before I came into office," he said.

"I'd also like to thank County Executive Kamenetz and his administration for their assistance and their commitment to revitalization in Towson."

The next step, he said — which is equally important — is making sure that developers are aware of the benefits they can reap by following the Urban Design Principles in the core, he said.

Marks said he is discussing ideas with the Greater Towson Committee, the all volunteer business group that promotes development in Towson, to spread the word in the development community, including the possibility of GTC holding a workshop.