Local Voices
Councilman Marks: "No" on the $43 Million Towson Row Subsidy
"I am not just Towson's Councilman—I am a Baltimore County Councilman, and that requires looking at our long-term fiscal commitments."
I have worked to revitalize Downtown Towson since my election to the Baltimore County. Signs of progress are everywhere--open storefronts along York Road, new activity at Towson Commons, the renovation of the Hutzlers building, and residential developments that support our restaurants and other businesses.
The recent vote to subsidize the Towson Row project was the most difficult of my Council tenure. I want to explain why I voted no.
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Greenberg Gibbons is the right developer to complete Towson Row—and when the project is finished, it will have a transformational impact on Downtown Towson. While I believe some form of a financial assistance package was appropriate to jumpstart this project, I would have preferred a loan than the grant proposed by the Kamenetz administration.
Second, I had grave concerns about the speed with which this package was presented to the County Council. Almost all of the developments underway in Downtown Towson occurred after extensive public input. The Kamenetz administration introduced this subsidy at the end of a press release sent out the day after Thanksgiving. Given the rollout of this proposal, I had little confidence that the Kamenetz administration would communicate with the Council once it got the contract approved.
I was also concerned about how the proposed contract would bind future County Executives and County Councils to financial commitments, particularly if the county runs into economic difficulties.
As Towson’s Councilman, I have championed projects that are revitalizing our downtown core—and yes, I have made tough decisions, such as boosting open space funding despite fierce resistance from some developers. But I am not just Towson's Councilman—I am a Baltimore County Councilman, and that requires taking the broader view to look at our long-term fiscal commitments.