West Towson Park

The County should take bold action, or exercise restraint. While intersections of planning, design, and public health are still unfolding before us, there must also be far less greed.
On August 28, 2016, more than 150 Towson neighbors gathered to preserve the park-like grounds at the historic Bosley mansion at 400 Georgia Ct., owned by Presbyterian Home of Maryland. Families living around the property, elected officials, and community organizations recognized its green contribution to the healthy west Towson neighborhood and its historic notability. The necessary roadway stormwater and repaving projects have been delayed for five years because of the failed subdivision schemes of a developer and a single desirous property owner.
The coronavirus crisis proves that open space is essential to health and wellbeing, but developers of Bosley Estates see the beautiful property as just another parcel to carve up for some sprawling cookie-cutter snout houses. Long abandoned is any respect for the historic pattern book neighborhood surrounding it on all sides. County correction of the collapsed street stormwater system around the property is still held up because of an expired planned unit development. The beautiful homes surrounding it must regularly deal with flooded basements.
The historic structures and many beautiful trees are completely disposable under the past two concept plans. They ignore obvious issues with continuity, scale, setback, light pollution, road widening and very limited parking.
As pandemic stay-at-home orders are changing month to month, and families are crammed tightly into homes and spending long stretches inside, these concept plans are short-sighted and unwelcome. In a year we will still need this open space far more than we need another enclave of elite houses. Communities worldwide realize that in a chronic health crisis, goals for the built environment must adapt. The focus should be on seniors, the young, and folks who have preexisting conditions who are sequestered at home with the internet or the outdoors as the only safe connections to society.
This subdivision is all about a quick sale and the hope for business and life as usual. The original Azola promise for adaptive re-use in a planned development was welcome. But now, the Adams-Aumiller bait-and-switch plan seeks complete erasure of this green neighborhood heart and Towson history. Their aim is to demolish the historic mansion, stone wall, and green space. They would flatten all sides for double driveways and private road entrances. Speaking from within the 55+ demographic, the garage-front houses being proposed, without access to public space, are not appealing. Every day this virus rages, there are sadly fewer of us older people who need or would even consider empty-nester homes in park-deficient Towson. Effects of the 1918 flu pandemic impacted society for three years and by all accounts, Covid-19 suggests similar impact.
The virus is redefining relationships to personal and public space, and we’re going to need more of both. The Bosley Mansion property is already serving as a park as intended by original neighborhood planners over ninety-five years ago. In 2016, the community spoke and Councilman David Marks agreed that preservation of this property was “non negotiable.” This venture doesn’t deserve the time and money to move it forward. We need to follow the mandate to preserve a park that has benefited the community for almost a century. In the case of the Presbyterian Home parcel, the best outcome for Towson is to limit use and subdivision by downzoning.