Citizens Group Wants Baltimore County to Buy Former Aircraft PlantJames Mosher The Daily Record 03/29/05 A citizens group wants Baltimore County to buy a 1.9-million-square foot former aircraft assembly plant in Middle River in a move aimed at securing a more favorable development outcome.
The Essex-Middle River Renaissance Corp. has also asked County Executive James T. Smith Jr. to seek a delay in the sale of the property, known as the Depot, for up to one year. The owner, the federal government's General Services Administration, is sticking to its timetable for sale late this summer, spokeswoman Gina Blyther Gilliam said.
County Council Chairman Joseph Bartenfelder, a Democrat whose District 6 includes the Depot, is not recommending a purchase by the county. "It wouldn't be necessary as long as we monitor the situation closely enough," he said.
The nonprofit organization is scheduled to meet with county officials at 7 p.m. today at Middlesex Elementary School, said John Gontrum, a member of the corporation's board of directors. The county currently has no plans to buy the property, once part of the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Co. and now partly used by the armed services as a data processing center, said Fronda Cohen, communications director in the county's Department of Economic Development.
"The objective is to end up with a quality mixed-use development," Cohen said. "It's a matter of working out the details. But the county isn't planning on buying it."
Renaissance members would like the county to buy the building, which sits on 50 acres of land, for resale later, said Gontrum, a Towson-based land-use attorney. The strategy is for the county to hold on to the building long enough to guarantee a favorable development, then sell it at a profit.
Shawn T. Meyer, the corporation's president, sent a letter, dated March 15, to the county executive requesting the delay and urging the county to get a loan to buy the property. Smith's office couldn't immediately verify that the letter had been received. Gilliam wrote in an interview via e-mail that GSA has not been contacted regarding a delay in the sale.
Corporation members also suggested a zoning change. The property is currently zoned "heavy industrial" dating to its original use for Martin Aircraft. Few in the neighborhood would like to see it return to that use, county officials say.
The majority of potential buyers are expected to be private-sector firms, Gilliam wrote. She declined to estimate the value of the property, saying the agency may keep the property if bids are too low.
"GSA will reserve the right to reject any and all bids," Gilliam wrote. "GSA expects to maximize value and therefore will not publish a minimum bid."
The property, which the GSA has owned since 1964, is likely to attract handsome bids because of its strategic location. It is close to the Route 43 extension, which is designed to bring growth and development from White Marsh down into Middle River. The Depot is also desirable because of its proximity to land, air, and sea transportation. It is one of the largest buildings in Baltimore County.
Developers expressing interest in the property are being given briefings and tours of the property, Cohen said. The county is also seeking firms that might be interested in developing it, she said.
Earlier this month, the public weighed in with ideas for the property. Suggestions ranged from an air museum to schools to condominiums.
Renaissance corporation members see this diversity of opinion as a reason for the county to buy and guarantee the most favorable result possible. If a developer bought the property and decided upon a single use, that might disappoint some residents, observers say.
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