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Proposed BCC/Keswick Land Sale |
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Various views of the general area proposed for development. RolandPark.org is informed that trees around which the surveyors have tied blue ribbons are slated for preservation; others may not be so lucky. Click photos for larger images. (Photo credit: D.P. Munro, all four images.) |
Circa-1925 view from the BCC club house in Roland Park, looking down toward Falls Road and showing the area now to be developed by Keswick Multi-Care Center. The view is toward the area shown on the bottom right of the four modern photos to the left. Click on photo for larger image. |
Young Roland Park residents make their views known outside the BCC on June 30, 2008.
Police car called to disperse the "young rowdies." Click photos for larger images. (Photo credit: M.P. Michel, both images.) |
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The Nature of Institutional Development Over recent weeks, we at RolandPark.org have sometimes been asked, “Wouldn’t Keswick’s assisted-living facility be a better use for the BCC land than residential development?” Leaving aside the issue that RP does not propose to see residential development on the land either, if at all possible, the short answer is, no. Land development for a facility such as that proposed by Keswick would in fact not be better than residential development. The reason lies in the nature of institutional development. If the land were sold for the development of, say, 40 new high-end houses, then, once bought, the owners of those houses would have as much incentive as the rest of Roland Park to prevent further encroachment. The development would, in effect, contain its own built-in brake. No such condition obtains in the case of institutional development. The new Keswick facility would be a business before all else. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, except that a static business is a failed business. To remain competitive, Keswick would probably need to expand. To be sure, it might possibly keep its footprint small on the BCC land — supposedly only 10 of the 17 acres it is buying — and go purchase some more land elsewhere. Or it might not. Let’s be realistic here. Which is more likely, (a) the purchase of more land in another part of town or (b) the development of the other seven acres? Maybe not next year. Maybe not next decade. But what about 50 years from now? Unsure? Let history be your guide. In the 1930s, the Johns Hopkins University occupied but a tiny fraction of its 124-acre Homewood campus. By the late 20th century, success had built upon success. Bursting at the seams, the university went on to expand over thousands of square feet of Wyman Park (on its western border), another of Baltimore’s unsung Olmsted gems. This is not to blame the university; it is simply to point out the obvious, namely, that institutions grow over time. Unconvinced? If no one is contemplating even the potential for development beyond that already proposed by Keswick, why does the “planned unit development” requested by Keswick of the City Council cover, not just 10 acres, not just 17 acres, but all 33 acres of the BCC land? That’s right, all 33 acres. A reasonable person might conclude there to be only one reason: because all parties concerned would like to keep their options open to permit the sale of the rest of the land for high-density development in the future. If the whole 33-acre lot is rezoned now, even if not immediately developed, then in the future BCC could sell the remaining land to an institution, possibly such as Keswick, and no community protest would be able to stop it. If the land is rezoned, it will in all probability be built over — perhaps not immediately, but almost certainly one day.
Our strength is in the zoning/PUD battle, which, as Civic League President Phil Spevak noted in his August 3 e-letter, will be as political as it will be legal. Zoning protests are nothing to be ashamed of. Zoning exists to balance the rights of property owners with the rights of impacted, neighboring parties — us, in this case. D.P. Munro Web-site Editor RolandPark.org The opinions expressed in the above writing are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or stated policy positions of the Roland Park civic associations.
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BCC Approval of Land Sale to Keswick Announcing the results of the BCC membership's vote on the question of selling 17 acres of green space to the Keswick Multi-Care Center for development, Keswick said that the vote in favor of the sale had been "overwhelming." Keswick's July 14 press release is here, and an artist's rendition of the proposed new retirement campus, or at least part of it, is here. Created by the Roland Park Company in 1898, the BCC — originally the Roland Park Golf Club — built a second golf course and moved the bulk of its activities to Timonium in the 1960s. The original golf-course land, sold to the BCC by the Roland Park Co. in 1898, was in turn mostly sold for development in the 1960s. Of the 30 acres retained by the club in Roland Park, the BCC now intends to sell 17 to Keswick for a 323-unit, 403-car-garage development. The Roland Park community had expected the result, but many were disappointed nonetheless. The issue now basically becomes a zoning battle. To develop the land, Keswick must successfully get the zoning changed from its current low-density R-1 designation to high-density R-5. If the land is not rezoned, Keswick will walk away from the deal. D.P. Munro Web-site Editor RolandPark.org The opinions expressed in the above writing are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or stated policy positions of the Roland Park civic associations.
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City Land Use Committee Officers to Defer to Middleton In an interesting development, City Council Land Use and Transportation Committee Chairman Ed Reisinger wrote a Roland Park activist July 14 that he would support sixth district Councilwoman Sharon Green Middleton in her decision as to whether or not to introduce the necessary zoning legislation (for reconstituting the BCC land from low-density R-1 to high-density R-5). Stating in effect that he would not take the initiative himself, this leaves the matter in good measure in the hands of Middleton, who has already stated her support for the preservationists. On July 15, the committee's vice chairman, Councilman James Kraft, write to several activists that he, too, would defer to Middleton. This makes it all the more important for Roland Park residents that favor preservation to keep Councilwoman Middleton buoyed in her opposition to the development. Write and thank her now. ____
Spevak Responds to BCC Sale Vote In a statement released shortly after the Keswick announcement, RP Civic League President Phil Spevak vowed to fight on and said, "This [BCC] vote is just the first step of a long process.... On behalf of the Civic League and other community leaders, I can tell you that we are personally deeply committed to this effort because we see an opportunity to leave a legacy for future generations in our community. Opportunities like this do not come along every day." Spevak's full statement may be read here. He urged every member of the Roland Park community to get involved by (a) writing to his or her elected representatives, (b) placing a poster, banner of other expression of support for preservation in a window, on a lawn, etc., (c) joining the Civic League and/or (d) contributing to the Civic League Advocacy Fund. (Readers may contact their elected officials by clicking here.) _____
Councilwoman Middleton Opposes BCC/Keswick Deal, July 4! Interested? Sixth-district councilwoman announces support for RP preservationists at 4th of July parade. Click here. _____
Price Trivia
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Development Trivia Proposed size of Keswick development: 323 units. Source of land: Undeveloped green space. Size of Spinnaker Bay complex, Inner Harbor East: 315 units. Source of land: Derelict industrial in-fill land. Size of Silo Point complex, Locust Point: 288 units. Source of land: Derelict industrial in-fill land. |
(Photo: www.museums.jhu.edu) Johns Hopkins in the 1930s covered a small fraction of its Homewood campus, but times change and institutions grow. (Click for larger image.)
Artist's rendition of would-be Keswick BCC campus. (No scale given.) Click for larger image.
(Photo: D.P. Munro.) What is the perspective of the Keswick artist's unscaled rendition? This is not precisely known, though RolandPark.org believes the view to be approximately this one. (The building at the top of the hill is the BCC clubhouse.) This photo was taken near the northwest corner of the fairway, about where the stream enters the culvert that takes it under the Poly/Western playing fields. The perspective cannot be further north (left in his picture), because that would mean that the buildings would encroach on the northern stream area that Keswick says it will not touch. Assuming the photo's perspective to be more or less correct, the average person might conclude that to accomplish development of this size, the trees on the right of the fairway in the lower photo would have to be felled. _____
Councilwoman Sharon Green Middleton. Click to read report on Middleton's July 4 announcement for preservation.
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Report on Successful Special RP Community Meeting, July 1. Meeting a resounding success! Standing-room-only crowd.
Civic League Takes Official Position Against BCC/Keswick Sale, July 2. At a special league meeting on July 2, 2008, the RPCL resolved to oppose the sale (or lease) of the Baltimore Country Club's land to Keswick Multi-Care Center, to oppose any change in the land's current R-1 zoning status, and to advocate for more green space in the neighborhood. Read it here.
July 15 Community Meeting Well Attended Before a crowd of about 200, Civic League President Phil Spevak and Community Foundation President Ken Rice exhorted the RP community to keep up the preservationist fight. Dist. 41 state Delegate Jill P. Carter reaffirmed her support, as did the leaders of three neighboring associations. The full report is here (7/15/08). |
A packed St. David's auditorium. Click to go to report. (Photo : D.P. Munro)
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City Web Site Lauds Roland Park Beauty Baltimore City's own web site describes Roland Park as "significant as one of America's earliest and best designed garden suburbs. It is a unique suburban residential area from the turn of the century, which was destined to serve as a model for numerous other developments, both in this country and abroad." And this is what it is suggested we build over? (The map to the right is taken from the city web-site article. The BCC land is the large blank patch over which is written "FALLS," as in Falls Road. As can readily be seen, the area is integral to RP, projecting into the heart of the community.)
Ditto National Park Service "Roland Park was one of the most successful and highly emulated planned streetcar suburbs," raves the National Park Service. "Today, the district is often studied by students of planning for its emphasis on the proper use of the natural topography to enhance the community." Can we seriously be contemplating paving over a chunk of this? (Thanks to Anne Stuzin and Ian MacFarlane for bringing these documents to my attention — Ed.) |
Click to enlarge. |
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About this Page On this page, you will find information on the proposed sale of a large portion of the Baltimore Country Club's (BCC) land in Plat 3 to Keswick Multi-Care Center (KMCC) for the development of an approximately 300-unit, $195 million residential, assisted-living facility. The sale will be approved or disapproved by BCC's membership on July 15, 2008. If approval is given, city approval will be sought this fall. Construction will begin in 2010 and the facility will open in 2012. Some general background on the development given is below, along with a series of links to various documents requested by the Civic League of BCC and/or KMCC. From this page, you may sign of for e-mail distribution lists for correspondence about the proposed sale. From this page, you will also be able to link to:
Link Pages
Media Hits There have been so many media hits that there is no longer room on this page for links to them all. The media-hits links have been moved to their own new page, which is here.
"Baltimore: No tree left behind!" from an on-line response to Ann Klassen's Sun op-ed. |
from Philip J. Spevak, M.D. to the membership of the Baltimore Country Club (6/29/08). Dr. Spevak is the president of the Roland Park Civic League. Click here to read the letter. Where's Phil's letter? As far as RolandPark.org is aware, the BCC never (a) posted Dr. Spevak's letter to its web site, nor (b) mailed a copy to its membership, nor (c) forwarded it electronically to its membership. Why not? When rpcommunication@rolandpark.org receives proof that BCC did in fact distribute Dr. Spevak's letter, this post will happily be removed. |
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Delegate Sandy Rosenberg development of BCC lot, this "sacred land." The bill will preserve green space.
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Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg |
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Proposed Sale and Development of 17 Acres of Green Land in Roland ParkOn June 11, 2008 the Baltimore Country Club (BCC) informed the leadership of the Roland Park Civic League and the Roland Park Community Foundation that it had signed a contract to sell 17 acres of club land to Keswick Multi-Care Center (KMCC), a continuing-care retirement community (CCRC) located on 40th Street, opposite the Rotunda. Keswick intends to build 225 independent-living units, 58 assisted-living units and a 40-bed skilled-nursing facility, plus a 403-space underground parking garage. Construction would begin in 2010. The new facility would be in addition to KMCC’s current facility on 40th Street. A purchase price has not been disclosed, but is reported to be approximately $12.5 million. The land proposed for sale is 17 acres, or about 60 percent of the total club property of 30 acres. This area includes but is not limited to the current tennis court area abutting Hillside Road. Most of the land is part of the club’s old golf course, which once extended to the west side of Falls Road (where the schools currently are). The new facility would be gated and built along Falls Road. It would extend on the south to Hillside Road and, on the north, to Harvest Road. The buildings will apparently be 2 ½ to 3 ½ stories in height. As can be seen from the GoogleEarth satellite photo, the currently green space is hardly inconsequential and its development would constitute a substantial “footprint” of development between plats 2 and 3. The new facility’s entrance would be on Falls Road. The Civic League has asked for a copy of a traffic study, but has not to date received this. We have also asked for, but have not yet received, a map and written specifications. However, from the drawings shown to the Civic League, the built-up portion of the plan would cover the majority of the land located south of the creek running across the property (i.e., about 11 acres). BCC has indicated it is not selling the clubhouse and that it intends using the proceeds, at least in part, to upgrade and renovate that facility and to remove and rebuild an adjoining building.The representative of the country club told the Civic League, June 11, that the contract is contingent on approval by the club’s membership and a change in zoning from its current R-1 residential status. The BCC membership will vote on July 15 and approval requires two-thirds support. The subsequent rezoning, proposed through a “planned unit development,” must be approved by City Council through a Baltimore City ordinance. The legislation for the PUD rezoning would be introduced in the fall of 2008. KMCC hopes to open the facility in 2012. It is important to explain the official position of the Civic League. At this time, we are neutral and will likely remain so until the Officers vote at a meeting on July 10. That being said, the Civic League has been quite active. We have organized a special community meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, at the St. David’s Church, 4700 Roland Avenue. This is a very important meeting that will gauge the reaction of the residents and guide the league to its official position. The community must indicate what it wants. We have extended invitations to both KMCC and BCC to attend and to answer questions. We have requested supporting documents for the community to review. We have completed the organization of a very strong Land Use Committee, a group with expertise in real estate law, development, architecture and planning, community organizing and public policy — and most importantly, common sense and a deep loyalty to Roland Park. I hope and believe that the group will reflect all constituencies in RP. This committee will meet in the very near future and will advise the Civic League and community as to alternative actions and strategies. Residents should stay informed and get involved. You should make your voice heard to your civic league plat reps, city council members, local newspapers and, if you feel it appropriate, your friends in the BCC. Your plat reps’ e-mail address may be found here. Please continue to encourage RP residents who have not yet registered to receive community e-letters to do so, as this will be a very important tool. They can do this by going to http://rolandpark.org/cgi/mlm/subscribe.cgi.
Philip Spevak, President Roland Park Civic League June 18, 2008
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The proposed development area is at the middle left of the photo. For a larger image, click here. _____
Your LettersSend us your opinions! If you have a view about the proposed development and would like the world to see it, please send it to rpcommunication@rolandpark.org. Please be sure to type in "BCC sale" in the subject line. Please keep your letters to 300 words. Deliberately provocative letters will not be published. To read letters received to date, click here.
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Join an E-mail ListCreated in June 2008, the BCCSaleAgainst and BCCSaleFor e-mail exchange lists have outgrown their usefulness and have been discontinued (7/22/08). All communication regarding the BCC/Keswick sale will now be conducted through the regular RolandPark.org e-letter distribution system: the same system through which you receive "E-Newsletters" and public-safety alerts and the like. If you are not already signed up for Roland Park e-letters, you may register here (http://rolandpark.org/cgi/mlm/subscribe.cgi). Be sure to check "E-Newsletter" because it is this medium that we shall be using to communicate BCC/Keswick news. You are encouraged to sign up for public-safety alerts and the Roland Park News newsletter at the same time, but this is not strictly necessary to get BCC/Keswick updates. If you are already signed up for Roland Park e-letters, no action on your part is necessary, though you need to be sure that you are signed up for the "E-Newsletter" and not just the public-safety alerts or the Roland Park News newsletter. |
