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County prepares for auction of Yorkway apartment site
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Councilman John Olszewski Sr., left, joins Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith and other officials in a ceremony demolishing the last building of the long-troubled Yorkway apartment complex in Dundalk on Thursday. – Kristine Buls/Examiner
County Executive Jim Smith manned an excavator Thursday morning in a ceremonial demolition of the remaining apartment building in Dundalk’s Yorkway complex. The county has acquired all 56 buildings and relocated 183 families from the high-crime corridor since March 2006.
“The community is no longer afraid to come out of the homes,” said Councilman John Olszewski Sr., a Dundalk Democrat. “Neighbors are neighbors again. Children can come out and play.”
The county spent more than $21 million in acquisitions, demolition, relocation and environmental studies.
Olszewski said the county should be able to recoup some of the costs but will also save in reduced crime calls and social service needs.
Developers bidding on the site must agree to follow the county’s “renaissance” program, which involves a community-oriented planning process known as a charette.
The process proved an obstacle for the redevelopment of blighted apartments in Essex’s Kingsley Park, and the county was forced to give the 18-acre site and a $2 million subsidy to the only development company to submit a proposal.
But officials said federal housing regulations required a percentage of replacement homes to target low-income residents. Those rules will not apply in Yorkway.
An auction for the site was scheduled for Wednesday but was canceled due to weather, said Angela Heffner, a county spokeswoman. A new date has not yet been determined, she said.
Police responded to 3,800 calls at the 56-building Yorkway complex in 2005. When Smith first announced the project, neighbor Stacey Kelley called it a “godsend.”
“Anything would be better than this,” Kelley said.
jmalarkey@baltimoreexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
1:25 AM MST on Mon., Jul. 28, 2008 re: "Neighbors say creamery violates conservation pact, zoning laws"
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Examiner Reader said:
I don't understand why everyone is upset about this since the farm is doing this to survive. Selling land into preservation is protecting it from being developed but not from buildings for agricultural uses. Read about the MALPF goals and see for yourself...they want to preserve the farmland and make it so the farms can continue to produce food for Maryland residents...that is exactly what Mr. Prigel is doing!
8 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
It may specify "creameries" in the ML zoning code but the Prigels are in complete compliance with the RC-2 zone as well. I have been to the public hearings and heard the information presented. The people fighting the Prigels are only worried about the location of the building and they honestly have NO RIGHT to protest that since it is in compliance with the MALF preservation agreement the Prigels signed and in compliance with the zoning regulations for their land. Commercial agriculture is important and necessary for the future of farming and therefore the future of the economy. Why wouldn't we want to support the ONLY organic dairy farm in all of Baltimore county. There is a huge market and the Prigels would be crazy not to build this creamery. Also if you all value people putting land in preservation then stopping the Prigels will only deter future farmers from entering the preservation since it is taking away ALL of their rights even when that is not the agreement they signed.
8 agree | 7 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As a taxpayer I am concerned about the money. I would hope you will do a follow-up and follow the money trail. With the state that our economy is in spending taxpayers money like this doesn't seem right. Could there be a politician helping a friend, look at the city and the political fall-out there. We don't want that in the county also. Examiner you need to follow-up I am going to research this on my own - something doesn't smell right here.
16 agree | 15 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is how you spell "illegal" - look at your own property
14 agree | 12 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
If more neighbors would look at this facility they will realize that we are going to have a commercial receiving station for milk, and by the way look at all the money that the taxpayers are paying to build this facility. Grant money, 2% interest loans of $250,000 over 10 years, from the state and county WOW! The rest of us keep paying all these tax increases and fees to the government and they keep throwing our money down the river. As taxpayers we need to say enough is enough. Now they have to change the law to justify the money they loaned the Prigels!!! And they call this fair government!! Say no to commercial facilities on ag ground!!
31 agree | 21 disagree
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Zoning facts said:
Creamery ONLY in Manufacturing light (ML zones) see section 253.1 Baltimore County zoning regulations Dairy products store BL zones See Baltimore County Zoning Regulations Section 230. Need a special exception for a processing plant in RC2 zone.
15 agree | 12 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
There is no zoning change that needs to take place in order build this building to bottle his own milk. The land is in agricultural preservation, this is part of agricultural preservation. The zoning change is simply for a small retail store to sell his milk, yogurt, cheese etc. This article makes it sound as if he has done something illeagal. The Examiner needs to get its facts straight! Carrie Prigel
15 agree | 23 disagree
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upset by zoning said:
It seems like a 10,000 SF processing plant really belongs in Glen Arm (a short distance away) where commercial businesses are located. Doesn't the family even own land in Glen Arm. We could still buy local and support this farming family and their new business. And what's up with the County? If the zoning says a creamery can only be in Manufacturing Light and dairy stores only in Business Light how can this dairy processing place be in this RC 2 zone and on preserved land? Can the County just change the zoning like this without input?
19 agree | 13 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
good try. but if first sentence reads like an encyclopedia, nobody's gonna get to the second one, m.e.
12 agree | 15 disagree
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P Kelly said:
Across the country, family farms are disappearing at alarming rates. Large corporate agribusiness operations are taking their place and we as consumers are losing control over the food we eat. Evidenced by the frightening amount of contaminated food recalls, does it not make sense to know where our food is produced and under what conditions? And with the rising energy costs, keeping food close to where it is produced surely will help reduce energy needs. I assume by the author’s use of quotation marks around the phrase roadside stand there is an inference that the facility is more than that. I would direct the author to Baltimore County Zoning Regulations which defines a roadside stand as “an accessory structure owned and operated by an agricultural producer, used for the sale of indigenous farm products, the majority of which have been grown on the premises, on adjacent land or on properties farmed by the same agricultural producer.” I applaud Mr. Prigel’s efforts to preserve
25 agree | 24 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The study is very interesting. It would be nice to live in a thriving, growing city with vitality. Not the Baltimore I have been given by the so called leaders.
10 agree | 12 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This study is the truth
12 agree | 13 disagree
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Johnny Apple seed said:
Read between the lines. A name on a paper delivered to the County Executive is an obvious headhunt and political bias comment. Grasping at straws so the slander suits await. The democrats are being conservative and honest, a republican can only dream up the ladder. The elected political elite do favors for legal contributions, period. Grow up, examiner.
13 agree | 20 disagree
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Steven Lessner said:
The corruption in the city and state which allows rich developers to have their way with the city is the reason.With dixon on the verge of being charged with crimes against the citizens of Baltimore and the council's presdient not far behind. Hopefully they will soon investigate owe'malley and his corruption. The democrats are destroying all the cities and state. They need to be ousted before our governments are all broke. All the deals dixon has given her developer friends have left the city without tens of millions of dollars.Dixon is the worst kind of thief she not only steals from taxpayers but lines her pockets from the developers. Dixon is the being assisted by the baltimore developement corp. who is assisting with this corruption of the highest kind.
9 agree | 11 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Why is Resolution 51-07 off the Council website? Are they covering up a development matter that was facilitated to benefit the friend of a high County official?
14 agree | 14 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I think Jim Smith & John Olszewski Sr. have done a remarkable job with tearing down the YorkWay Apartments. This area was full of crime, drugs, and people on welfare who do absolutely nothing to "better themselves" while "we" working people pay their bills. Even after this, they still bring down the neighborhood. This has been needed for a very long time because Dundalk will thrive once again. It's time to clean up and our local & County officials have stepped up to the plate. If you read all of the facts in this story, the new owner & developer have stipulations regarding what they "can" or "cannot" do with this land. Jim Smith has "legal" clauses in the contract that this developement cannot hurt the residents or the neighborhood. Keep the faith and be supportive instead of negative. That's the problem with this world. Many people have their opinions and run their mouth, but yet they never go to any of the town meetings and help volunteer or give suggestions. Take action!
16 agree | 16 disagree
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reader said:
Built it and they will come.
31 agree | 40 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is being done for increased Tax Revenue for our Goverment. They need the money badly for there families.
40 agree | 36 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
how much will jim smith and johnny o. get out of this. no politician, espically in maryland does something for nothing.
31 agree | 44 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
should be building office space in india,china and mexico.really no need for it in the us.
65 agree | 68 disagree
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