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Committee backs rezoning to allow reuse of vacant Frederick Avenue factory
Summary
The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted to recommend City Council approve Council Bill 250021 to rezone 3221 Frederick Avenue from I-1 to IMU-1, citing vacancy and opportunity for neighborhood-sensitive redevelopment.
The Baltimore City Council Land Use and Transportation Committee on April 24 recommended favorable action on Council Bill 250021 to rezone 3221 Frederick Avenue from the I-1 zoning district to IMU-1, a move sponsors said would help return a long-vacant factory building to productive use.
The bill’s sponsor, Councilman John Bullock, a member of the committee, told members the parcel has been vacant for several years and that the applicant had secured community support for a reuse that would respect the neighborhood’s character. "We believe it's a good step in the right direction to put a formerly vacant factory buildings back into productive use, in a way that is also respectful of the character of the neighborhood," Councilman John Bullock said.
The bill drew supportive reports from multiple city agencies. Jeff Hocksteller of the City Law Department told the committee the law department "stands by its report and approves the bill for formal legal sufficiency." Jason Wright of the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and Tom Welly on behalf of the Baltimore Development Corporation also reported favorable recommendations. The Planning Department and Planning Commission likewise recommended approval and provided written findings of fact concluding that the property’s long vacancy and changes in local conditions supported rezoning from I-1 to IMU-1.
After agency reports and brief questions, the committee moved the bill and conducted a roll-call vote. Chair Ryan Dorsey voted yes; Council member Gray voted yes; Councilman John Bullock voted yes; and Councilwoman Felicia Porter voted yes. The committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the full City Council at its next meeting.
The committee meeting record shows the rezoning drew relatively limited public testimony and no outstanding legal challenges were raised during the hearing. The Planning Commission’s written findings, appended to the bill report, are part of the record recommending approval on the basis of changed conditions and vacancy since the 2017 comprehensive rezoning.
If approved by the full council, the rezoning would allow IMU-1 uses on the site; the bill packet does not specify a developer or final project program. The committee did not adopt any amendments to the bill at the hearing.
