Planning board opens public hearing on Small Area Plan 11; plan highlights waterfront, nodes and 92 implementation actions

Jess Elliott Meyer, community planner for District 7 with the Baltimore County Department of Planning, and colleagues presented Small Area Plan 11 to the Planning Board and the public on Nov. 6. The plan covers roughly 75 square miles of eastern Baltimore County, including White Marsh, Middle River, Bowleys Quarters, Essex and Rossville, and addresses land use, transportation, the waterfront, parks, housing pressures and economic revitalization.

"This small area plan is rooted in Baltimore County's Master Plan 2030," Jess Elliott Meyer said. The presentation noted the plan is the county's first systematic small-area planning effort intended to distribute planning resources equitably rather than rely on community-initiated plans alone.

Planner Iyad Abdi described Area 11 as home to about 105,000 residents and roughly 60% of the county's shoreline. Key anchors include MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) Essex campus, and Martin State Airport. Abdi described the area's mix of postwar neighborhoods, large retail nodes such as White Marsh Mall, and aging industrial corridors tied to aerospace and maritime uses.

The plan identifies four priority nodes (White Marsh Mall, Pulaski Highway, and two Eastern Boulevard nodes) and Downtown Essex as a revitalization area. The planners recommended node-specific approaches: White Marsh Mall as a transit and mixed-use redevelopment opportunity with reduced surface parking and more green infrastructure; Pulaski Highway focused on pedestrian safety and sidewalk completion owing to high pedestrian fatality counts; Eastern Boulevard targeted for traffic safety, multimodal connections, and transit-supportive infill near the MARC station; and Downtown Essex prioritized for infill, streetscape, and waterfront connections.

On mobility and safety the presenters tied local recommendations to existing county actions. For example, the plan cites Master Plan 2030 actions such as "Adopt Vision Zero strategies" and recommends corridor-specific safety upgrades, digital speed signs on Eastern Boulevard in Essex, and small-scale, achievable projects like signal timing and restriping.

Environment and open space recommendations prioritize watershed restoration for Back River, Middle River and Saltpeter Creek, improved park access (a countywide goal of a 15-minute walk to a park), and support for nonprofit restoration groups. Economy recommendations call for marketing and incentives for small businesses, promotion of waterfront tourism, and incentives for grayfield redevelopment at aging shopping centers.

The implementation chapter carries forward 92 Master Plan 2030 recommendations refined to Area 11. The implementation table lists a lead county partner for each action, supporting partners, suggested timeframes (short/medium/long), and potential resources; planners said the table is intended as a living document and suggested an annual check-in with county and community partners.

Board members praised the presentation but several urged the department to identify short-term, visible projects to demonstrate progress, suggesting White Marsh Mall or Eastern Boulevard as candidates. Members also questioned whether recommendations for denser infill in neighborhoods such as Downtown Essex were sufficiently concrete and called for more site-level specificity during implementation.

Public commenters representing local nonprofits and business groups voiced support and offered to partner on next steps. Phyllis Joris, executive director of NeighborSpace of Baltimore County, praised the plan's environmental focus and offered to help retrofit local parks. Chrissy Herb, executive director of the Essex Community Development Corporation, and Sharon Keane, president of the Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce, both thanked planners for including local stakeholders and said the plan would help with funding and implementation efforts.

No board vote on the Small Area Plan 11 occurred at the Nov. 6 public hearing; the board will consider any motions or recommendations at its Nov. 20 meeting.