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Baltimore County unveils Small Area Plan 11 for eastern communities, emphasizes connectivity and waterfront protections
Summary
County planners presented Small Area Plan 11 covering White Marsh, Middle River, Bowleys Quarters, Essex and Rossville, highlighting connectivity, waterfront stewardship and redevelopment of underused commercial areas. Staff said the plan carries forward 92 Master Plan 2030 recommendations and will be refined with community input before the board's Nov. 20 vote.
Baltimore County planning staff presented Small Area Plan 11 (SAP 11) during a Nov. 6 public hearing, describing a framework of connectivity, community, environment and economic objectives for 75 square miles of eastern Baltimore County that staff said is home to roughly 105,000 residents and contains about 60% of the county's shoreline.
Jess Elliott Meyer, community planner for District 7, said SAP 11 is the county’s first small area community plan and is rooted in Master Plan 2030. Planner Iyad Abdi provided an area profile, describing a mix of postwar neighborhoods, waterfront communities, retail centers and aging industrial corridors shaped by aerospace and maritime industries. Staff emphasized assets such as MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, CCBC Essex and Martin State Airport, and raised local challenges including limited pedestrian and bicycle networks, aging infrastructure and housing affordability pressures.
The plan identifies four priority nodes—White Marsh Mall, the Pulaski Highway node, and two Eastern Boulevard nodes—and recommends specific interventions: intersection and corridor safety projects, digital speed signs, targeted sidewalk and crosswalk work, parking increases at the MARC station, and small scale 'low‑hanging fruit' projects to show early visible progress. Economic recommendations include incentives for grayfield redevelopment (for example, repurposing large parking lots at White Marsh Mall for mixed‑use development), enhanced marketing for waterfront tourism, and supports for small businesses.
Environment and open‑space goals focus on shoreline and watershed restoration (noting Back River and Middle River), more equitable park access and resilience upgrades to county facilities such as Seneca Elementary School and the Bowleys Quarters Fire Station. Staff said the plan carries forward 92 Master Plan 2030 recommendations into an implementation table that lists goal IDs, lead and support partners, estimated timeframes (short/medium/long) and potential resources.
Board members broadly praised the plan’s presentation and level of detail but asked for clearer, more concrete steps in some subareas—Downtown Essex was repeatedly cited as needing bolder, site‑specific action. Staff said some infill and redevelopment recommendations are intentionally scoped for later site‑level work and that a proposed annual check‑in with community partners could help sequence items into the county capital improvement program.
Public testimony was uniformly supportive: Phyllis Joris of NeighborSpace offered partnership and funds for pocket‑park and restoration work; Chrissy Herb of the Essex CDC said the plan gives local organizations credibility with funders and has already informed CIP proposals; and Sharon Keane of the Chesapeake Gateway Chamber of Commerce thanked planners for including business voices in implementation tables. The public hearing concluded; staff said the planning board will vote on SAP 11 at its Nov. 20 meeting.
