A nearly vacant complex of buildings flanked by two huge paved parking lots to the north and south is currently Lutherville Station, off Ridgely Road in Timonium, Maryland. On a late summer morning, the place looks desolate, although a church recently moved into one of the main buildings.
“The site is a teardown,” says Mark Renbaum, the lead developer on an ongoing project to revitalize Lutherville Station. He has plans to transform it into a mixed-use site with residential units, retail space, office space, a dog park, an event lawn and other amenities. Through Lutherville Station LLC, he has submitted an application to have his vision for Lutherville Station recognized as a Transit Oriented Development (TOD).
What’s there now
East of Lutherville Station, also along Ridgely Road, is the Yorkridge Shopping Center, which features a Kohl’s department store, a Michael’s craft store, a Mom’s Organic Market grocery store, and other shops. The Baltimore Light Rail runs just west of Lutherville Station, connecting Baltimore County to Baltimore City and continuing on to BWI Airport. The hope is that these nearby amenities and Lutherville Station – once redeveloped – will benefit each other.
Ridgely Road ends at the Lutherville Light Rail stop. It is expected that the light rail and the new housing units that Renbaum plans to build would bring new business to the shopping center managed by Renbaum. The TOD application projects annual sales of over $9 million, including over $3 million for Baltimore County, if the project goes ahead.
“(It is) a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Baltimore County,” Renbaum said in a press release, calling the Lutherville Station site “the closest TOD site” in Baltimore County.
A spokesman for County Executive Johnny Olszewski downplayed the application, saying the TOD application is “nothing new” and is essentially an update of a previous application. In September 2022, an application was filed to make Lutherville Station a TOD. That application listed the owner of Lutherville Station as Schwaber LS, LLC. Mark Renbaum is the CEO of Schwaber Holdings.
Community resistance
The project has faced significant opposition in the Lutherville community. Many residents are upset about the proposed density of development on the site and fear that new housing would worsen traffic congestion and overburden area schools. However, most of the black and white signs reading “NO HOUSING, NO COMPROMISE” have been removed. In their place, a few black and yellow signs have been erected that say “NO HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENT.”
Lutherville Station LLC’s latest application to build a transit-oriented housing development is unlikely to end the controversy surrounding the project. The TOD application calls for 560 housing units, more than 100 more than a previous proposal. Renbaum says the increase was made possible by the passage of House Bill 538, which he said would allow up to 1,300 housing units on the site. Renbaum says he will follow existing regulations to make a certain number of the new units affordable. The others would be market-rate.
Increasing the number of planned housing units is likely to become a point of contention. Eric Rockel, vice president of the Greater Timonium Community Council, was surprised by the change and wonders if it will “undermine the trust that Renbaum has built in the community.” Rockel stressed that he was speaking only for himself, as the Greater Timonium Community Council has not yet taken up the issue. The TOD application was filed on August 13.
Governor Wes Moore signed HB 538, which will take effect on January 1, 2025.
In a prepared statement from his office, Baltimore County Councilman Wade Kach, in whose district Lutherville Station is located, said the TOD application “runs counter” to efforts to resolve the issue in a way that takes into account the area’s uniqueness. “In my opinion,” Kach said, the TOD application is a sign that “the developer has not acted in good faith.”
Next Steps
The TOD application first goes to Baltimore County. If approved, it goes to the state for TOD determination. Final approval rests with the Maryland Department of Transportation.
Renbaum says the TOD approval would be just “the first of many steps” needed for the Lutherville Station project to become a reality. He seems prepared for a long fight that could get even longer, but he’s tired of having to fight it all the time. “We’re ready to start the process,” he says, adding that it’s time for all the groups involved in Lutherville Station to come together.
