Officials Wednesday said Baltimore County?s attorney might endorse the Idlewylde community plan as legitimate ? a victory for community leaders battling against the Country Club of Maryland?s development proposal in their neighborhood.
Idlewylde activists are racing to get their recently penned plan adopted into the county?s master planbefore country club officials get their development plans approved. The proposal calls for 46 luxury homes on about 16 acres of club-owned land, but would have to be significantly scaled down if the community plan is adopted first.
In May, country club attorney David Gildea sent county attorney John Beverungen and chief administrative officer Anthony Marchione a 15-page letter discrediting the community?s plan, calling it “spot zoning” with the sole intent to disrupt the country club?s development proposal.
But Councilman Vince Gardina, D-District 5, said Beverungen indicated in an informal conversation that he didn?t think the community plan posed any legal problems. Gardina said he also supports the community plan.
“I don?t know where it?s any different from any other community plan we?ve had,” Gardina said. “We just completed the Towson Manor plan and the only difference was that there were more county agencies involved and that?s not required for approval.”
Beverungen did not respond to several attempts to reach him Wednesday, but county spokesman Don Mohler said it?s his understanding that the county?s legal office has not made a decision regarding the community.
Community activists like Jack McWilliams, who owns a nursery about 8 feet from the proposed houses, say the plans are too close and too different from the existing community and threaten to crowd roads.
McWilliams said he offered to landscape a buffer area for free, but the compromise was turned down.
