County seeks to seize Shell property

Citing stymied efforts to make Shell Oil Co. clean up an abandoned gas station on the Towson traffic circle, Baltimore County officials confirmed they plan to condemn the heavily trafficked site and build a park.

County Executive Jim Smith announced the plans in a news conference Tuesday afternoon, blasting the oil company for shirking its environmental responsibilities amid record profits. He said Baltimore County has tried to buy the site from the company for the past two years, but the county refused to purchase it “as is.”