A Baltimore County councilman wants to create a $1 million fund to encourage resistant property owners in Pikesville to reinvest in vacant and underused commercial buildings.
In what would be a first for the county, property owners within the designated Pikesville revitalization district could be eligible for money in grants, tax credits or loans if they submit development proposals that advance the community?s master plan, said Councilman Kevin Kamenetz, D-District 2, who sponsored the bill.
The county?s economic development office will request proposals for specific properties within the district ? which stretches from the city line to the Beltway ? and meet the approvalof a selection committee, he said.
“We?re not getting recalcitrant property owners to step up to the plate, and I?m trying to encourage the private sector to come up with their own concepts,” Kamenetz said. “This added county money will soften the blow to make the project work.”
But some Pikesville activists said they would rather invest the money in new community parks or roadway improvements in areas prone to flooding. Pikesville Communities Corp. president Alan Zukerberg ? who admittedly disagrees with Kamenetz on most of his proposals ? said the county should not be spending taxpayers? dollars to reward stubborn property owners who have let their buildings fall into disrepair.
He pointed to stormwater problems around the Druid Ridge Cemetery, where some residents are fighting developers who want to build 56 homes. His organization supports condemnation of a portion of the cemetery for stormwater management and a park.
He said lawmakers should focus more on residential areas than commercial districts.
“Where are the parks?” Zukerberg said. “We want places to walk to. We want our kids to stay in the area.”
Kamenetz argued the county has few tools to motivate property owners who, at the least, pay taxes and obey codes. He called the proposal a more agreeable alternative to eminent domain.
The council will discuss the proposal at its Tuesday work session and will vote on the fund at its Nov. 6 meeting.
