Group suggests shelter for Spring Grove

Anticipating that the state may declare the Spring Grove Hospital Center in Catonsville surplus property, members of a Baltimore County task force on Thursday night endorsed for future use a regional park, space for county and police court offices, and a permanent year-round homeless shelter.

Residents have met since March to brainstorm ideas for the 200-acre site under the assumption that the state may consolidate the hospital onto a 41-acre parcel. Suggestions ranging from a hotel to a minigolf course to an outdoor theater were narrowed to the three long-term goals.