Towson Commons is at the corner of York Road and Pennsylvania Avenue in Towson on what is possibly one of the most accessible and well-known properties in Baltimore County. Pedestrians and commuters alike must pass by the site when traveling on the city/county conduit York Road.
Inside there is an AMC movie theater, and many may remember fondly the Pizzeria Uno and the Borders book store, which have since vacated the building.
In the fall of 2005, Washington-based Western Development Corp. purchased the site from previous owner State of Utah Retirement Fund, said Brad Dockser, executive vice president with Western.
“We bought the building because of the potential of the location. Towson is a great place to live and do business,” he said.
Western Development Corp. is in discussions with the community of Towson and the county government about development options.
The building, officially at 1 E. Pennsylvania Ave., was built in 1992 and includes a 10-story office tower and 227,607 square feet of rentable space. The four-level retail pavilion is 95,146 square feet, much of which is vacant.
Suzan Dockser, executive director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce, said she hopes the redevelopment will better accommodate the community?s needs.
“Our community, on average, is affluent, and I believe new retail boutiques and upscale restaurants would be great assets to Towson,” she said. “We are thrilled that [Western] is putting forth the effort that they are in this area, and if all goes well, the rest of the town will reap the benefit of the economic development.”
Brendan McCool, general manager at Paolo?s Ristorante, said: “We would welcome more restaurants to the area because it means more people coming up to check out dining options in Towson.”
McCool said that he thinks the limited street parking and pricey garage next door may be a deterrent for Towson Commons patrons. He noted the free parking available at Towson Town Center.
Harvey Brooks, general manager of Towson Commons, said he does not believe that parking has deterred customers from Towson Commons.
“The garage next door offers validation deals with local tenants and the public library garage and the District Court garage offer dollar parking every day of the week at various times,” Brooks said.
