An expert team of architects, engineers, planners and transportation specialists on Tuesday unveiled suggestions for a comprehensive redevelopment in Towson that blended the practical ? traffic safety and improved public spaces ? with the artistic.
Members of the county-sponsored Urban Design Assistance Team presented ideas to about 200 residents in their makeshift studio, the culmination of months of planning and a week of brainstorming with residents. Proposed changes are concentrated in Towson?s epicenter along York Road and include narrowing the busy road to one lane in each direction with parallel parking on either side.
The traffic circle at the top of York Road should also be one lane, they said, and the county should consider a signature vehicle ? similar to San Francisco?s cable cars ? to bring people through downtown.
“We?ve heard from the Towson University students about their access to the downtown core; someone described it as ?atrocious,? ” architect Mark Humienny said.
Team members also pitched ideas they said would highlight the historic and cultural nature of the county seat, such as a photographic collage on buildings between alleys or an area that could easily be converted for festivals and concerts while blending with existing shops.
A side of the Towson Town Center parking garage could, for example, become a large movie screen, they said.
Team leader Steve Gaddis recommended the county explore establishing an overlay district to provide incentives and design guidelines for redevelopment. He advocated the use of form-based zoning codes, which emphasize the character of a building rather than its purpose.
“The community asked to see the strength of their identity reflected in the heart of their town,” Gaddis said in a statement. “Establishing a design program for the core is one step toward achieving that meaningful goal.”
Towson is the fourth county town to undergo the UDAT process, following Essex-Middle River, Dundalk and Randallstown. County officials said it will take 10 to 20 years to implement projects, depending on community support.
