In many waterfront towns, condos are as expected as the tide.
But in Baltimore County?s shore town of Bowleys Quarters, residents have taken pride in avoiding the condo fever that has hit areas like Baltimore?s harbor and Ocean City. Now, the homeowners are fighting to keep things that way, hoping a proposal that would prevent marina owners from developing condos in the future is their antidote.
“There?s a fear from folks who live in Back River Neck and the Bowleys area that the possibility of condos will spread,” Councilman Joe Bartenfelder said of the proposal. “This is to alleviate those concerns.”
The storm began in Bowleys Quarters, a community of about 6,500, in 2005 when local marina owner Milt Rehbein hatched a plan to build a 36-unit building on Galloway Creek, capitalizing on a county law that allows 5.5 residential units per acre on land zoned for marinas or boatyards.
The plan ? approved as a planned unit development, or PUD, an expedited permit process with less community input ? sparked community outrage. Now, five other property owners are seeking marina designation under the countywide rezoning process under way, and Bartenfelder intends to remove the possibility of residential development if they are approved.
But some community leaders say the Fullerton Democrat?s proposal has unintended consequences. Bartenfelder?s bill, slated for discussion at a council meeting Tuesday, does nothing to prevent approval under the PUD process, said Bill Lagna, president of the Bowleys Quarters Community Association.
“Then it?s town homes, condos, apartments ? which we definitely don?t want,” Lagna said. “It?s exactly what?s being proposed for Galloway Creek, we think, improperly.”
Bartenfelder said the legislation is merely precautionary: None of the petitioners seeking zoning changes is interested in developing condos, he said. The legislation applies strictly to Bowleys Quarters and Back River, leaving marinas in the Essex and Middle River areas open for development.
The proposal would take effect after August and wouldn?t apply to the development plans for Galloway Creek, Rehbein said.
