Have you seen those blue signs that have been popping up all over town? Have you been wondering what they are, or what they mean, as you squint to read them as you pass by in your car?
These signs, emblazoned with the words, “Prome-Not”, are actually in response to the news of plans for The Promenade, the new 1.4 million square foot $350 million mixed retail complex, bearing the slogan, “Live, Work, Play, Dine, Shop, Stay!”
The Promenade, an idea constructed by Steven Whalen of Whalen Properties, has been proposed as a possible use of the vacant land currently owned by Spring Grove Hospital in Catonsville that may be going on sale.
Yes, may be. Two of the most common misconceptions that are being circulated about the Promenade plans are that the land is for sale, or that Whalen Properties already owns it, neither of which is true.
Though Whalen Properties does own a portion of land adjacent to the Spring Grove area, they have not yet purchased the land that would be needed to build the Promenade. Spring Grove is a state-owned hospital, so the land in question is up for sale by the state only if Spring Grove chooses close the buildings located on it.
Also, the land Mr. Whalen is hoping to purchase is only a portion of the land on which Spring Grove stands; in short, the hospital won’t be completely closed down. Mr. Whalen claims that the hospital only has 380 in-housed patients; the community activist group Catonsville Voices’ website claims it houses over a thousand people. Though Spring Grove officials declined to release the accurate number of patients currently housed at the hospital due to privacy concerns, on the Spring Grove website it is 440 beds. Outpatient clients and workers are not included in this number.
So far, the state has not put the land up for sale, so Whalen Properties doesn’t have the land currently to build the complex. The controversy comes from what happens if he does.
Junior Anthony Seward thinks that the land sale isn’t a problem.
“I don’t think that acquiring the land will be a problem when you consider all of the positive things that will come out of the Promenade,” he said.
If the land is sold to Whalen Properties, the Promenade complex thus far has been designed to include 460,000 square feet of retail space and restaurants. Some of the possible investors include Target, Barnes and Noble, and Chipotle. The Promenade could also include 250,000 square feet of office space, 250 residential apartments, two hotels, a health club, indoor playing fields, an arts cinema, and a national bookstore.
“It would be like building a small community within Catonsville,” Mr. Whalen commented.
Even with all of its activities, retail and entertainment, some, like junior Ana Maisel, feel that the Promenade is not the best option for the land use.
“I think it’s kind of silly to build something that big so close to all the other things that surround our little town…You can always go to Columbia or Longate [Shopping Center] if you want to shop, and there’s even Route 40 nearby,” Maisel pointed out.
Some Catonsville residents, like former CHS PTA President Laura LeMire and resident Michele Mazzacco, agree. They are the co-leaders of Catonsville Voices, a pro-active, volunteer based group that is dedicated to making known the issues of the area to the people of Catonsville. Currently, they are leading the movement against the Promenade.
“Our concern is how much is happening without people being aware of it,” said Ms. Mazzocco.
Catonsville Voices currently has a paper petition circulating the area, and maintains an online petition anyone can sign. To date, the online petition against the Promenade has 1,008 signatures. Their goal is to get 5,000.
“It’s about preserving the nature of the Catonsville community…some of us are concerned of the opportunity lost if we don’t preserve [the land],” Ms. Mazzocco said.
However, some in the community think that the Promenade is a good option.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to put shopping in Catonsville. It will bring a mall closer to us and bring more jobs,” said sophomore Caitlyn Hasiuk.
Seward also thinks bringing more shopping here to Catonsville will make it a more convenient activity.
“I’m tired of having to drive to Columbia for shopping and leisure activities, so the Promenade being in Catonsville will allow me, when I come home from college, to go down the street and enjoy the same amenities that I get from Columbia and other shopping districts,” he agreed.
According to Mr. Whalen, The Promenade could also create about 6,600 temporary jobs, mostly construction, and about 6,000 permanent occupations. It could even create jobs available to high school students, like retail and management internships.
“There could be a couple thousand jobs available, within walking distance, for high school students,” he explained.
Also, while some are concerned that our businesses could be harmed by such a big complex, Mr. Whalen believes it could bring more tourism and help the community stores. Those on Main Street could expand their consumer base to people in surrounding areas that would normally go to other retail complexes, such as Columbia Mall or Arundel Mills Mall.
Though this may be true, many are concerned about traffic, potential crime, transportation to the complex and competition for the businesses already established in downtown Catonsville.
“There are ways to bring life to Catonsville without bringing a new ‘main street’-we have a main street,” Ms. Mazzocco explained. “It changes the flavor of the neighborhood.”
Maisel agrees.
“It’ll make the traffic even worse than it already is,” she concurred.
Ms. LeMire is concerned the traffic will affect the peaceful nature of Catonsville.
“[It’s] not the most pleasant sight to view out your window, to say nothing for the noise,” she commented.
Mr. Whalen, however, has included traffic concerns in his building plans. To keep traffic flow from becoming a problem, there will be a beltway ramp on Wilkens Avenue, which will be widened into three lanes with one stop light, a side access road from Fredrick Road, another access road at Valley Road near Wilkens Avenue and a road on Bloomsbury Avenue by Asylum Lane.
“It would be like hop on, hop off,” he said. In fact, Mr. Whalen estimates that if the Promenade is built, at the peak morning hours on Wilkens Avenue and Fredrick Road, it could only cost the average driver from 9.1 to 13.7 seconds in traffic time. So, accordingly, CHS students shouldn’t have any significant amount of time added to their daily commutes on their way to school.
Ms. LeMire disagrees that the traffic issue will be this simply resolved. She predicts that the traffic on Asylum Lane, the road which runs through the Spring Grove campus, will be much worse than it is now, and that the beltway ramps near Fredrick Road will be a “pedestrian nightmare,”.
She also says that not only will the roads directly and physically re-constructed be affected by the Promenade, but other roads around Catonsville will also be affected.
“With the added congestion on Fredrick Road, a lot of people will take the feeder roads across to Edmondson, possibly requiring more lights on Fredrick and or Edmondson,” she explained. “Waits at lights will be longer as well to accommodate the additional traffic.
As for transportation, the Promenade also plans to include a free internal shuttle and another shuttle system to places like UMBC, Charlestown, and St. Agnes, and perhaps shuttle stops along Fredrick Road.
Live near the Promenade? If built, the Promenade will have some effect on the surrounding area, like traffic, more jobs and commuters closer to home and possibly increased noise. However, no residential land seizures are being planned, so no one will lose their homes.
Regardless of personal opinion, the Promenade is causing quite a stir of debate and controversy in Catonsville, and the residents are speaking out.
“[The Promenade] clearly creates some controversy, [but] the level of support we’ve got has been phenomenal,” Mr. Whalen said. For now, Catonsville will have to wait and see what changes come to town.