Latest News from the Valleys
Columbia Gas Line Expansion
May 7, 2012
Columbia Gas is planning to widen its existing pipeline corridor that stretches from Owings Mills to Fallston (Harford County). They plan to expand the width of the 21-mile corridor from its current 50′ to 75′, and are currently evaluating a 200′ corridor to identify the best route. Their plan is to have a dual pipeline for this segment to provide redundancy needed to ensure steady and reliable service.
There is currently a dual line stretching from Ellicott City to 795, where it then continues as a single line to Fallston. The existing corridor runs through Stevenson University and Rosewood, the VA cemetery, Hunting Tweed subdivision, Caves Golf Course, Chestnut Ridge Country Store, across Greenspring Avenue to Ridge Road, through the Beaverbrooke subdivision, across Falls Road and the Dellwood Court subdivision, into Oregon Ridge Park, through Hayfileds Country Club, then turns north along I-83 through Loveton before continuing west towards Harford County...
VPC Annual Meeting
April 13, 2012
Please plan to join us for the VPC Annual Meeting, May 8 at St. Thomas Church. In addition to general updates on the latest projects, we will have the opportunity to hear directly from County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, Councilman Todd Huff, and Council Chairperson Vicki Almond. Members of our state legislative teams will also be on hand. We hope to see you then! Invitation
BGE Substation: Collaborative Effort Pays Off
February 10, 2012
BGE ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR ALTERNATIVE SITE
In a meeting with county representatives on February 3, the VPC and other community groups were informed by BGE that they would not be pursuing the development of a regional substation at the former Camp Holiday site on Kemp Road. The VPC and Hanover Road Association strongly opposed the Camp Holiday site due to its location within the Piney Run Rural Legacy Area. Instead, the utility will pursue development of the substation at an alternative site that the community helped identify.
At the February 3 meeting, BGE spokesman Rob Gould announced that the four properties needed for the alternative site were all under contract and that the company would be filing a special exception request and submitting a development plan. BGE representatives expressed their appreciation for the collaborative effort, and community leaders applauded BGE’s willingness to consider community concerns and explore other options. There has been a high-level of involvement and cooperation with the community and county agencies, and that is expected to continue as the project moves forward...
BGE Substation Deadline Approaching
January 26, 2012
The VPC has been working with the Hanover Road Association, the county, and BGE to find a better location for the regional substation proposed by the utility. The initial site, the former Camp Holiday property, is within the Piney Run Rural Legacy Area, a highly unsuitable location for a large, industrial facility. BGE has worked cooperatively with the community to identify and secure an alternative site. A site off of Route 30 has been identified and appears to better meet the needs of BGE and is a more satisfactory location from the community’s perspective. The utility has set January 31 as the deadline for securing properties needed for the alternative site. If they are successful, plans will move forward for a special exception and development plan on the Hanover Pike site. If they cannot secure the properties needed by January 31, they will abandon that effort and move forward with plans to seek a special exception on the Kemp Road (former Camp Holiday) site.
New State Law Targets Illegal Signs
October 6, 2011
As of October 1, the State of Maryland is taking an aggressive approach to removing and preventing illegal signs placed in the right-of-way along state highways. The law gives companies a three-month grace period to remove all commercal signs from the medians and rights-of-way along state roads. After the three-month period, the state will remove the signs and fine those responsible for them.
Many commercial businesses take advantage of the traffic-heavy roadways to advertise their services, and the practice has been a major headache and expense to road crews. Under the new law, starting on January 1, there will be a $25 fine levied for each illegal sign placed along state roads.
Greenspring Station Development
September 21, 2011
Owners of the tennis barns at Greenspring Station have taken the first step in the process of redeveloping the tennis barns. They plan to remove one tennis barn and convert that space into additional surface parking. The other barn will be replaced with a wellness center and 3-story office building. The plan also calls for another 5,000 square feet of retail space to be located in front of the existing shops. They have filed for a traffic variance, which is required due to the failing intersections in the immediate vicinity.
The VPC and other community groups have continued to ask the owners of the property for a master plan that describes plans for any potential future development. The community feels strongly that any redevelopment of the site must not exacerbate existing traffic and environmental problems and believes that a comprehensive plan for the entire site is the practical and responsible way to go.
Flooding on Mantua Mill Road
September 13, 2011
Photo of Mantua Mill Road taken by Frances Krongard (Bridge over Western Run Road, just south of Green Road)
County alters Shawan/Falls intersection
September 2, 2011
An island was removed (see dark paved area in left of photo) to allow room for thru-traffic to skirt around lef-turning vehicles at the intersection of Shawan Road and Falls Road.
Motorists heading west along the Shawan/Tufton scenic byway corridor may notice a difference at the intersection of Shawan/Falls. The Baltimore County Department of Public Works (DPW) removed a portion of a concrete island bordering the John Brown Store property to allow cars to skirt around vehicles awaiting a left-turn at the intersection. DPW’s goal in making this adjustment was to improve flow during evening rush hour...
BGE Substation Update
August 16, 2011
Representatives of BGE met with members of the Valleys Planning Council and Hanover Road Association on August 10, 2011 at the Pearlstone Center in Reisterstown. BGE gave a power point presentation that reviewed the status of the proposed substation. At this time, BGE is still operating under the assumption that action is needed to address reliability issues identified by the regional entity PJM by 2015. PJM’s forecasts show the potential for reliability problems starting in that year unless steps are taken to relieve pressures on the 500-kV and 230-kV lines running between the Conastone Substation in Harford County and the Northwest Substation in Reisterstown (Baltimore County). BGE determined that a regional substation that could bring a spur of the 500-kV power line into Northwest without going all the way north to Conastone and back down to Reisterstown, was the best solution. The new substation proposed would be located on the 90-acre former Camp Holiday site on Kemp Road and contain both a 500-kV yard and a 230-kV yard...
Aug 10 Meeting on BGE Substation
July 20, 2011
BGE will meet with members of the Hanover Road Association and the Valleys Planning Council on August 10. The meeting will be held at the Pearlstone Center at 5425 Mt. Gilead Road (off of Hanover Pike) and begins at 7:30 p.m. BGE representatives will discuss their plans to build a new major regional substation in the area. The utility has purchased two properties within the Piney Run Rural Legacy Area totalling more than 110 acres and plans to construct a major facility that includes a 500-kV yard and a 230-kV yard. Neighbors and area residents were stunned to learn that a substantial industrial facility of this sort could be located in RC2 amid hundreds of acres of protected agricultural land and within an area targeted for ag preservation.
The Valleys Planning Council and Hanover Road Association have been working with the county and BGE to identify potential alternative sites and have also been investigating the need for the $71 million facility. The need has come into question due to faulty demand projections associated with controversial transmission line projects in the mid-Atlantic area...
