Developer Plans to Build Townhouses in Dorsey

The diplapidated building on Dorsey Road next to the  has had its problems in recent years, according to nearby residents who met with a possible developer of the property on Monday. And the developer said his plans would represent an improvement.

Referring to the old house, Debi Neal, who lives on Dorsey Road, said, "It should've come down a long time ago."

Neal and a Dorsey Road neighbor, Donna Gregor, met with Joseph Link, of development company H&H Rock, at the as part of the process developers go through before submitting site development plans to the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning.

Link said that his company planned to build a townhouse development at the property called Streamside—39 townhomes on a 4.26-acre parcel.

"It will actually clean up the site," he said of the townhouse development. In fact, last year his company did a clean-up on the site, under the supervision of the Environmental Protection Agency, after someone dumped an oil tank inside the vacant barn on the property.

Neighbors said a transient had lived in the abandoned house in recent years but now, it's home to feral cats.

In a first phase, H&H Rock plans to construct 33 townhomes between Deerpath Road and a stream on the property, said project manager Brian Cleary. Later, the developer would need to get permission from the Maryland Department of the Environment to build six additional townhomes between the stream and Dorsey Road. The plan is subject to change, Link said.

"This is a starting point," Link told Neal and Gregor.

Since the property is so close to the , the land is zoned for transit-oriented development, Link said. He noted that his company also built the one-story commercial building that is currently across Deerpath Road from the project.

Neal and Gregor were concerned the proposed townhouses might clash with their homes.

"There's all commercial [development] around us," said Neal, who lives near Mabey Bridge and Shore. "I don't want someone turning around and saying, 'You don't belong in this neighborhood.'" Neal has lived in the neighborhood more than 50 years.

Gregor said her concern was the egress from the proposed community to Dorsey Road, noting poor visibility coming around the turn by the .

Link said that the project was far from breaking ground and details such as exits from the townhouse development would be addressed throughout the process. In addition, he said that his company was more interested in moving forward with the first phase, which backed up to the commercial office park by Deerpath Road.

"We haven't discussed when we would do it [the second phase, fronting Dorsey Road]," said Link.

The process of getting the site development plan approved should take one year, Cleary said. "Then we'd have to post signs and apply for a grading permit," he explained. The developer would also have to go before the county's Design Advisory Panel for aesthetic guidance.