County Exec Proposes Courtland Avenue Acquisition for Towson Fire Station

The Baltimore County Council is slated to vote in the next month on a move to acquire property on Courtland Avenue that the county executive says will be used for a new Towson fire station.

The two-story office building at 204 Courtland Avenue would be the only property purchase necessary to build the new fire station, for which Baltimore County previously allocated $5 million in bond loans to construct at Towsontown Boulevard and Bosley Avenue, according to a Baltimore County news release.

The $5 million would instead go toward building the station on Courtland Avenue, according to the release. The spot is 250 feet from Towsontown Boulevard and is next to the Towson precinct of the Baltimore County Police Department.

"The new location has excellent access and egress for our first responders," Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said in a prepared statement on Wednesday.

The current Towson firehouse on York Road was built in the 1950s and does not have updated sleeping quarters and drive-through bays. Drive-through bays eliminate the need for emergency vehicles to back out of the station, a practice that puts personnel and equipment at risk.

The new location would enable the county to construct the station without moving fuel pumps, according to the county executive's statement.

In addition, "it allows us to respond to the community's desire to minimize the impact of the station on local neighborhoods," Kamenetz said.

Officials said the new location would create a larger site at Towsontown Boulevard and Bosley Avenue, reducing the amount of grading required to construct the new facility.

"With the pending purchase of this property, construction of a modern Towson fire station can move forward with a design and site layout that meets both public safety and community needs," Councilman David Marks, whose district includes Towson, said in a prepared statement.

The building at 204 Courtland Avenue is owned by Courtland Properties, according to state property tax records, which show the building's 2014 assessment was $485,300. The county executive did not provide a proposed purchase price.

The County Council will vote on the property purchase at its April 7 meeting.