Proposed YMCA Property Sale Rankles Neighbors

A proposal by YMCA of Central Maryland to sell a portion of its South Rolling Road property for the development of a medical office building has stirred controversy among residents concerned about the impact on traffic and the character of the neighborhood.

The Y owns about 20 acres of land on the west side of the 800-block of S. Rolling, and proposes selling six acres on the northwest corner of the property to a developer who would build a three-story low-rise medical office building, according to Gene Oaksmith, vice president of strategic development for the Y of Central Maryland, based in Baltimore.

The medical office building would be developed by a subsidiary of Duke Realty, Oaksmith says. Several sources have suggested a medical group from St. Agnes as a possible tenant of the medical office building.

Oaksmith says that the Y needs to sell the property to raise capital to renovate and expand the Catonsville Family Center, including a fitness facility and pool that were built in the 1960s.

The aging facility "doesn't meet the standards that the Y expects," Oaksmith says. "This is the best solution that we have today to continue serving the residents of Catonsville."

The Y has done similar developments at other locations, and would make medical care more convenient for residents on the western edge of the county. "We see this as a good fit in terms of delivery of health services along with fitness and wellness," he says.

Residents of Arbutus, Relay and Halethorpe have expressed concern about the impact a development will have on Rolling Road traffic, which is already overburdened with rush-hour commuters from the MARC station and the nearby Park-N-Ride.

"Rolling Road has enough traffic every morning and afternoon," says Sherry Parker Hall, who lives in the Wynnewood community and drives the route every day to work in Ellicott City. " That is not a good tract of land because of the traffic and the narrow road."

"No more development," says Catonsville resident Bob Hoffman, who grew up in Arbutus and often travels Rolling Road on his motorcycle "enjoying the natural beauty that would be destroyed by further development."

Some question the wisdom of placing medical center in a location where left turns are already a near-impossibility.

First district councilman Tom Quirk says that he is reluctant to submit a pubic unit development (PUD) - effectively halting the project - until questions about possible detrimental impacts on the community are answered.

"I have concerns about it," Quirk says of the proposed medical office development. "At this point in time I'm not prepared to do a PUD. I want to see some clear solutions before I change my mind."

Oaksmith says that the Y will address the traffic issue and win over the community.

"As part of the plan to develop the site, we would engage a traffic engineer to assess the traffic and see what could be done to mitigate any problem," he says. "We believe that once the community is fully aware of what we want to do, we feel that we'll have their full support behind us."

All sides agree that the Y is overdue for renovation.

"We clearly need a better Y," Quirk says. "I have concerns about the compatibility with the neighborhood, which is all residential. Maybe a residential development makes more sense than a medical office."