Bel Air is not at war with Towson
As the mayor of Bel Air, I must defend our residents against a recent patronizing Baltimore Sun editorial (“Some Bel Air residents fear their town could turn into Towson. That raises some questions.” Dec. 18).
The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board cavalierly dismissed legitimate concerns about overcrowded schools and traffic congestion presented at the three-hour hearing before the town’s planning commission on Dec. 7 and instead expressed mock horror at one local small-business owner’s distress that Bel Air was losing its small-town feel and turning into Towson.
The editorial pointed out that Towson residents have a higher median household income and more Towson residents have bachelor’s degrees than the residents of Bel Air. Does that make Towson any better than Bel Air? Is The Sun looking down its nose at our residents and dismissing their concerns because they earn less or because fewer of them have college degrees?
By almost any measure Bel Air is not Towson. And that is fine. Some prefer to live in Towson; some prefer to live in Bel Air. To each, his own. Bel Air is not at war with Towson.
Bel Air is battling to preserve its identity as a small town in the face of an oncoming tsunami of development and the increased traffic and school overcrowding that will come with it. There are currently three apartment projects in town at various points in the development process, plus an additional project currently in litigation regarding its rezoning. If all are built, the town will face an estimated 10%-15% increase in population in just a few years.
According to recent articles in The Sun, even Towson is concerned about school overcrowding and traffic issues, including failing intersections and risks to pedestrians. Maybe Bel Air is learning from Towson’s experience?
Bel Air residents are rightly concerned that large-scale development — four-story apartment buildings with parking garages — will overwhelm our schools and roads and change the nature of our town.
Five Harford County elementary schools are currently over 100% capacity. Two of them are in Bel Air (Bel Air Elementary and Homestead-Wakefield Elementary) and one, Red Pump Elementary, may be outside of town limits, but any students living in the Harford Mall apartments would attend that school. For 2023, the actual enrollment for Bel Air Elementary was 106% of capacity; for Homestead Wakefield it was 115%, and for Red Pump Elementary it was 102%.
While the editorial expresses concern that police officers and teachers cannot afford to move to Bel Air, it seems that The Sun is unaware that many Bel Air residents are teachers, police officers, nurses and firefighters who love living in the small town and want to preserve its charm.
“Today’s Homeowner” recently ranked Bel Air as the No. 1 suburb to buy for first-time homebuyers. It was also ranked within the top 15 out of 583 total suburbs for affordability and livability.
My neighborhood is home to a number of police officers — three young officers with families moved in recently, and I know of at least four households of retired police officers. Two other houses on my street have young families who moved in recently; one is a family of teachers.
I would like to invite the members of The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board to leave their desks and visit Bel Air. It would be my pleasure to show them around.