Four years ago, residents of the Turners Station area of Dundalk took stock of their community and found plenty of room for improvement.
A lack of streetlights made some spots attractive to drug dealers. Alleys and sidewalks were crumbling and in need of repair. Some aging houses presented safety hazards, and zoning regulations dictated that vacant lots were too narrow for new homes big enough to attract families.
Since then, the county has demolished properties on Sollers Point and Avondale roads, planted gardens and trees throughout the community, completed a traffic survey of several intersections and repaved roads. And now the venerable African-American community is ready to take the next step toward revitalization.
FOR THE RECORD - An article about Turners Station in the Maryland section of Saturday's editions of The Sun was accompanied by a photo caption in which Izrea Simon's name was given incorrectly.
THE SUN REGRETS THE ERROR
The Baltimore County Office of Planning and members of the Turners Station Historic Preservation Advisory Committee will meet Monday to discuss additional plans for community revitalization and the preservation of historic sites.
The meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Fleming Center, 641 Main St., will give residents the chance to discuss design standards with county planners. The standards will help the county better enforce zoning and code regulations, and establish uniform guidelines for any new development that might occur in Turners Station.
"We'd like to put new houses in the area that look like a nice fit with what's already in the community," said Amy Mantay, the community planner for the County Council district that includes Turners Station.
Although many of the buildings from Turners Station's history are no longer standing, the county would like to identify the locations, with input from the community. The locations could be marked with signs or plaques, or cataloged by the Maryland Historical Trust.
Mantay said that residents have not specified what locations or buildings they would like designated, but one structure that still stands is Union Baptist Church on Main Street.
The church is in what was once the Anthony Theatre, built in the late 1920s by Joseph Thomas, a local entrepreneur. He named the 500-seat theater after his father, according to local historian and author Louis Diggs.
Eric Johnson, pastor of the church, said that he and several members of his congregation plan to attend the meeting Monday. Johnson said that although he is not opposed to preserving the history of Turners Station, he would like to know whether a historic designation might restrict any of the church's plans.
