Greenspring

On one side of the road stand office buildings, upscale retail shops, a popular indoor racquet club and medical offices -- all within easy access of Interstate 83, downtown Baltimore and the Beltway.On the other side is a rolling expanse of field and woodland that forms the threshold to Baltimore County's Green Spring Valley, with wealthy estates and working farms and a community determined to preserve its rural landscape."You've got a recipe for major fighting," said Baltimore County Planning Director Arnold F. "Pat" Keller.

The owners of the Greenspring Racquet Club again have failed in their effort to persuade Baltimore County officials to allow them to build two office buildings and a parking garage on 5.5 acres at Falls and Greenspring Valley roads.A county hearing officer ruled this week that William and Loretta Hirshfeld, the club's owners, fell short in proving that their project should be exempt from a new county law that restricts development next to rural areas.Timothy Kotroco, the hearing officer, said the Hirshfelds failed to show that their project would not be detrimental to the surrounding area.

With the field pared to three horses by scratches and the heavyweights of the Maryland riding colony engaged elsewhere, Roberto Alvarado steered Wire Me Collect to a three-quarter-length victory over Greenspring Willy in the $60,000 Fire Plug Stakes at Pimlico yesterday.It was an outstanding return from a layoff for the son of Clever Trick, who completed the six furlongs in 1: 10 and paid $4 as the even-money second choice. With nine wins in 26 career outings, Wire Me Collect has earned more than $550,000.

A 74-year-old woman and her daughter were found slain in their Greenspring Avenue home yesterday morning, leaving bewildered neighbors and mourning relatives struggling to understand what prompted the killings.The bodies of Margaret E. McCarter, who moved into her home in the 3500 block of Greenspring Ave. in the early 1970s, and her daughter, Nadine Evans, 47, were found by police about 9 a.m. on separate floors of the two-story rowhouse north of Druid Hill Park.Evans, who for three years has been a nurse at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center for the criminally insane in Jessup, moved to the house five years ago to care for her ailing mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, family members said.

A man died Friday evening after being struck by a car in Pikesville, police said. The man, whose age and identity will be released after his family is informed of his death, was hit by a sedan near the intersection of Smith and Greenspring avenues, according to Baltimore County police. He was hit at about 6:20 p.m., taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center and died several hours later, police said. The driver of the vehicle remained on the scene. A crash team is investigating to determine fault, police said.

Developers of Green Spring Station, battling zoning laws and development restrictions, face another obstacle: Baltimore County officials say the intersection where they want to build is so clogged that development should be halted. The county's Department of Public Works has labeled the intersection of Greenspring Valley and Falls roads one of five failing intersections in the county. The designation appears on new maps of county roads and water and sewer service presented yesterday to the County Planning Board.

Last year, Greenspring Willy was running at a moderate claiming level and doing all right for himself.Now, the Smarten colt is a stakes winner, the second straight for trainer Dick Dutrow during the weekend.Greenspring Willy came from slightly off the pace under jockey Larry Reynolds and beat favored P Day by three lengths in the $60,000 Goss L. Stryker Stakes yesterday at Laurel Park to mark his third win in four starts.It was a significant step forward for the Maryland-bred owned by a syndicate of Baltimore-based businessmen, but he isn't likely to stretch longer than the seven furlongs he ran yesterday.

IT'S NOT SURPRISING that Villa Julie College's stated modus operandi sounds more like an aggressive corporate strategic plan than a contemplative academic approach: "Get there first. Do it best. Make it count in people's lives." The school in the Greenspring Valley has made a solid reputation for itself by tying its curriculum closely to corporate work-force needs in the Baltimore region.Fifty years after its founding by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as a tiny, one-year school for medical secretaries, Villa Julie (named for the founder of the order, Saint Julie Billiart)

A Timonium-based developer unveiled plans yesterday to build offices, shops and restaurants in a 230-acre mixed-used development on the site of the former Greenspring Quarry in Baltimore County. Obrecht Properties LLC said LifeBridge Health Inc. has signed a lease for office space in the proposed Quarry Lake at Greenspring, becoming the first tenant in what is projected to be 225,000 square feet of offices and 112,000 square feet of shops. LifeBridge will, in turn, lease office space to physician groups in its health network.

A much-debated housing development on Greenspring Avenue will feature fewer homes and a 22-acre public waterfront park under an agreement hammered out this week between the developer and a Baltimore County councilman.With the agreement, the county avoids a lengthy court battle over how many homes can be built at the Greenspring Quarry just inside the Beltway. The quarry is closing its mining operations, turning the gaping rock pit into a 500-foot-deep lake surrounded by offices, stores, condominiums and single-family houses.