ESP Rec Council Says, Its Our Turn!

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Over the years, there has always been talk of development on the property behind the Food Lion grocery store in Edgemere. As the owners have changed hands, so have the proposed development plans. Instead of housing, now the plan for the parcel known as the Karll Trust property has everything to do with recreation. Baltimore Countys Department of Recreation and Parks purchased the property from developer Mark Sapperstein last year. Now they must decide exactly what to do with their newly acquired land, so they went to the Edgemere community to get their input. At a meeting held Monday, Feb. 22 in the Edgemere Elementary School cafeteria, Jean Tansey from County Recreation and Parks asked community members for their wants and dont wants for the Karll property. The 41.1-acre plot of land, located off of Chesapeake Avenue, North Point Road and Willow Road, is within the critical area and the 100-year tidal floodplain. Wetlands are a large part of the property, and current DEPRM regulations call for a 100-foot buffer in critical areas. Because of this, approximately 26 acres are in the buffer area, leaving just 15 total acres available for development - 11.1 acres in Parcel A and 3.9 acres in Parcel B. Tansey explained, however, that really only six acres are developable due to the areas Limited Development Area (LDA) designation, meaning only 15 percent of lot coverage is available to be used for things such as walkways, driveways and buildings. Fields would not be included in those six acres. Edgemere residents had a long list of wants for what theyd like to see developed on the property, including lighted fields, lighted parking, a multi-use community center, a concession building, restrooms, artificial turf fields, pervious parking lots and walkways, a walking/bike trail to tie in with the Heritage Trail and a playground, just to name a few. Some of the things they dont want include access from Chesapeake Avenue, lights shining on Chesapeake Avenue or the widening of Chesapeake Avenue. They also dontwant to see any type of dredging take place. A couple of people said they dont want to see any development at all on the property. Try telling that to the ESP Recreation Council. The Rec Council, in conjuction with the Millers Island community Association and the NPC (North Point Peninsula community Coordinating Council), came up with their own Karll Property Edgemere Multi-Purpose complex Leadership & Development Plan. After the Countys community input meeting officially ended, Pete Christensen, ESP Rec. Council President, led the PowerPoint presentation of their plan. Were a growing community, stated Christensen. We have a huge Rec. Council with lots of programs. The problem is a field shortage for both the Councils spring and fall sports programs. We are always fighting for space, he explained. Their property proposal includes a community center, two lighted fields, parking (with 175+ spots), three pavillions, a playground, a concessions area, restrooms, a boardwalk which would be the Heritage Trail start, a dogpark, lighted pathways and a walkway to Sparrows Point High School. Christensen touched on several advantages of the proposed development, such as parking relief for Sparrows Point High School and alleviating traffic congestion to local events like the Firemans Carnival as well as the economic impact on local businesses by keeping the teams in their own community. One person pointed out that the Edgemere/Sparrows Point Recreation Council has never had its own fields and does not have free access to fields at area schools. Its our turn, Christensen concluded. For more information on the ESP Recreation Council and its plan for the Karll Property, log on to www.esprec.com.