Baltimore County officials have approved preliminary plans for an office, shopping and residential complex in Owings Mills that aims to be a smaller version of Quarry Lake.
It’s one of several major developments in the works for Owings Mills. Others include David S. Brown Enterprises' Metro Centre, a $65 million makeover of the Owings Mills Mall and a Wegmans-anchored retail complex called Foundry Row.
Steven Koren, of Columbia’s
Koren Development Co., is building Delight Quarry on approximately 120 acres in northwest Baltimore County, at the intersection of Franklin Boulevard and Nicodemus Road.
Delight Quarry's residential part calls for 75 single-family houses, 66 townhouses and 108-units of active adult condominiums. In addition, there will be 20,000-square feet of retail space and 136,500-square feet of office space.
Delight Quarry will follow the pattern of the Quarry Lake development, with buildings clustered around a quarry that is being allowed to fill in and become a lake.
Koren says he doesn’t yet know what the development will cost. He says he is not at the stage where he can give prices for the housing or potential tenants for the retail and office spaces. Those decisions will be made in conjunction with the residential and commercial builders, although neither has been chosen at this point. He also doesn't have a timeframe yet for construction.
“We don’t do this [development] in a vacuum,” Koren says of housing prices and tenant leases. “It depends on market reception.”
Glenn Barnes, president of the Reisterstown Improvement Association and a manager of the Long and Foster Reisterstown real estate office, says questions were raised at a community meeting about the viability of the office and retail portions given the number of vacant commercial buildings on Reisterstown Road.
Koren says he is aware of the downturn in housing and other sectors. “Every decision is made in concert with the market and how we proceed in a productive manner. We have to work within the constraints of the market,” he says.
Baltimore County officials have approved the development plan and Koren is currently finalizing the engineering plans for construction. When he does, he will return to the county for approval of a final plan.
Sources: Steven Koren, Koren Development Co.; Glenn Barnes, president, Reisterstown Improvement Association, and manager, Long and Foster Reisterstown.
Writer: Barbara Pash