Just over a mile away from the former hotel at the center of a controversial redevelopment plan, Baltimore County residents met at the Hunt Valley Embassy Suites by Hilton to discuss a proposal to turn the former Hunt Valley Inn into nearly 300 housing units, with traffic concerns taking center stage.
The former hotel at 245 Shawan Road, which was bought by Marriott in 2017 and renamed the Delta Marriott Baltimore County, closed in 2023. Now, developers from Shawan KB 245 hope to build 126 single-family townhouses and 164 multi-family units on the 18-acre property.
Kimley-Horn landscape architect and project manager Matt Bishop walked through the schematics placed on posterboards and then fielded the community’s questions. Residents were primarily concerned with how the development could affect traffic congestion in the area.
Bishop said the developers’ traffic study found that traffic at the former hotel’s peak times would have been worse than the estimated congestion at the prospective development’s predicted peak times.
Danielle Beyrodt, COO of Hill Management Services which owns the Executive Plaza office park adjacent to the former hotel, told residents the former Delta Hotel had a 300 parking space easement onto the offices’ lot in addition to its own parking lot with spaces for each of its rooms. Beyrodt said she agreed with Bishop’s assessment that the hotel increased traffic more than the prospective development would.
The contents of the traffic study are not yet publicly available, but will be after the developers submit their final plan to the county for consideration. After receiving the community’s input Wednesday, the developers have up to a year to do so.
The county’s assigned project manager for the development, Jerry Chen, told The Baltimore Sun all those who attended the meeting and signed in with their email will receive a notification when that happens.
According to Bishop, the development will have the same main access point as the former hotel, but will also have an additional one on Schilling Road. The units will have garages, driveways and parallel parking spots for visitors, Bishop said.
Noise from nearby I-83 traffic will be mitigated by everything but a sound wall, Bishop emphasized, saying vegetation, as well as topographical and architectural features should mute the traffic.
Despite Bishop’s explanations, residents pushed to hear from the developer himself. Steve Keelty, who was seated in the front row, obliged.
“I’m your neighbor. I live here,” Keelty said. Regarding the overwhelming concern in the room, Keelty asked, “Why would I make the traffic worse in my neighborhood?”
Aside from traffic concerns, the meeting revealed plans for a 30,000-square-foot open space, which could include flat lawns and other amenities, such as a pavilion. Bishop also offered that a study conducted by the development team found that local schools would stay under 100% capacity.
Bishop explained there was no requirement for affordable housing that the development had to adhere to. As such, the development’s homes will likely start around $600,000, he said.
The developers don’t yet have a plan for the hotel’s demolition, but Bishop said it could be 18 months to 2 years before it comes down if all goes according to plan.
Have a news tip? Contact Racquel Bazos at rbazos@baltsun.com, 443-813-0770 or on X as @rzbworks.