The most apparent signs of Towson’s revitalization are delicious.
A sports grill, a coffee shop and an ice cream parlor opened this summer within walking distance of one another on York Road. A burrito joint welcomed patrons two weeks ago south of campus. Other restaurants, and a new supermarket, are in development.
Fronda Cohen, director of marketing and communications for Baltimore County’s Department of Economic Development, said her colleagues hope to improve Towson’s status as a destination for area residents.
“There is an opportunity to reinvigorate with new restaurants, with new shops, with new opportunities,” she said.
The efforts seem to be paying off. The Greene Turtle restaurant on York Road has been packed since it opened on Aug. 4. General manager Jerry Mazurowski said the sports grill was a great fit for Towson.
“Baltimore County is putting a whole lot of money and effort into this area,” Mazurowski said. “So we saw it as an opportunity.”
Finkelstein’s, a popular clothing store, previously occupied the site, but closed many years ago. Most recently the site was occupied by Generation Xtremes Cohen’s office worked with the owner and marketed the site to prospective tenants.
“We aggressively said, you can’t beat this market,” she recalled. “Look at the demographics. Look at who’s here. And look at what opportunities you have here.”
Cohen estimated the process took about 18 months.
The development is a boon for students as well – Mazurowski said about 70 percent of his employees are Towson students.
The Greene Turtle is beginning to focus on meals that will compliment an already established late-night bar atmosphere. Mazurowski also stressed the restaurant is “very strict on IDs.” He is aiming for a 25 and older crowd, but welcomes college students as well.
Changes to downtown: Coffee, ice cream, movies
Downtown seems to be perking up. A new Starbucks opened on the corner of York Road and Bosley Avenue on June 26. Managers named it the Towson University Starbucks, since it is located across the street from campus. It is the sixth Starbucks franchise in town.
“There is no lack of caffeine in Towson,” Cohen joked.
Cohen’s office assisted with traffic flow planning and architecture for the corner.
The same week Starbucks opened, a new ice cream shop arrived at the corner of York Road and Pennsylvania Avenue, across from the Towson Commons movie theatre.
Beach Bum's owner Steve Hutchinson said he had always hoped to build a location in Towson.
“I wanted to get in Towson more than anywhere because it’s such a vibrant area and there’s so much student activity,” he said.
Hutchinson opened his first ice cream shop in Federal Hill last year. He noted that Towson has many restaurants, but only one other ice cream shop, Moxley’s on Alleghany Avenue. He said his product is superior because it’s homemade in the store each day.
His employees, including four Towson University students, prepare about 100 gallons of ice cream each day.
Next door, the owners of Towson Commons have plans to improve the eight-screen movie theater. The location will be renovated and enhanced with stadium seating next year.
One block away on Alleghany Avenue, Zia’s, an organic-based sandwich shop and juice bar, will open its doors later this fall.
Down the street on the Towson circle, Baltimore County officials are working with the owners of a former Shell station to resolve environmental concerns and re-develop the site as a park.
Five minutes away on Joppa Road, construction is underway on a new Wal-Mart in the Towson Place shopping center. The two-level, 155,000-square-foot store is scheduled to open in spring 2005. A Red Robin restaurant is also under construction nearby.
Block party, community festival for the fall
Suzan Doordan, executive director of the Towson Business Association, said she encourages students to explore the downtown area. The association will sponsor a Welcome Back To Towson College Block Party Sept. 30 on Pennsylvania Avenue from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
“We’re inviting the student bodies from [Towson and Goucher], hiring some bands and encouraging businesses to offer discounts,” she said.
Doordan borrowed the idea from an event in Delaware. She recently relocated from Wilmington and was “shocked” by the contrast in students.
“Students [from the University of Delaware] are very integrated into the community,” she said. “There were students always everywhere around town.”
Cohen said Towson has similar potential for many groups.
“Towson’s a college town but it also has the headquarters for a Fortune 500 company,” she said. “It’s also the seat of the county government. So you have a lot of pieces to Towson. There’s room for everybody.”
As students are requested downtown, families are invited on campus during Revelry & Rivalry next month.
The “football and family festival” will coincide with the Homecoming football game Oct. 9.
“It’s more than a homecoming, it’s a hometown celebration,” the event’s tagline said.
A parade will begin downtown and wind its way to campus, where a festival will welcome “Towson Tiger fans of all ages.”
Chipotle, Eckerd’s opening near city line
Development has progressed south of campus, as well. The popular burrito joint Chipotle opened on York Road near the Baltimore County/City line on Aug. 27. General manager Matthew Berryman said the first week has been very successful.
“It’s crazy,” he said Friday afternoon. “Right now we only have about 15 people in line, and that’s the slowest it’s been.”
At times, the restaurant has flirted with its maximum capacity of 48 persons. It is located next to Boston Market, in the Giant shopping center in Rodgers Forge.
“Three years ago, this area was kind of dismal,” he said.
But many of the storefronts have recently signed leases. In a few months, a new Eckerd’s drugstore will move in next door. The traffic hassles associated with Baltimore County’s York Road streetscape project are subsiding, as well; the lane closures were lifted on Saturday.
And there’s more to come. Last week Baltimore County Councilman Vince Gardina approved the zoning for a three-story shopping center at the corner of York Road and Lambourne Road, across the street from the Towson Diner. The project is estimated to cost between $25 and $30 million, and will be anchored by a new supermarket.
Cohen suggested some students mistakenly see Towsontown Blvd. as a boundary.
“There is so much to see and do, and so many reasons to come to downtown Towson and see what’s new,” she said. “And there is more to come.”
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