Some community associations have pushed back when apartment developers seek to provide fewer off-street parking spaces than the city’s zoning code requires, including groups representing dense residential districts such as Federal Hill, Hampden and Reservoir Hill.
But residents of one community told Baltimore’s zoning board this week that they support a developer’s request to provide fewer off-street parking spaces than required – because they want to see land in their neighborhood used for something other than parking lots.
The community is Greenmount West, located west of Greenmount Avenue and south of North Avenue. The development is Guilford Place, a 25-unit apartment community created from the renovation of two previously-vacant residential buildings at 231 and 233 East North Ave. It’s part of an R-6 zoning district, immediately south of Baltimore City’s Public Schools headquarters at 200 E. North Ave.
The owners of Guilford Place, a New York-based group operating as 231 E. North Ave LLC, recently received a code violation notice because they only provide three off-street parking spaces for their 25-unit building, even though the zoning board previously required that they provide six off-street spaces.
According to Baltimore Heritage, the corner building at 233 E. North Ave., formerly known as the Guilford Apartments, was constructed in 1902 by the Guilford Avenue Construction Company for $23,000. It has been connected to an 1880s rowhouse at 231 E. North Ave. to create one multi-family development that is now occupied. The work, completed several years ago, is part of a wave of redevelopment activity in Greenmount West. According to state property records, Guilford Place has an assessed value of $1,633,600.
Two representatives of the building owner appeared at a zoning board hearing on Tuesday asking for an “off-street parking variance” that would allow them to continue providing 25 dwelling units with the three spaces they have on site at present.
Attorney Drew Tildon, one of the Guilford Place representatives, told the board that “there is not space” on the property to create more than three spaces. She said the owner has suggested creating six more off-street spaces nearby at 223 E. North Ave., if the zoning board would permit a parking lot as a conditional use of that property.
In her presentation, Tildon pointed to a Feb. 18 letter to the zoning board from the Land Use Committee of the New Greenmount West Community Association (GWCA). In the letter, chair Andre Stone wrote that his committee supports the developer’s request for a variance that would allow Guilford Place to continue operating with just three off-street parking spaces. Stone also said the committee, after meeting with the owner, would rather not see the lot at 223 E. North Ave. used for parking.
“I write on behalf of the New Greenmount West Community Association (“GWCA”) to express the group’s support for 231 E. North Ave LLC’s (the “Applicant”) application for variance relief to allow 3 off-street parking spaces on the property known as 231 E. North Avenue (the “Property”) in lieu of the 6 required” under a previous zoning board action, Stone wrote.
Stone said in his letter that Guilford Place’s owner shared plans with the Land Use Committee on Jan. 13 for a six-space parking area at 223 E. North Ave., currently a vacant lot. In response, he wrote, “committee members voiced their desire to minimize off-street parking in the area and encourage development of vacant land instead of using it solely for parking. To that end, the Applicant has agreed to…work with the community to identify an alternative use for 223 E. North Avenue.”
Given the “productive conversation at the January 13th meeting” and “the proposal’s alignment with GWCA’s dedication to minimizing off-street parking in dense urban neighborhoods,” Stone said, the land use committee supports the applicant’s request for a parking variance, as long as the owner complies with the terms and conditions of a Memorandum of Understanding it previously signed with the community association.
The zoning board received no correspondence or testimony from community residents in opposition to the requested variance.
In light of the land use committee’s position about minimizing off-street parking, Tildon said, the owner has withdrawn its proposal to create six parking spaces at 223 E. North Ave. The zoning board members voted 5 to 0 to grant the variance that allows Guilford Place to operate with the three off-street parking spaces it already has.
Panel member Liz Cornish said she was impressed by the community’s stance.
“I just want to say how refreshing it is,” she said, “that there is a neighborhood that is interested in other things besides off-street parking.”
