Below the Surface, a Vexing Problem for Towson Row

More than a year after a ceremony touting the massive Towson Row development, the downtown project seen by Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz as an “urban centerpiece” has been stalled by an immovable object.

Officials with developer Caves Valley Partners say they must reconfigure the project after discovery of a geological issue – solid rock under the surface — that makes it cost-prohibitive to build an underground parking garage for the $350 million project.

The garage, slated to be built under a Whole Foods grocery that will anchor the retail portion of Towson Row, “became too costly due to the rock presence as well as other construction costs,” said company principal Arthur Adler in an email.

Adler said the company is redesigning the project to accommodate parking elsewhere, but new plans will need to be approved by county officials.

 

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