Remington Walmart receives go-ahead

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The Baltimore City Planning Commission voted unanimously in favor of minor amendments to a development plan for 25th Street Station Thursday evening, setting in motion a new retail project in Remington anchored by a Wal-Mart.

After nearly four hours of testimony for and against the project by business owners and residents of North Baltimore, the commission endorsed the plan, saying the $65 million development had been improved over the past year through a new design paid for by Wal-Mart.

Baltimore City Council members Carl Stokes and Mary Pat Clarke told the commission to reject the amendments because the changes in the design were major in scope. Such a rejection would have sent the development plan back to the City Council for further consideration and public hearings.

The council members and residents who live near the site have complained that truck traffic and the overall design of the Wal-Mart would negatively impact the quality of life in the community.

“Not everybody’s happy, but there’s been an opportunity for input and many positive changes have been made,” said Jon M. Laria, an attorney at Ballard Spahr who was representing the developer, WV Urban LLC. “This project has been delayed way too long.”

Laria estimated the Wal-Mart would create 400 permanent jobs and generate $400,000 in new taxes.

Wal-Mart officials released a statement after the vote that said they were pleased by the endorsement, and said they looked forward to breaking ground in the near future.

“We appreciate the outpouring of support we received from members of the community at today’s hearing,” said Nina Albert, director of community affairs for Wal-Mart. “Our store will employ hundreds of area residents and provide customers with convenient access to a wide range of goods at affordable prices.”

Jay Orr, who is a business and property owner in Old Goucher, a bordering neighborhood, and an architect, said the changes to the design were major in his professional opinion and the fact that the Planning Commission was considering them as minor changes “shows how out of step Baltimore city is with other cities. It’s like bait-and-switch.”

In September, the city’s Urban Design and Architecture Review Panel told Wal-Mart to come back with a more pedestrian-friendly design than the one originally presented. The neighborhood includes many small rowhouses and small, family-owned businesses.