MTA's proposed parking lot

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MTA's proposed parking lot for the Cold Spring Light rail

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MTA's Plan: MTA is interested in purchasing twenty six acres from BGE, including the old natural gas tank, which would be torn down. Four acres would be paved for a parking lot. Since the Light Rail station is on the other side of the Jones Falls river, MTA would construct a bridge across the rive to get to the station. The trail from the parking lot to the Light Rail stop would be as long as a football field. Their hope is that both local residents and suburban commuters would drive to the Light Rail stop, park in the parking lot, and ride the train to work, instead of driving their car all the way to their job. They also hope that more people will use the stop if there was parking available. The parking lot will be built in two phases- the first phase consists of three terraced surface lots with a total of 286 parking spaces, and the second phase would add a second deck to the middle parking lot and bring the total spaces to 410. The second phase would be built only if needed. The land has not been sold to MTA yet, and this project would not be completed for about three years if MTA is able to purchase the land.

The parking lot plan has been modified to accomodate some resident's comments. The parking lot is smaller than originally proposed. The lot is terraced, so that very little grading will need to be done and the lot will follow the current elevation of the land as close as possible. Leaving vegetated space between the three lots will help to absorb runoff from parking lots and prevent it from polluting the Jones Falls River, which is downhill from the lot and very close by. The plan calls for a bioretention area instead of a detention pond. A bioretention area is a more modern solution, because it mimics nature and uses plants to actually clean impurifies from runoff water and therefore both catches runoff and improves water quality, instead of just catching runoff like a detention pond.

MTA proposed parking lot

side views of lots, phase 1 & 2

side view of pedestrian bridge across Jones Falls to light rail stop

Do you have an opinion regarding this plan? Keep checking the Get Involved! page for meetings so you can speak out!

Arguments against their current plan: The parking lot has a lot of things going against it. It would be hard to find for non-locals, possibly perceived as dangerous, and potentially underused. It would be a waste to destroy 6 acres of woods to create a parking lot that people would not use. Here are some of the reasons it may not work:

1- Would people use the lot, considering that they have to park off the road in an isolated area, then walk quite a distance to the stop? Would people feel that this was safe or convenient, or would they perceive the area as dangerous because of it's isolation?

2- Would the isolation of the parking lot make it a magnet for crime? The parking lot would not be visble from the road, so it is feasible that criminals may see this parking lot as an ideal location for their crime.

3- Would suburban commuters, after driving halfway to work, really get our of their cars to ride the Light Rail? Does the Light Rail take them where they need to go? (Right now, the Light rail goes past the Maryland Institute, the Lyric, some state offices, down Howard street, then to the Stadiums- not what most would call business districts)