At its October meeting, the Baltimore County Design Review Panel approved a revised design for Whiting Turner’s proposed headquarters at 949 Delaney Valley Road in Towson, recommending approval consistent with the county staff report and asking that a final landscape plan be submitted during development review.

The DRP’s decision followed a focused resubmission by Whiting Turner and its design team (Gensler) that addressed three main concerns from the panel’s prior review: the multipurpose building’s proximity to Delaney Valley Road, screening of the service/loading area, and additional landscaping along Delaney Valley. County staff recommended approval while noting the final landscape plan must be reviewed at the development phase.

Nathan Both, representing Whiting Turner and the project owner, said the resubmission “addresses all the comments” from the prior DRP review and summarized design changes the team made in response. Designer Duncan Lyons (Gensler) walked the panel through updated plans showing the multipurpose building moved an average of 6 feet 8 inches farther from Delaney Valley Road, the addition of an 8-foot-tall stone screen wall with berming at the southwest corner to hide the service/loading entry, and relocation of the loading dock 30 feet west from the building corner.

Mary Knopp, president of the Towson Gate Community Association, praised the appearance but raised traffic concerns: “This project looks beautiful. ... Our big concern is, of course, traffic and how all of this is going to be managed on Southerly Road.” Panel members and staff clarified that traffic and transportation review fall under the Department of Public Works and Transportation and occur during the development-plan review process; county staff said the analysis will take place when the development plan is filed.

The design team’s materials show 119 existing trees slated for removal and 188 new trees to be planted on site, a net increase in tree count the team said results in “more trees than we are removing.” The revised landscape and site plans also add street trees and shade trees along the pedestrian routes the team is showing on the property it controls, bench seating and bike racks on the southern plaza, specialty paving through the rear grove, and a small private courtyard area between the multipurpose building and the headquarters.

The project’s parking structure will have two vehicular access points: a southern entry off Southerly Road and a northern access to Goucher College Drive, the designer said. The northern garage access connects to Goucher College Drive rather than directly to Delaney Valley Road; the team indicated the planted buffer along Delaney Valley is outside the project parcel and under Goucher College’s ownership.

County planning staff summarized their recommendation during the meeting: “We are recommending approval,” and noted environmental sustainability items and the final landscape plan will be reviewed and closed out during the development-plan and permitting phases. The DRP voted to approve the resubmitted design consistent with that staff report; a motion to approve the project with the staff report attached carried with panel members voting in favor and no recorded opposition.

Next steps identified in the meeting record: the development-plan review and agency-level technical checks (including traffic review by the Department of Public Works and Transportation) must be completed before permits are issued; county staff said they will review the final landscape plan as part of that process. Community members were encouraged to monitor filing of the formal development plan if they wish to follow the transportation analysis.