Baltimore County extends data center pause, advances Lutherville Station, renter protections

In a rare 90-minute meeting — far shorter than the hours of testimony and debate that typically accompany Baltimore County Council meetings — lawmakers passed key legislation related to energy, housing, development and more Tuesday.

All seven council members agreed to extend the county’s moratorium on data centers through the end of 2027.

The council also unanimously passed bills unlocking the Lutherville Station redevelopment’s access to state funding; increasing notice and protections for tenants facing eviction; and clearly defining the inspector general’s responsibilities.

The vote was split 4-3, however, on whether to grant a five-year, $68 million contract to WIN Waste Innovations to burn the “four Ravens stadiums” of trash the county produces each year.

Pikesville Democrat Izzy Patoka and two of the council’s Republicans, Todd Crandell and David Marks, opposed the contract’s renewal, while the four remaining members said the alternative — trucking untold tons of trash out of state — would unduly burden the county.

“I kind of feel like we’re in between a rock and a hard place,” council member Mike Ertel said, referring to the pollution emitted by WIN Waste’s South Baltimore incinerator.

Ertel then voted for the contract.

Here’s a more detailed look at all the legislation that was passed.

Lutherville Station designation

After seven years of heated arguments — and general opposition — over Lutherville Station, the redevelopment project is one step closer to breaking ground.

In a unanimous vote, the council approved a resolution to grant transit-oriented development status to the proposed 325-unit mixed-use apartment complex.

That designation would give developer Mark Renbaum the chance to apply for state grants, loans and tax credits to help fund the project, which sits next to a light rail station.

Council member Nino Mangione, who represents residents opposed to Lutherville Station, emphasized that this designation would only give the project access to state financing.

“It does not approve construction, which must go through Baltimore County zoning processes,” he said.

The Hunt Valley Republican added that he met with Renbaum and members of the Greater Timonium Community Council that morning to negotiate turning the project into a planned unit development — a specific county zoning separate from the state status — to protect residents. A decision on this will come later.

Tenant protections

In another unanimous vote, the council approved a law requiring landlords to provide renters facing eviction in Baltimore County a 14-day notice period after a court orders an eviction.

The law also strikes an ordinance that legally declares any of a tenant’s remaining property “abandoned” following an eviction.

It does not, however, lay out a plan for how renters and landlords should handle property that tenants leave behind after they are evicted.

During last week’s work session, several housing advocates testified that the council had a moral and legal obligation to establish a reclamation period during which tenants could retrieve their belongings.

“In Baltimore County, when tenants are evicted from their homes, not only, as you’ve heard, do they lose a roof over their heads,” resident Andrew Miller said, “many lose their dignity in everything they own.”

In an amendment to the bill, which also passed, the county’s Department of Housing and Community Development agreed to negotiate with landlords and advocates to establish a reclamation period by the end of the year.

That plan will detail who is responsible for holding tenants’ belongings and who will pay for that storage.

Inspector general

All seven council members voted to establish definitions for both the role of the inspector general and the office.

“We wanted to clarify that the Office of the Inspector General can issue reports and can do their jobs, whether the IG is at the helm at any given time or not,” Ertel said.

The office has experienced a series of departures since former Inspector General Kelly Madigan left in December to become Howard County’s inspector general.

Madigan’s deputy in Baltimore County, Steve Quisenberry, retired in June. Gregg Domroe, a retired FBI agent, became the deputy inspector general after Quisenberry but resigned for personal reasons in August.

The bill, Ertel said, ensures “there’s no doubt that the office should continue to function in times of change.”