Baltimore County executive vetoes bill targeting shuttered Hunt Valley hotel for redevelopment, calls legislation ‘problematic’

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. vetoed on Thursday a recently passed law that the county attorney said unlawfully granted special treatment to a now-closed Hunt Valley hotel being eyed for redevelopment, furthering an ongoing debate between the administration and County Council over zoning power.

The Delta Marriott Baltimore County hotel on Shawan Road, formerly the Hunt Valley Inn, closed in October. The Baltimore County Council passed a bill sponsored by Republican Councilman Wade Kach earlier this month that would allow for residential development in business and manufacturing zones in Hunt Valley as long as the property was sized between 15 and 18 acres and located within an area that is east of I-18, west of York Road, south of Shawan Road, and north of Padonia Road, right where the now-shuttered hotel is located.

The veto is Olszewski’s fourth since taking office in 2018.

The council voted unanimously on Feb. 20 to pass Kach’s bill. At a Feb. 5 work session, Venable lawyer David Karceski testified on behalf of the property owner in support of Kach’s bill, arguing that it would revitalize the property and “provide a mixed-use development for nearby Hunt Valley residents to enjoy with frequency and convenience.”

Kach has been one of the council’s loudest critics of Olszewski’s unsuccessful plan to promote mixed-use redevelopment, arguing that it would “urbanize suburban Baltimore County.” Venable, a Towson law firm, is a frequent donor to Baltimore County politicians. Its Maryland PAC transferred $750 to Kach’s campaign on Aug. 31, according to an annual campaign finance report.

Marriott did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Ryan Fried, Kach’s chief of staff, said in an email that the councilman would consider his options before responding to Olszewski’s veto.

In a Thursday letter to the council, Olszewski said he was vetoing the bill on the advice of County Attorney James Benjamin, who had determined the law was illegal, because it was crafted with a particular development in mind, calling the bill’s criteria “arbitrary and precise.”

“This bill also cuts open space requirements and exempts a residential development from the Baltimore County Comprehensive Manual of Development Policies,” Olszewski wrote. “These actions would weaken the character of the community and give the developer too much of a blank slate, disregarding standards that every other developer must follow.”

Such legislation, called “special laws,” are illegal under the Maryland Constitution, according to a letter from Benjamin to Olszewski objecting to Kach’s bill, and the prohibition is to bar “laws that give special treatment to the privileged few,” Olszewski said.

Olszewski said he supported efforts to rezone the property via the Comprehensive Zoning Map Process, “which we believe is the appropriate way to resolve this issue in a more transparent and community-oriented manner.”

“We look forward to ongoing dialogue with the County Council to collaboratively identify appropriate opportunities to support re-development through existing processes, and/or to find ways to improve those processes in a way that applies to all projects — but not just a select few,” Olszewski said.

The council needs five votes to overturn Olszewski’s veto.