UDAT ArrivesJean Flanagan The Avenue News 10/20/2004 By the time you read this, members of the Essex-Middle River Urban Design Assistance Team (UDAT) will have arrived at their hotel in White Marsh, had a nice dinner and good night's sleep, and be on their way to learning about the community they will spend the next week examining. Under the direction of North Carolina architect Steve Gaddis, nine volunteers will tour the area, meet with community leaders, business owners, public service representatives, as well as members of the community. They will compile information about the community's past and present. They will study maps and historical documents. The UDAT will be headquartered at the Essex Library, working literally non-stop through next Tuesday on a concept plan for the future of Essex and Middle River. The entire process is open to the public. First on Thursday's agenda was a tour, first by foot and by van. The team saw Essex and Middle River as they exist now. They also heard about the history and culture of the area. After lunch, they headed out on the Chesapeake Bay Memories yacht "Seclusion" for a boat tour of the waterfront. A Community Forum was held Thursday night at the Essex Church of God, 500 Maryland Ave. The meeting began at 7 p.m. A complete report on the forum can be found in next week's edition of The Avenue News. On Friday, some of the team will see the area by air, while other members will tour the old Middle River Depot, currently for sale by the General Accounting Office. The team will hear panel discussions regarding infrastructure, public safety, education and the environment. The panels consist of county representatives from each area and members of the community. Following dinner, local community associations will present their ideas and concerns to the team. Saturday morning will begin bright and early with continued panel discussions. This time the subjects will be recreation and parks and business. At 1:30 p.m. a community input meeting will be held to discuss the future of the Kingsley Park apartment complex. The public is invited to attend. "This will not only be a discussion about Kingsley Park, but it will also cover housing issues in general," said UDAT Steering Committee Co-Chair Shawn Meyer. "We hear that there's a national crisis with a lack of affordable housing. We want to know what the community wants for Kingsley Park and the community in general." Baltimore County purchased the Kingsley Park property in September and is in the process of relocating residents. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has issued guidelines for the redevelopment of the property. Part of the new construction must be geared to senior housing, another part to workforce-affordable housing. On Sunday, the team will present a preliminary concept to the public at 4 p.m. at the Essex Library workshop. "This is the community's opportunity to give the team some feedback," Meyer said. "We can critique what the team has done so far. It will help them prepare for the final presentation on Tuesday." Monday will be an intense work day for the team. They will take the information they have received the previous four days, as well as the feedback from the preliminary concept, and begin to formulate a plan for the community. As always, the work sessions at 1:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. are open to the public. The final presentation will be made on Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. at the Essex Church of God, 500 Maryland Ave. Members of the community are invited to see and hear what the UDAT has suggested. A final report will be published and distributed throughout the community, but the printing may take several weeks. The UDAT process began over a year ago when members of the community met at Hawthorne Elementary School, listened to a presentation regarding a UDAT in Salisbury, NC, and voted to invite a team to Essex and Middle River. Following that, a steering committee formed to handle the nuts and bolts of bringing a team to the area. Local resident, Shawn Meyer and attorney, John Gontrum were chosen to co-chair the steering committee. "I was involved in the Dundalk Heritage Trail piece of that UDAT," Meyer said. "I also have an enthusiasm for urban design. When I got out of the Navy, I move to Essex and begged the county to get a UDAT here." On the top of the list for the steering committee was fundraising. "It is important the community support this effort," Meyer said. "If people feel like they've contributed to the process, they are more supportive of the final product. "Fundraising will continue. Money raised over the team's expenses will be spent on implementation of the suggestions. We will continue to work with the community after the team leaves, to find out their priorities for implementation."
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