It appears a controversial development along the light rail in Baltimore County is about to leave the station.

For years, the redevelopment of Lutherville Station has been stalled, but a county councilman says he is preparing to get the project rolling towards county approval.

Public officials say it’s good planning to put apartments near a transit stop. Neighbors fear who might ride the rail into their community.

A smattering of people were on the light rail as it headed towards Lutherville Station during a recent afternoon rush hour. When it pulled in, a few people got off. What’s there is a huge, all but empty parking lot and old buildings.

Developer Mark Renbaum wants to radically change that landscape into 325 apartments, as well as restaurants and shops.

At a recent standing room only community meeting, nearby residents, such as Patricia Ferguson, said the project would be an unwanted magnet.

“That’s going to bring the kids,” Ferguson said. “That’s going to bring the fights. That’s going to bring what’s happening over there, Towson.”

Vanessa McCoy put it this way.

“I want to feel safe,” McCoy said. “Frankly I want to feel like I felt in 1985.”

Others worried about how the proposal would impact local schools. They were also concerned about the increased traffic a redeveloped Lutherville Station would bring to an already-busy part of York Road.

A few people, like Dane Guinnup, spoke up for the plan to put apartments there.

“This will help people like our kids find places to live,” Guinnup said. “If you don’t want all your kids moving out of the town, this is the sort of thing that will help.”

Guinnup said there’s a reason not too many people use the light rail.

“Our transit system right now is not well-utilized outside of the city because there’s not much right there,” Guinnup said.

In other words if you build it, they will come.

According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, nearly 124,000 people used the Lutherville Light Rail stop in 2025, a decrease of nearly 12,000 riders from the previous year.

District 3 Councilman Nino Mangione, a Republican, said before the year is out he plans to propose an agreement between the developer and the county to move the project forward.

“The developer has legal rights to build, and he’s made it clear that he’s not walking away,” Mangione said.

He said the agreement will have built-in protections for the community, such as more trees and lighting that isn’t annoying.

“Do what we can, the most we can to protect this community,” Mangione said. “It’ll be legally enforceable.”

In a statement David Karceski, an attorney for the developer said, “We look forward to engaging in conversations with Councilman Mangione and surrounding communities” while working on the agreement with the county.

Mangione was appointed to the county council on June 1 to finish Wade Kach’s term after he resigned. Council members hold a lot of sway over developments in their districts. He said he inherited this issue, which has gone unresolved for seven years.

Mangione is opposed in the November election by Democrat Shawn McIntosh. She favors redeveloping Lutherville Station, but she adds when she knocks on doors campaigning nearby, at least three fourths of the people are against it. She says that’s a sign the community feels left out.

McIntosh said, “It tells me that you really should maybe go back to square one and say, okay, what amenities would you really like to have? What kind of housing would you feel comfortable with?”

Mangione says he wants to get moving on Lutherville Station because he fears the 2027 Democratically-controlled General Assembly will water down local control over developments tied to transit. He cites a 2024 state law that under certain circumstances allows a developer with such a project to build more apartments.

Baltimore County Planning Director Steve Lafferty says to qualify, a developer has to build within three quarters of a mile of a rail station. Fifteen percent of the apartments have to be affordable.

“They’d be able to increase the percentage of units that they have, so they get a density bonus by meeting those other standards,” Lafferty said.

County Executive Kathy Klausmeier’s press secretary, Dakarai Turner, says she supports the redevelopment of Lutherville Station.

Currently, there are several businesses at the old shopping center, including an Old Navy. Earlier this year, Barnes and Noble announced it will be coming to Lutherville Station. It’s expected to open later this year or in early 2027.

The developer also is asking the county and state to declare Lutherville Station a transit-oriented development. That would put some state money in the developer’s hands. Karceski said that designation would not take away the county’s oversight of the property.

Karceski said, “The property owner will still need to go through the development process, still need to attend a public hearing before the administrative law judge for Baltimore County.”

A number of transit-oriented developments are being created statewide.

David Zaidain, the Chief of Transit-Orient Development at the Maryland Department of Transportation said, “We've approved five new TOD designations over the last year. There's a lot of activity in Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County, even places like Frederick and Rockville.”

Baltimore County has one TOD, Metro Centre at Owings Mills.

Jake Day, Maryland’s Housing and Community Development Secretary, sent a letter to Klausmeier on July 9 urging her to recommend to the state that Lutherville Station receive the transit-oriented development designation.

In the letter, Day said, “It is an undeniable, logical location for housing.”

As for the light rail, it’s getting a more than $1 billion upgrade to include new cars and better stations. By the time that is finished in 2034, a very different Lutherville Station may be awaiting riders.