Towson’s Time

As ever, there’s something for everyone in the issue this month, from our exploration of driveable island getaways (go ahead, count the palm trees), to the surprising story explaining why Goucher College professors are spending time in prison, and the results of our 2014 Top Dentists peer survey.

But the story that will interest many readers—including myself, who lived in those parts for years—is on Towson, which, after years of debate and delay, is reinventing itself from a slightly sleepy county seat to a major urban hub.

Senior editor Ron Cassie came away from his reporting convinced that this will be more than just a well-marketed pseudo-renaissance: A series of multi-million-dollar investment projects, including Towson Row, Towson City Center, Towson Square, 101 York, and Towson Green promises a transformation of the town.

And more than just reshaping the skyline, the new upscale apartments, townhomes, condos, and commercial and mixed-use developments are attracting singles, couples, and families to live and work in a new, walkable city where they can shop, dine, or go out to the movies or other cultural events without having to drive somewhere else.

The vision from the county government and Towson Chamber of Commerce is of a town that doesn’t roll up the streets at 5 p.m. on weekdays, but is a truly vibrant small city. In fact, Towson, with the state’s second-largest university—as well as Goucher College, and several top hospitals—has always had the potential to become a next-level city/destination. It was just waiting for a confluence of developers’ money, solid planning, and political leadership.

County officials are marketing these new investments—and the bump they should give to population, commerce, and culture—with the slogan, “It’s Towson’s time.”

My guess is that it is.

The staff of this magazine was deeply saddened in late April by the sudden death of Sam Holden, 44, a freelance photographer whose work appeared in and enhanced the pages of Baltimore for almost two decades. Those who knew and worked with Sam respected his professionalism, admired his commitment to excellence, and enjoyed him as a friend.

We’ll miss him.