I couldn’t resolve the bill by phone. I couldn’t resolve the bill by mail. So yesterday I got in my car and drove forty-five minutes to the place where they generate the bills. They call what they do there Customer Service.
When I arrived I discovered that the building is locked to anyone who doesn’t work there and that customers are never allowed in the building.
Surprise.
It’s a long story and I won’t trouble you with the details. The upshot is that I found myself in Middle River at around eleven am and I was too mentally exhausted to hop right back in the car and drive home.
I was in a place that reminded me a bit of Maple Lawn. Very, very new. Mixed use - - offices, a cute little retail center that was mostly restaurants, a few office buildings. Oh, and a hotel.
Welcome to Greenleigh.*
Greenleigh is Baltimore County's fastest-growing mixed-use community. The master-planned, 1,000-acre project features commercial office, flex, and retail space alongside luxury residential, allowing visitors and residents walkable access to shops, services, and even to work. Greenleigh was designed to prioritize community, convenience, and sustainability.
I looked around and thought about how people will always need places to live but how we mostly see objections and pushback to new housing. There’s always, always a reason not to like it. There’s always folks who show up trying to prevent it.
People need homes. They need shelter. Can we not agree on this?
Oh, sure. But not this housing. Not this location. Not for those people. (Take your pick)
I passed a sign that advertised “Resort Apartments.” Now, I’m used to seeing the words “Luxury Apartments” and also all the objections whenever those words appear. From what I understand, the word luxury is used in adverts to attract interest. It is not some kind of scientific designation that puts it at a certain price point or guarantees a certain kind of content.
It’s an advertising word. Like “gourmet”.
But “Resort Apartments” is a new one to me. Is Middle River a resort town? Or are they saying that living in their apartment community is like living at a resort, with resort-style amenities? Have people started coming out to protest “Resort Apartments” yet?
Hmm. Where’s HoCoRising when you need him? (Or WordBones, for that matter.) Sigh…
I treated myself to an early lunch at a feast fast casual place called Potomac Pizza. I pretty much had the place to myself and enjoyed a veggie pizza. It’s a friendly place and the service was excellent.
I drove around the area for a bit before I headed back to Columbia. In some ways it has the feel of a prefabricated new place trying to look like your old home town that gives me that ‘uncanny valley’ vibe. Still, I wonder how visitors felt back in the day when Columbia was new? I suspect there were comments of the “soulless, ungodly desecration of the land” variety even in 1967.
This morning I woke up thinking about origins. I’ve learned quite a bit about the New American City over the years. What about Greenleigh? How did it begin?
I came across this piece in Dundalk Patch written way back in 2013.
Greenleigh Project Will Bring 'New Urbanism' to Middle River, White Marsh, Marge Neal
Holy moly, will you look at that. The writer is friend of the blog Marge Neal. Ha!
It’s one of those “here’s a press release, now write something” pieces which I suspect aren’t all that fun to write (from a creator’s perspective.) Still, it’s clean and clearly laid out and gives the reader a good sense of this project back when it was merely a twinkle in someone’s eyes. (St. John Properties)
The drive to Middle River was longer than I would have liked. The trip was frustrating. Still, all in all, it was a good reminder that there is much to be learned from venturing outside The Bubble.
*Relatively near to White Marsh, in case you’re wondering.
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