November 2023 Newsletter

Fall 2023 News

Neighbors - we’re eager to share our first printed newsletter of the year! We will continue to publish these newsletters quarterly to keep you up-to-date on all the TMV news. There’s so much happening in our community, let’s get into it!

We’ve been hard at work since our last public board meeting in August, with our primary focus on two areas: community events and code enforcements. We feel the best method to maintaining balance in our neighborhood is not only through swift reporting, butalso through creating opportunities for all of us to gather, have fun and know our neighbors.

Events

Events are back! We held our first Back-to-School Bash on 9/10 atour back-up venue, The Bun Shop. It was great to see a few neighborly faces while listening to the tunes of The Music Space’s students and bands. Despite the wind’s best intentions, we held our Fall Movie Night on 10/07 at the TMV Park, sponsored by commu-nity members Dudley| Roan Home Team of Compass. We were thrilled with our community’s turnout, and deeply appreciated all of those who braved the spooky weather to celebrate Halloween.

Be sure to check our website and Instagram as we “cook up” more community events!

Code Enforcement

Big developments in code enforcement are underway: our board has reported over 25 violations over the past few weeks alone, several of which have had direct action taken. We remain active in filing Code Enforcement complaints.

• Please welcome Renee Carter, as TMV’s rep at the Towson URC Meetings. She is working hard to bridge the gap in communication-TMV representation with TU. Also welcome Stacy Weiss, serving as TMV rep at the Communities Alliance Board meetings.

• Ed Kilcullen, chair of the TCA Government Affairs Committee is working hard with us and for the community to push through both student complaints as well as county violations.

• We have obtained an up-to-date listing of all homes within TMV: which homes are rentals, which are home-owner occupied, and the accompanying SDAT information. We’re thrilled to have a central document to record any ongoing issues and keep an eye on our community’s landscape.

• We’ve witnessed parking patrol out at least weekly, sometimes twice weekly the past few weeks.

Controlling over-rented properties will not happen overnight, but we’re the team this community needs to help the micro-issues that come up weekly, and advocate for the macro changes that need to happen. We thank Ed for his continued advocacy and support through his work with Councilman Ertel’s office.

A reminder on how to report issues to Towson University: Go to towsonmanorvillage. org, scroll down to our “Student Violation Report” button.

How to report code violations, trash issues, over-rented houses to Baltimore County:

Go to towsonmanorvillage.org and scroll down to our “Code Enforcement Form” button. The TMV Board will take your submitted info and submit it to the county on your behalf

November Board Meeting
Our next public board meeting will be held Thursday, November 2nd at 7:15PM at Horizon Church of Towson

Block Captains Needed!
We’re looking for street “Block Captains” who can help us distribute event flyers and printed newsletters. Interested individuals can email us at board@towsonmanorvillage.org

August Newsletter - Board Follow-up, community initiatives and more!

Welcome to the new TMVA Website!

First, we'd like to welcome our newly elected TMVCA Board Members:

1.      President - Brendan Medairy

2.      Vice President, General - Sara Judd

3.      Vice President, Membership - Justin Levy

4.      Vice President, Zoning & Planning - Lee Medairy

5.      Treasurer - Joe La Bella

6.      Recording Secretary - Jane Grant

7.      Corresponding Secretary - Everest Brooks

We had a successful board meeting on 08/31, introducing both the board and reviewing our biggest community concerns in front of not only Councilman Mike Ertel, but also Senator Mary Washington. We warmly welcome their presence and deeply appreciate the support they've already shared for our neighborhood and its future.

Since the meeting, VP of Zoning & Planning Lee has already gotten the ball rolling on the rat abatement issue. Abatement was marked previously, but had not been completed. We're scheduled in and should see this completed within the next 30 days.

Our new green initiative of replanting trees is also underway. So many of our sidewalks and our own park have a noticeable lack of shade(and curb appeal). This completely free initiative from Baltimore County Forest Management will be taken advantage of by the board, as we decide which larger areas can become home for new Sycamore and elm trees. Smaller trees such as the red maple and hackberry are also available for smaller areas.

1.      If you are interested in having a tree near your home, let us know - we will contact the county on your behalf. We just need your name, phone # and address,

2.      The planting and initial growth care will be managed by the county

Code Enforcement is an ongoing concern. The board is re-organizing and creating a more efficient front to formalize and follow-through on any issues. We will reach back out to our community when that effort is fully ready. In the meantime, we've looked into concerns raised at the meeting regarding "false advertising" in property listings - especially with bedrooms. As we know, both growing families and property owners are seeking to increase capacity. Here are the legal requirements for a converted space to be coded as a "bedroom":

1.      Is used for sleeping

2.      Has a minimum head clearance of 7.5 feet

3.      Has a door for entrance and privacy

4.      Has an emergency exit, such as an egress window(24x20 so that’s the size of the window when it’s fully open.)

5.      Has a closet (however, this is debatable)

6.      Has adequate lighting, ventilation and electricity

As you can see, these requirements aren't terribly difficult to meet with the layout of our homes. However, should you feel a listing is not correct, please contact us.

Our priorities remain on both the maintenance and safety of our community, however, we're eager to improve our public events to unite our neighbors and create a true sense of "home" for all who reside in Towson Manor Village.

With that, we're pleased to announce our first event! TMV's "Back To School" Night, sponsored by The Music Space will be held on 09/10/2023 starting at 2PM at Towson Manor Village Park. Students will be performing, refreshments will be provided - we highly encourage you to bring a chair, your kids, dog and hang out with us!