Revitalization
The Pikesville Revitalization Action Plan (PDF) was developed by a group of volunteers, community activists, business owners and representatives of local organizations under the auspices of the Baltimore County Planning Department. The Plan was adopted by the County Council and incorporated into the County Master Plan 2020 in 2021, and into the County Master Plan 2030 in 2023.
The action plan focuses on the Pikesville Commercial Revitalization District (CRD). The Pikesville CRD has been largely neglected and the area's aesthetic decline is apparent throughout the district. Several recommendations were outlined in previous plans, but without adequate funding and a persistent project campaign, many were never addressed or became unfeasible.
Pikesville has a rich history and the community embraces a variety of cultural and economic backgrounds. Pikesville's neighborhoods are among some of the oldest in Baltimore County. Those neighborhoods enjoyed a vibrant and thriving downtown, but today those aspects are lacking. Pikesville was a popular local destination and the overall decline of the CRD caused many residents to shop and dine at commercial areas outside the Baltimore Beltway. The purpose of this plan is to develop a realistic strategy that will encourage revitalization in the Pikesville CRD, promote adaptive reuse of significant properties and outline goals that will begin to address several longstanding issues. Through prioritization and reinvestment in high impact areas, the revitalization of Pikesville is achievable.
The vision of the Pikesville Revitalization Action Plan Committee (PRAP or PRAPC) is to begin addressing longstanding issues through achievable revitalization goals. Many of the goals will be implemented throughout the Pikesville CRD, but the Central Business District (CBD) will be the initial priority area. The PRAPC will proactively manage the plan's goals and provide project consensus.
The Committee currently consists of 20 volunteers representing a group of Community Associations, the Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce, local artists, business people and non-profits that meet monthly in person with a remote attendance option (4th Monday of every month). It is in a close partnership with the Pikesville Armory Foundation and its work is synergistic with the exciting project that will transform that property. We are working on both short term and long term projects that we hope will transform Pikesville. PRAP Subcommittees include Streetscape and Design, Economic Vitality, Organization, Infrastructure and Quality of Life.
We are eager to expand our numbers! If you are interested in a better Pikesville and are ready to find out more about how you can help, please fill out the contact form to the right.
Be sure to sign up for 1,000 Friends of Pikesville's Facebook Group page updates to hear of the latest events around Pikesville. And visit their website to learn more.
1,000 Friends of Pikesville is committed to supporting the Pikesville Revitalization Action Plan. From their website:
The Pikesville Revitalization Action Plan was formally adopted into the Baltimore County 2020 Master Plan by the Baltimore County Council on December 20, 2021. It was initiated by 1,000 Friends of Pikesville, Inc., guided and supported by our substantial input, and then adopted into the Master Plan through our persistent encouragement.
The importance of this action cannot be overstated. Because it has been legislatively adopted into the County Master Plan, the action items, timelines, and benchmarks incorporated into the Plan to guide implementation and measure progress can be cited by any citizen for follow-up and monitoring.
The Plan calls for a formal Oversight Committee comprised of interested citizens that, in partnership with the County, will oversee its implementation. Through our representation on this committee, 1kFP will continue to be impactful as we encourage the County to fund and implement projects that support needed economic and aesthetic infrastructure for the community of Pikesville.
The Pikesville Armory Foundation is a nonprofit Maryland corporation that is managing the redevelopment of the historic Pikesville Armory, a campus of 14 acres and over 225,000 square feet in several buildings. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 as “a remarkable example of 20th Century landscape and architectural composition,” the campus has sat dormant for years. The Governor's Commission on the Armory’s future led a robust community engagement process and in 2019 issued a unanimous vision: "The Pikesville Armory should be held in the public trust ... [as] a multi-use venue for recreation, arts, and other community programming, and as a spur to economic development." In 2020, the PAF was formed to make this vision a reality.
Public support from residents and elected officials for the project underscores the need for this community center and park in an underserved area of Baltimore County. Active partners in the project include the Veterans of the Pikesville Military Reservation, the 1000 Friends of Pikesville, the Greater Pikesville Recreation Council, the Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Baltimore, as well as Baltimore County Departments of Planning and Rec & Parks, Baltimore County Public Schools, the State of Maryland, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.