Baltimore InnerSpace blog—an excellent resource for analysis of local infrastructure—has an insightful post about the Owings Mills Metro station, the Owings Mills mall, and how poor planning has led to a grossly disconnected community. An excerpt:

“The rail transit station must be the focal point for all of Owings Mills, instead of being just a bunch of big parking lots with big access driveways off of Painters Mill Road. The Owings Mall must not be just a mall, but must be an integrated multi-use development serving all types of activity.

Development of all types should not be isolated into pods, each with their own isolated access points. Eventually, all of Owings Mills must be integrated into a unified whole.”

Among the piece’s many valid grumbles are the monumental inconvenience of the metro station, the ridiculous size of the I-795 interchange (bigger than the mall itself!), the isolation of the Restaurant Park on Red Run Blvd., and the backward-looking choices of the mall’s owners. Luckily, the post also points the way to some development solutions. Check it out…