Catonsville Armory Meeting
After the debacle, residents and officials are beginning a dialogue about the future of the former National Guard Armory in Catonsville—with calls for community-driven ideas.
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A thunderstorm rolled through Catonsville last Monday as residents packed the basement of the Catonsville Library for a public meeting on the future of the Catonsville Armory. Much of the discussion focused on the fallout from a lack of community engagement. Earlier this month, officials announced the Armory would no longer be considered for a cannabis incubator following community pushback.
Councilman Pat Young, Senator Charles Sydnor, and Delegates Sheila Ruth and Aletheia McCaskill opened the meeting with apologies, acknowledging the state had “dropped the ball” by failing to hold promised community input meetings.
Senator Sydnor defended the state’s original proposal and blamed misinformation spreading online. “It was a business incubator—not a dispensary where drugs would be sold,” he said. “It would’ve been a safe, secure facility with no public access.” He added that the plan had been introduced to him last fall with the understanding that community meetings would follow.
Delegate Ruth noted that not all public opinion was opposed to the cannabis incubator. “Some people emailed in support of the proposal,” she said. “We’re committed to ensuring something goes there that benefits the community. It doesn’t help anyone for it to sit vacant.”
Frustration over the lack of communication surfaced repeatedly. Earlier this month, Councilman Young criticized a Baltimore Sun article in a Facebook post, calling it inaccurate and writing, “We’ve seen no shortage of confusing, misleading reports about the state’s plans for the Catonsville Armory.” At the meeting, Delegate Ruth echoed that concern: “The press started reporting some information—some of which was inaccurate,” she said.
That prompted a response from Josh Jackson, who helped organize the petition opposing the cannabis incubator. “I don’t support any comments about the press being inaccurate,” he said. “If not for the press, there wouldn’t be a petition—and we probably wouldn’t be here today.”
Later, a community member voiced a sentiment that drew applause from many in the room. “I appreciate you being here and walking through the timeline,” she said. “But the frustration you’re expressing—put yourselves in our shoes. We knew none of this. Zero. You all get an F for failure to communicate. Communication could have really helped us along the way… Just do better at communicating.”
As the meeting turned toward next steps, attendees pressed for more clarity.
“As an architect and planner, like most of us, I want to know what’s next,” one resident said. “What’s the potential of the site? What’s the relationship with the surrounding communities? We need basic information—like the size of the property—and visuals to help us see the context.”
Councilman Young responded by saying, “We chose expediency over detail,” and promised more information—including visuals—at the next meeting. He also noted that the estimated cost to renovate the building is $11 million.
Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka, who represents the district that includes the Pikesville Armory, also spoke. The Pikesville Armory was decommissioned in 2016.
“The Pikesville Armory is successful now, but it wasn’t easy,” he said. “Back in 2017, we were all over the place—some people wanted arts, some wanted recreation, some wanted housing—but there was no unified vision. Over time, through a series of meetings, those ideas came together into a common thread.”
He encouraged Catonsville residents to do the same: “From what I’m hearing here, there are ideas. But first, what’s the condition of the building? And what does the community want it to become? You can’t come up with an estimate until you know what the building is going to be.”
Later, Patoka reinforced the message on Facebook: “As I have said all along, a successful project is the result of a successful process. Nothing is more important than community engagement, which should occur at the beginning and throughout the process.”
As for what’s next, Councilman Young said he’ll meet with County Executive Kathy Klausmeier.
Another community meeting is expected.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correctly identify Josh Jackson. A previous version, mistakenly referred to him as Don due to background noise.