On May 4, Remington-based developer Seawall held its second community meeting about reuse of the Potts & Callahan Falls Rd. industrial properties it has under contract, this time drawing about 50 attendees to Beth Am Synagogue in Reservoir Hill. Seawall co-founder Thibault Manekin opened with a recap of the March 24 meeting themes: environmental concerns, development versus open space at the 2701-2801 Falls Rd. sites, vehicular access and community engagement.
Responding to those themes, Seawall brought in Dan O’Leary of MK Consulting Engineers to present stream quality data. Leanna Frick of Blue Water Baltimore introduced O’Leary, citing Blue Water’s 2025 Annual Report finding that stormwater runoff and pollutants remain the watershed’s biggest threat. O’Leary reported that stormwater runoff from Seawall-controlled properties – from Hampden Ave. in Remington downslope through the Potts & Callahan-contracted properties on Falls Rd. – carries 12.8 tons of Total Suspended Solids (TSSs) into the Jones Falls each year, roughly eight times what the same land area would produce under wooded land use.
Manekin then led a design charette of the immediate area surrounding the Potts & Callahan sites and the stream. (He credited the charetting idea to the Jones Falls 2076’s River Reimagining workshops.) Recurring ideas across tables included: daylighting the Stony Run; constructing a funicular to address the steep gradient from Sisson St/Remington down to Falls Rd.; adding a forested buffer along the crest of the hill; building an amphitheater; and, reducing car access on Falls Rd.
A follow-up meeting and walk-around was held at the Potts & Callahan sites early evening July 13. It will be reported on soon at our SM and website platforms.
-Taylor Deese, M.S. Candidate, Geography and Environmental Planning, Towson University, (tdeeseart@gmail.com)
Editor’s note: Dan O’Leary is a FTJF Board member
Friends of The Jones Falls 