2020 Community Plan

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Adopted on 4/3/2023 by the Baltimore County Council

Every ten years, the Association develops a community plan laying out its actions to achieve the identified priorities for the next ten years. The primary goal, as always, of the 2020 Ruxton Riderwood Lake Roland Area Community Plan is to help preserve and enhance the quality of life in our area communities. The plan has been developed to be an integral part of Baltimore County’s 2030 Master Plan as it relates to our community and will serve as an implementation guide for the Association’s Board, the Board’s sub-committee members, and a myriad of Baltimore County and the State of Maryland agencies and their staff. It is truly a living document.

Prior plans have had a significant positive impact on our neighborhoods, such as creating the Greater Ruxton Area Foundation and its ongoing land preservation easement and neighborhood enhancement program and the agreement to transfer operational control of Lake Roland Park from Baltimore City to Baltimore County, among many other accomplishments.

The first key step in developing the plan was an email survey sent in May 2020 to over 1,000 residents in the Ruxton, Riderwood, and Lake Roland area communities, which yielded nearly 50% responses. A committee of the Association’s Board performed the next step, which involved developing the goals and detailed action steps for the five key issues identified by the community in the survey. The result is the 2020 Community Plan.

Committee Chair: Executive Committee

Previous Community Plans

The Community Plan was first developed in 2001 as a ten-year plan, titled “Community Plan 2001.”  In 2010, an addendum, Community Plan 2010, was created in order to set goals for the next 10-year plan starting in 2010.

Achievements from previous Community Plans include:

  • Baltimore County’s takeover of the management of Lake Roland
    • The County’s takeover was long advocated by the RRLRAIA.
    • With nearly $6.1 million in grant funding from the State and County, significant improvements to the Park have been made.
    • Lake Roland is a spot where families can go to canoe, kayak, run, bike, picnic and take their dogs.
    • Memberships for various activities are available through the Lake Roland Nature Council (LRNC).
    • The park opened in the Fall of 2011.
  • Creation of the Greater Ruxton Area Foundation (GRAF), a 501(c)3 organization
    • GRAF is focused on the beautification and preservation of open spaces in Ruxton.
    • GRAF curates over a dozen landscape installations, mostly focused on unattended public spaces in the area. GRAF receives tax-exempt donations from homeowners and businesses to support the ongoing maintenance of these installations and the development of new landscape projects.
    • In addition to beautification, GRAF works with homeowners to facilitate the donation of select properties for land easements to preserve the history, open space and unique nature of the greater Ruxton area. Easement donations are tax-deductible based on the development value of a property. This instrument, if used, has the potential to positively affect some of the major concerns addressed by several sections of this Plan.
  • Inclusion in Baltimore County’s Design Review Panel process
    • New residential construction and substantial additions to buildings within RRLRAIA boundaries are now subject to review by the County’s Design Review Panel (DRP). The goal of the DRP is to encourage design excellence.
  • Restoration of the Rider House
    • The Rider House serves as the office and meeting space for the Association.

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