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Local officials including Baltimore County Councilman Izzy Patoka at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new "East Campus." (Credit: Maryland Department of General Services/ Facebook)
OWINGS MILLS - Stevenson University officially dedicated its new 117-acre "East Campus" at a ceremony last Wednesday.
The new property includes over 100 acres of athletic fields just off Garrison Forest Road on the site of the former Rosewood institution for the developmentally disabled.
The university purchased the property from the state of Maryland over five years ago for $1. The low price of the land was due to the environmental degradation of the site - since the purchase, the university has spent millions in state grants to clean up the area.
Stevenson first expressed interest in acquiring the property in 2000 and conducted an environmental survey of the site in 2009-2010. According to a consultant's report from 2009, the buildings were covered in lead-based paint and materials containing asbestos. Several underground and above-ground storage tanks for oil, gas, and diesel fuel were also on the property.
The revamped site features
- An eight-lane outdoor track
- A throwing area for events like shot-put
- An artificial turf field for field hockey
- Baseball and softball fields
- Soccer and lacrosse multipurpose fields
- A variety of cross-country courses
- A pavilion and maintenance facilities.
As the university expands its presence in the Owings Mills area, they are also getting ready to open the new 42,000-square-foot Philip A. Zaffere Library complex.
The new library, located off of Crondall Lane, will open this fall and feature a black box theater, faculty commons, and various gathering spaces.
A new road, "Mustang Way," connects "East Campus" to the new Crondall Lane-area buildings.
