MIDDLE RIVER, MD—Over the weekend, Councilman David Marks provided an update on the Holly Hills Memorial Gardens landscaping issue.

Earlier this month, Councilman Marks held a meeting with Holly Hill Memorial Gardens, the Bird River Road Neighborhood Association, and the St. John Properties – developers of the new office buildings near Route 43 and Campbell Boulevard.

Per Tom Pilon, Executive Vice President for Development at St. John Properties, buffer planting, along the boundary between Greenleigh Highlands and Holly Hills Memorial Garden, is scheduled for spring 2023.  The full site build out is scheduled for fall 2024.  There is a plan in place for upsizing of plants and/or fast growing plants as well as a plan to use evergreen material.  The Baltimore County landscape manual requires a minimum height of 6 feet at installation and St. John Properties’ planting plan calls for 8 to 10 feet minimum.

As for deciduous trees, the Baltimore County manual requires 2”- 2 ½” caliper at planting. St. John Properties also plans to use 2”- 2 ½” caliper. St. John Properties opted to stick with the the manual’s guidance due to concerns about “shock” associated with oversize tree transplanting, which can arrest the growth of a tree after planting, according to Pilon.

“Construction by St. John Properties” signs will be installed in the locations indicated on the plan above (larger version available on Facebook here).