Roundabout opens at Plumtree and Tollgate roads, as tenants move into nearby apartments

Harford County's newest roundabout, at the intersection of South Tollgate and Plumtree roads in the Bel Air South area, was experiencing steady traffic Saturday, less that 24 hours after being opened to traffic for the first time.

It is one of the final steps in connecting the last gap in Tollgate Road between Bel Air and Route 924/24 in Abingdon, making one continuous road, as first envisioned by Harford County planners more than 30 years ago.

That final stretch, which is not expected to be finished until some time next year, runs through the Avanti Luxury Apartments community, which is currently under construction between Plumtree and Bel Air South Parkway.

Traffic coming from the other directions – Route 24, Tollgate Road and the residential Cypress Drive – was steady Saturday afternoon, however. The roundabout is just a short distance west from the intersection of Plumtree Road and Route 24.

"The developer has proposed to not open the connection until the apartment construction nears completion, which we believe would be safer for both the workers and drivers going through the construction zone," Harford County government spokesperson Cindy Mumby said.

She noted that the developer. Peak Management LLC, of Nottingham, paid for a portion of the roundabout, as part of the county's off-site traffic mitigation requirements and is also paying for the entire amount of the connection from the new roundabout south toward Bel Air South Parkway.

The first of eight apartment buildings in the 198-unit Avanti community is completed, and units are being leased. Business was brisk at the leasing office Saturday afternoon. Peak Management also owns Fox Run Apartments in Edgewood and the Your Space Storage firm, with three locations in Harford County.

"We've had a lot of community residents come in, and [they] are really happy with the product that now has become part of their community," Teresa Rosier, vice president of Peak Management, said of the Avanti community.

Tenants started moving into the first building Sept. 30, shortly after Peak Management received a use and occupancy certificate from the county, according to Rosier. Company officials expect construction of the remaining buildings to be finished by the spring of 2017.

"It's quite amazing how quickly we're moving people into the building," Rosier said.

Peak Management officials are "really excited" about the opening of the Plumtree roundabout, Rosier said. Peak Management and Harford County agreed that the company would contribute $350,000 toward the $1.04 million cost of the roundabout.

The southern section of Tollgate, between Abingdon and Bel Air South, currently ends at the entrance to the apartment community.

As noted by the county's spokesperson, Peak Management will oversee construction of the final link of Tollgate Road within the Avanti property.

"I think the residents of Bel Air will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly the road will be open for use and connected," Rosier said.

Residents of the surrounding area had previously expressed concerns about construction of a large apartment community on the 17-acre parcel, with the potential for increased traffic, the environmental impact on the formerly-wooded parcel and whether units would be rented to low-income tenants.

A Harford County zoning hearing examiner allowed the project to proceed in 2013. The Harford County Council upheld the decision with 12 conditions, including that the apartments be rented at market rates and that the owner not participate in housing voucher programs, such as the federal Section 8 program.