Sudsville coming soon!

Sudsville has arrived! 
After losing out on negotiations over two years ago, Sudsville focused on their other openings. After the other company defaulted on the deal after their 30 days feasibility study, Sudsville was re-contacted by the McDonald’s folks and a deal was made. The site is being cleared as we speak, including an extensive clearing of the wooded area on the back of the property. Sudsville is using needed ground for their site plans, has an extensive landscaping plan which will make that area easier to maintain and have donated a portion of the wooded area to the Baltimore County Forestry Program and is currently posted with signs preventing further development of the land, protecting it under the Forest Sustainability Program This program is all about working for healthy forests, woods, trees, and conservation landscapes for today and tomorrow.

Sudsville runs a clean operation, doesn’t allow loitering on their properties and is locally run and operated. Sudsville plans to be a good business neighbor to the community and Chuck promised he will visit with our business group as soon as things settle down. If anyone has any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. The previous president of Linover and myself had met with Sudsville a couple of years ago and brought the FYI back to our respective groups. OCA also met with them during this same time frame. They bring a resource to communities and even if we personally see no need to use a laundry mat, there are many who do to save time during their busy week. We also have a lot of apartments in our surrounding communities. Again we embrace another new business on our corridor and we welcome Sudsville to our neighborhood!

Linover President Dan Trupia and I met with  Sudsville's Operation manager, Chuck Mobewrly in March, 2013.Click here for my notes.
  • Sudsville Laundry, Inc. is locally owned and operated. The owner took over the family business after running it with his father for 25 years. Sudsville has been a leader in the coin laundry industry since 1958. There are currently16 self-service coin laundry locations in Baltimore County, Baltimore City, and Prince Georges County. All locations are open 24 hours, 365 days a year. They offer 80,60,40,30, and 20 lbs. washers. They have 2 sizes of dryers 50 lb. and 30 lb.
    • Sudsville is a well-lit, well maintained property both inside and out.
    • Sudsville is strictly vending machine sales only for laundry items as well as drinks and snacks.
    • Sudsville will be a 10,472 square foot, approx. a 3 million dollar project bringing in new construction to our area. They use their own contractors and hire locally.
    • Sudsville will have 20-30 security cameras on site.
    • Sudsville at no times allows solicitation or loitering on any of its properties. If anyone leaves brochures or flyers in their businesses, they are automatically trashed.
    • Sudsville assured us that the safety of their staff and clients are always a priority. Dan and I raised a concern about their back access door being opened late at night. The rear and side doors will be locked every night between 10 pm and 12 pm until daybreak and only opened by the employee as needed.
    • Sudsville operates under high standards and has a great reputation in the business community as well as being known as one the best laundry operators in the country.
    • A Sudsville client ranges from the local home owner who wants to do 8 loads of laundry in 90 minutes, to the person whose washer and dryer just went up, to the occasional user who needs to wash blankets and comforters each season. There is something for everyone.
  • I contacted Councilwoman Cathy Bevin’s office to inquire on any updates. They are aware of the feasibility study and no concerns have come to their office to date. They will be kept abreast of any concerns from any of the county agencies involved.
    • Cathy’s Office wrote this to me in an email today “Councilwoman Bevins welcomes the new business to the area, especially if it is well managed, but we are waiting to hear back from planning as to any county concerns”.
    • I will keep in touch with Cathy’s office as the project progresses
  • Dan, from Linover also contacted a police officer friend and asked him how many Laundromats he had in his area. The office told him four. Dan asked how many crimes they been called to on those sites. Officer told him none. His friend is an officer in the Essex Precinct.
  • So these are the facts as Dan and I know them to date. Dan and I received very few questions at our respective meetings and in fact the ones raised by the members who attend the February meeting were questions Dan and I asked at our meeting with Chuck and received answers for. Consensus was positive at our meeting and everyone was looking forward to a new business that plans to be in the area long term. As they stated, “Anyone who is going to spend that kind of money is going to take care of their property, maintain it and will be a great business neighbor”. I don’t think we could ask for anything more. We have seen the results of this at the Beltway Plaza as David S. Brown who operates under the same premise- locally owned, operated and maintained and we have the best plaza on the corridor, due to their business model.
    Overlea Community Association came out in opposition as soon as they heard what was being proposed. To summarize their concerns they perceive Laundromats as being in “less desirable areas” and the assumption that those coming to the area will increase crime. They look at it a place for drug dealers, prostitutes and the homeless to “hang out”. They are also concerned that clients of Sudsville people will visiting the liquor store next door and use the parking lots of either business in which to drink and loiter.
                To those concerns, I’m not sure Timonium/Cockeysville where a Sudsville is currently would care to be known as a “less desirable area”. I am also not sure that a 24/7 well-lit building is the place that drug dealers and prostitutes do business?? Can you ever say that someone doing laundry doesn’t walk over to the liquor store? Absolutely not. However do you seem a mom and two kids doing this on a regular basis? Probably not?
    In closing, I would like to say that OFBPA and Linover are looking at this new business as a positive and hoping this will attract other new businesses to our area. I see a mom and a couple of kids having a doughnut across the street at the Dunkin’ Donuts or maybe stopping at Subway, 7-11 or Rita’s to enjoy lunch or a snack while waiting for laundry to finish. Maybe mom drops of the older kids to watch a movie while she does laundry. Can any new business bring the potential for crime? Absolutely, but I truly feel that one of the advantages to our corridor is the fact that our community associations are very pro-active and “notice” things and address them quickly.
    I feel that Dan and I have established an open relationship with Sudsville and are confident that any concerns prior to them opening and after they are open will be addressed quickly and to everyone’s satisfaction. OFBPA intends to be proactive and will help Sudsville promote their new business as we do with all businesses on our corridor.
    I encourage anyone who has any questions or additional concerns to contact Operations Manager, Chuck Moberly at 410-252-4877 or chuck@sudsvillelaundry.com. He is open to all comments and questions. He also invites anyone to visit any of their locations. 

For my complete notes shared with OFBPA in 2013 click here.