Members of one Crofton community group may take Anne Arundel County to court over a developer?s plans to build a Wal-Mart store in their area.
Torrey Jacobsen, president of the Greater Crofton Council, said the grassroots group representing about 30 homeowners? associations in Crofton, Gambrills, Odenton and Davidsonville, will meet Tuesday night to discuss the situation.
“We?re not happy,” Jacobsen said. “I?ve been doing the Greater Crofton Council for 10 years or more, been president for four years, and we?ve told [County Executive] Mrs. [Janet] Owens a hundred times we don?t want any big box stores. And we feel she’s sold us out.”
Wal-Mart has applied for a building permit for a piece of property on Route 3 adjacent to the Crofton Country Club.
Jacobsen said existing plans for a new subdivision, and the second phase of the Village at Waugh Chapel II already had residents concerned about traffic.
“We?re not against growth and we?re not against Wal-Mart,” he said. “We just don’t want one humongous building in one place.”
Anne Arundel County Council Chairman Ed Reilly said he had heard from a handful of residents upset by the prospect of their new neighbor. Reilly said the last figures he had seen predicted an additional 3,500 cars per day on Route 3 as a result of Wal-Mart and other developments planned for the area.
“Many people will say we?ve overloaded the road,” he said.
The area was zoned for commercial development according to the recently completed small area planning process. Butchanges to the county’s zoning process prevent citizens from having much influence over a particular development unless county staff raises questions about environmental or safety impacts.
