A shopping center with a large grocery store in Turf Valley will provide more options, convenience and an overall sense of community, some residents say, but opponents question its impact on other shopping hubs and traffic around Route 40.
A proposal would increase permitted grocery stores from 18,000 square feet, too small for a major chain, to 55,000 square feet within Turf Valley’s Planned Golf Course Community, thus amending Howard County’s zoning regulations.
“We need to find what’s in the best interest of the public good. We’re intrigued by the interest this has generated,” said Council Chairwoman Courtney Watson this week, after a public hearing in Ellicott City that drew hundreds of vocal community members.
“The zoning regulation has sort of become the lightning rod for all the other issues surrounding the development.”
Development in Turf Valley frequently has been a touchy topic pitting those say the area needs better amenities, against those who say it’ll lead to traffic problems and negatively impact residents and businesses.
Owings Mills-based Greenberg Gibbons Commercial, which manages and develops commercial real estate with a focus on community shopping centers, wants to develop the shopping center. The county’s Planning Board in August approved the petition for the zoning change that would allow the center to move forward.
Brian Gibbons, president and chief executive officer of Greenberg Gibbons Commercial, assured residents the mixed-use project with retail and office space would draw consumers from a three-mile radius. He explained a regional shopping center would draw from 15 to 25 miles.
“You need to have a grocery store for a true anchor,” he testified.
The proposal is overwhelmingly favored by the Legends of Turf Valley Homeowners Association where those in 54 of the 56 residential units supported the plan, said board member Donald Sadler.
“The proposed food store is expected to be one of quality, not just an ‘any store’ like others nearby. Currently the residents in this part of Howard County have to drive 20 to 30 minutes to shop at a quality food store,” said resident Helen Carey.
“Also, such a food store would ‘raise the bar’ for those existing in the neighborhood — a benefit for consumers and, in the long run, for the stores themselves.”
Opposing the proposal is the Howard County Citizens Association, a nonpartisan organization of concerned residents, whose members emphasized the issue of fairness.
“If you are going to allow some changes to this grandfathered development, make sure that there are ones that also help the surrounding communities and the environment,” testified Cathy Hudson, association board member.
Other opponents say the shopping area could have unforeseen consequences.
“Where is the analysis and review by the county on the economic impact on the local businesses and the effects on traffic?” asked resident Marc Norman, who’s calling for more government accountability.
Some feared the shopping complex could threaten six other area shopping centers, like the Waverly Woods Village Center in Woodstock, which is anchored by Weis.
“Turf Valley is a resort that was never intended to have a 55,000-square-foot grocery store within it,” said Sid Roros, vice president of Oekos Management Corp., which owns Waverly Woods.
IF YOU GO
- WHAT: Howard County Council work session
- WHEN: 4:30 p.m. Monday
- WHERE: Board of Education building, 10910 Route 108, Ellicott City
