"..... do not provide sufficient protection against added traffic generated by the development." That's what I've been saying since this plan came up; however, when you ask elected officials and others in charge about their plans for dealing with increased traffic, the increased need for road maintenance, emergency services, etc., they look at you like you're crazy.

There are many reasons to oppose the development: It’s a bad fit for an area that could use more high-quality single-family housing and less in the way of rental housing. It will be far too dense to be compatible with surrounding land uses. The grocery store plan is just plain not good enough: It’s three-quarters of an acre of a building and surface parking facing Route 1. Tax increment financing of infrastructure and possible long-term tax abatements (see House Bill 898, now in the Maryland Senate) will cause any benefit from property taxes to be drawn off to finance the project’s infrastructure or forgone all together. All of the profits will leave the county. It’s not smart growth.

It's time for our county to start judging development proposals on their merits and to look at the costs relative to the benefits. This one fails miserably, even after all the contorted attempts to improve it. It just doesn't make sense. It would end up costing the taxpayers a bundle and would significantly lower our quality of life. We can, and should, do much better than this! I certainly hope the District Council has the integrity and wisdom to reject it.