From Harford County Council District C Councilman Jim McMahan:
22 August 2012
TO THOSE CONCERNED
FROM: COUNCILMAN CAPT’N JIM MCMAHAN
DIST “C”
SUBJECT: ZONING APPEAL CASE FOR 29 AUG EVERGREEN BUSINESS TRUST
(198 APARTMENTS CASE 5781)
The Zoning Appeals Case regarding the 198 Apartments near Rt 24 and Plum Tree/Toll Gate has been postponed indefinitely
This is sent to constituents concerned about development in the Rt 24 – Rt 924 area.
Is this because you don’t want to be ask about the rise of 22% that you vote for.For one of your employee. I think your deparment waste more money then any other and i think its time the tax payer know what is this move to the other building going to cost? $80,000 right
Now what are you going to do about that Wal Mart Super Store that will clog all the roads?
He is not going to do anything because the people of HarCo have given him a set of rules that he has to follow. Those rules permit the Walmart. I didn’t object when the zoning change was made. I suspect you didn’t either, PTBL. Did you?
why should he follow the rules? They can give money away to a company that makes a profit. Hire new county workers, for them. Give a 22 percent raise to the administrator. Why do you think all the fluff in the dagger is to distract from the real issue. What about the other county workers who have to scrap by and not get an increase this year?
Put the apartments on top of the Walmart. Make it a mixed use site.
lets ask about that loan and how he can justify giving a company money that made a profit? Just more issues to cloud the real issue. They probably don’t want to answer them anymore……make us think we are the ones that did wrong. Giving raises at a time when the other county workers are not getting anything. What about their new assistant positions? Can’t have money for other employees but they can give raises and create new positions. Wonder is “Capn” jim make his assistant call him that?
What I’m guessing is the back story here is that the apartment development land is owned by the same group as the Walmart land, Evergreen Dev Trust, and I suspect that with all the negative publicity surrounding the Walmart, they figured it wasn’t a good time to have an appeal hearing about this apartment complex.
Those apartments will get built eventually, and most likely there will be a rescheduled zoning hearing for them, but it will probably be when there is a lull in interest for the other plot of land they are working on.
Now whether the developer or the Council, or both, wanted it postponed, we’ll never know, but they both have an interested in having it postponed.
Or maybe someone just forgot they have a trip to Caba San Lucas on their calendar next week.
You’ve never been more right.
If you want elected officials to go out of their way to alert you to what’s going on, then don’t go crazy when one tells you a meeting has been cancelled. I’m glad he posted it on Dagger.
I noticed an article in the Sunday Sun (Aug. 26, 2012) that outline the great need to upgrade traffic access on Route 715 in Aberdeen due to an increase of daily traffic to 12,612. The article indicates that the cost of this upgrade is $18 million dollars which will be paid for by the State Highway Administration.
This is a needed improvement due to the increase in traffic. My only question to the Harford County government is: who will pay for the upgrades in road infrastructure that will be needed to accommodate the 10,000 addition cars that will flood Emmorton Rd. (Rt. 924) when the new Wal-Mart Super Store opens?
The upgrades to accommodate the increase traffic will not be accomplished with just an intersection but only with a widening of Rt. 924 for miles. I am certain that will cost much more than just $18 million. Wal Mart is ONLY required to improve road infrastructure on roads that are directly adjoining their property. They are not required to improve roads or install traffic signals that lead up to their property and which will surely be needed. Does the County government expect the residents to pay for this?
Perhaps our County Council needs to address this issue and inform the electorate of how costs of these required improvements will be met. If the County doesn’t have millions set aside for this then perhaps they should not allow such a traffic intense business to destroy our neighborhood.
924 is a state road so the county can’t do anything to it. Generally the state would require the business, in this case Walmart, to pay for any and all upgrades necessitated by the location of a new operation there. If the county determines that any of their roads would be affected (such as Plumtree), then the same would be true and Walmart would have to pay for upgrades to county roads.
“Wal Mart is ONLY required to improve road infrastructure on roads that are directly adjoining their property. They are not required to improve roads or install traffic signals that lead up to their property and which will surely be needed.”
Do you think the State will pay for the needed improvements?