Zoning is rarely thought on in our day to day lives but has a dramatic impact on our quality of life in our communiy.

The proposed site that Walmart has chosen is land-locked: it cannot be altered to accommodate the amount of traffic a 189,000 sq ft. Walmart will bring to a highly residential area.  In 2009 another large big-box store considered the location and chose to develop a location that was next to two major arteries and could handle the traffic (I95/Rt24).  The proposed Walmart location is in a residential area that cannot be propertly expanded to handle the burden of traffic in the area.

The proposed site is 1100 ft from Patterson Mill Middle/High School and across the street from the Bright Oaks Community nestled inside a highly residential area to the north, west, and east. The light pollution, noise pollution, traffic congestion, and associated crime increases will hurt our quality of life.

This area was zoned B3 for a mixed use concept of small professional buildings, a park, and shops. It was not designed for high-intensity traffic and will forever alter the quality of life for local residents. Our County Executive, David Craig even spoke out against this proposed site but has done NOTHING to stop it, which he could have.   

An election is underway and it is imporrtant to understand how candidates you are chosing to elect for County Council and County Executive, understand zoning, understand its impact on communities, understand that sitting idle and contemplating how to resolve the problem has gone no where in the last 4 years.  It is time for the County Council, the County Executive to understand you will VOTE on this issue, and issue that will directly effect your day to day quality of life in the Emmorton-Bel Air South community corridor.

There already exist three other stores, one only 3.9 miles (Bel Air Rd up the road from the intersection of Harford/Bel Air) from the proposed site, another 5 miles down the road (in a well suited shipping area), and another 12 miles away, (a mega store in Aberdeen on Rt 40.) the proposed store does not fit into the community at this proposed site.  Rt24 was never meant to be a Rt.40, an I-95, in fact, originally this area was issued a "Low Intensity" classification in the master plan, due to the land-locked and limited transportation volume the area was designed to handle.  Since 1998 the lawyers for the land trust petitioned and lobbied, in court to have this changed to medium Intensity, and then in 2009/2011 the pushed for High Intensity (eventhough feedback from the community said NO at the public meetings), and the comprehensive zoning in 2009 that granted B3 zoning classification was poorly attended and (to the current council's own acknowledgement in public proceedings, poorly voted on, as they did not understand what they were doing?)....Really?  If you do not understand what you are voting on, should you push the vote until proper research and review can occur?  Does the County Council even have access to an attorney that specializes in land-use law? (No)

No Bel Air Walmart and No Bel Air Walmart apartments! (the apartments will take away our safe intersection access at Plumtree/Rt24...imagine all the extra trafffic going down to Bel Air South and up to Ring Factory to cross Rt.24!  Emmortong Rd (rt924, also known as Main Street in Bel Air) has three schools between these two streets, is this safe? Is this prudent planning? No!)

Bel Air Walmart Apartments?  That is correct, a developer has asked for a zoning variance to allow them to build 198 high-density apartment units at Plumtree and Tollgate, on top of existing single family residential neighborhoods and REGARDLESS of the folly of this plan (which woudl remove the RT24/Plumtree intersection), this project appears to be under review with planning and zoning!  The zoning variance request appears to place the units on top of the new North/South connector to Tollgate, which will immediately increase the traffic on this residential (no stoplights) road as well as impact an already overloaded local school system.   This site is directly across rt.24 from the proposed Walmart site.

No Bel Air Walmart! Do not take away our Plumtree/Rt.24 intersection access!

Sign the petition to send a message that enough is enough, we need to preserve our open spaces, we do not need another Walmart in Harford County, especially not one in the heart of Bel Air. Join us in our fight by signing this petition or donating your time or money to help us with our cause to stop this project.

Let your political candidates KNOW you will be VOTING on this issue.  DEMAND they answer directly whether they will enact zoning regulation that keeps our communities safe, keep big-box, high traffic projects our of our neighborhoods.  More traffics equals less safety, this is something our children simply cannot afford, more traffic in already congested, land-locked, established communities!  Hold them accountable or replace them with other options!  This is our chance to VOTE on an issue that will directly impact the safety and quality of our lives throughout Harford County for the next 4 years.

Ask them directly: Do you support the proposed Wal-Mart project.  If they say anything other than NO, give your vote to those who answer NO.  NO proposed Wal-Mart project!  NO to closing the Plumtree/Rt24 intersection! Let them hear your voice, call them, email them, attend their events and ensure the know this is an issue that is across party lines, this is a community issues, a quality of life issue and you will not stand behind them if they are not with you on this issue.  VOTE this issue!