There is a proposal to tear down the current Banneker fire station, and rebuild it with 200 apartments (six stories) ON TOP OF THE FIREHOUSE! In addition, they are providing for a 350 car allowance for residents (this does not include the visitors that these residents would have, and other vehicles that would service these residents such as delivery drivers, and other service workers). 

WE HAVE GOT TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING!

This will result in much added traffic congestion, added crime to our neighborhood, probable drainage issues due to the loss of impermeable surface area, and the addition of an impervious surface area (more concrete), not to mention having approximately two years of deafening noise from a massive construction project involving jackhammers, cranes, bulldozers, and other heavy construction equipment. Another note of significance is, it is a historic Frank Ghery building. Other historic structures in Columbia of the same era have remained untouched. 

This model has been compared to the Potomac Yards firehouse/residential project, but there are stark differences.Potomac Yards is set on an entire city block with thru streets sorrounding it, Banneker Road is not a thru street, it's a "one way in - one way out" street that already has a gas station, convenience store, fast food restaurant, car wash, automotive garage, an office building with multiple businesses, and two neighborhoods that have approximately 400+ cars. 

This project was not possible when we bought our homes in the early 1990's because there was no residential zoning. The lot was too small, which is one of the reasons most purchased here. In a back door, middle of the night move, Columbia Association, Howard Hughes Corporation, and the county got in bed together,  devised a disingenuous plan to take away .5-1.0 acres of our open space, in order to circumvent the problem of not having the required land to build a residential building. The land was NEVER intended to be for residential use! 

For decades Howard County Government has allowed housing contractors to "buy their way out" of having affordable & senior housing mandated into their multi-dwelling projects, so now, with very few locations left to build, they are forcing projects into areas where they do not belong in order to make a quota.

This project would greatly diminish the quality of life for our residents, and ultimately reduce our home values because of the much added congestion, traffic, and crime, including on having a negative impact on the existing businesses already here.

We truly love having the firehouse up the street from us, and thoroughly enjoy the wonderful firefighters that work there, and consider them a very important part of our community, and would like it to stay there AS A FIREHOUSE ONLY, not a firehouse with a 6-story apartment building on top of it.

Please sign this petition to show that you are against this project!