By Sydney Engelhardt
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
A group that is opposed to a County Council decision that allows a 390,000-square-foot outlet mall to be built in White Marsh has filed a petition with the Baltimore County Board of Elections in an attempt to force a referendum on the issue next November.
The petition, which was filed by a group calling itself Protect the Process, has 67,433 signatures on it – significantly more than the 26,414 signatures that were needed to put the council’s controversial zoning decision on the 2016 ballot for an up or down vote.
The Baltimore County Board of Elections must now verify that all of the signatures on the petition are registered county voters, a process that will take until mid-December, said Katie A. Brown, the director of the county election’s board. The board can disqualify signatures that cannot be validated.
“If the required amount of accepted signatures is reached the question will appear on the November 2016 ballot,” Brown said.
The names on the petition will be verified against a statewide voter registration system, Brown said.
Heather Patti, the president of the White Marsh-Cowenton Community Association and an opponent of the council’s decision, said she is confident that enough signatures on the petition will be verified to put the measure on next year’s ballot. She said she finds it hard to believe that the election board would disqualify 41,000 signatures.
“I am elated that the voters of Baltimore County have spoken through their petition signatures to let the County Council know that they do not approve of this controversial bill,” Patti said. “I am hopeful that the momentum will continue through the November 2016 election season.”
Proponents of the petition drive are seeking to overturn the County Council’s Aug. 3 decision to change the zoning regulations so that Baltimore-based Paragon Outlet Partners did not have to go through the regular zoning process to gain approval for its proposed $100 million upscale mall, which is planned for a location near Interstate 95 just down the street from White Marsh Mall and The Avenue at White Marsh.
Opponents of the 100-store mall say the council overstepped its bounds when it approved Bill 53-15 on a 7-0 vote. They say the mall would increase traffic on the already congested Philadelphia Road and cause possible flooding in the area. They also argue that the council’s decision to bypass the regular zoning procedures sets a dangerous precedent for future development in the county.
Supporters of the council’s decision say the outlet shopping center would bring 1,600 jobs to the area. Supporters also say that it will be better to have a retail center on the 56-acre parcel than another type of development, such as apartment buildings.
County Councilwoman Cathy Bevins, who introduced the controversial zoning bill last summer, said she is relieved that the petition was finally filed.
“I am relieved for the citizens of Baltimore County because they don’t have to be harassed when they go to the mall or the grocery store or the bank anymore,” Bevins said. “No one could just roam around freely and shop without having someone with a clipboard after them.”
Lynn Richardson, the president of the Perry Hall and White Marsh Business Association, said she preferred that the petition just go away.
“The company that is developing the property has invested a lot of money, so they will not just walk away when someone tells you different, that is just how real business works,” Richardson said.
Bevins feels that many people that signed the petition did not understand what they were signing.
“This is just the beginning. I believe that if it goes to referendum it [the mall’s development] will win,” Bevins said. “But people that signed that petition had no idea, for the most part, what they were signing.”
She feels that although the issue may be voted on in November, the outlet will still be build.
“The people want it,” Bevins said. “The people want jobs. The county and the state both want the tax revenue.”
Bevins also said that the mall’s developer has agreed to build a new highway ramp from I-95 to Route 43 to help keep local traffic off of Philadelphia Road.
Related Story: Opponents of White Marsh outlet mall say petition drive is progressing