By D. Chris Draughn
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Baltimore County voters are a step closer to deciding if a 100-store outlet mall will be built in White Marsh as a petition drive aimed at blocking the project collected enough verified signatures to have the matter decided in the 2016 election.
The proposed 390,000-square-foot shopping center, which would be located near Interstate 95 just down the street from White Marsh Mall and The Avenue at White Marsh, became a matter of controversy when the County Council adopted Bill 53-15 in August that gave the project’s developer an expedited path through the normal zoning process.
Janet Smith of the Maryland Board of Elections confirmed that her agency had verified 33,398 signatures, more than the required minimum of 26,414 to have the matter on the ballot. However, Smith also said that referendum petitions on development projects are routinely challenged.
Developer Kelvin Antill of Paragon Outlets, the company trying to build the upscale outlet mall, said that his team is looking at ways to challenge the decision to place the matter on the ballot.
“We haven’t conceded that this will go to referendum just yet,” Antill said. “Our lawyers are examining our options and looking at legal grounds to challenge those verified signatures. We are still pushing forward with our plans.”
Should the matter be on the ballot, Antill said that he wants voters to know the benefits of building the mall in White Marsh.
“If it is on the ballot the voters will know about the many benefits this project will bring to the community,” Antill said. “We intend on running a typical campaign with radio and TV ads to make sure the public is educated.”
Antill also said the petition and referendum is just another delaying tactic from General Growth Properties, the company that owns and operates the White Marsh Mall and was quick to oppose Bill-53-15 when it was introduced.
Lisa Bisenius, a general manager with GGP, said that her company isn’t against business competition, but it does object to bypassing the normal approval process. In a written statement on the Maryland Board of Election’s verification of petition signatures, Bisenius expressed thanks to voters.
“We are thankful to the more than 33,000 registered voters who supported the petition—and pleased that all residents of Baltimore County now have the opportunity to vote on Bill 53-15 in the 2016 general election,” Bisenius said.
“We are now a step closer to letting the voters decide how they feel about the County Council bypassing the land use approval process for the benefit of one project and sidestepping years of judicial review and community and legal input,” Bisenius added. “We stand with all of the Baltimore County residents who are rightly concerned about this dangerous precedent—who want to protect a fair and transparent zoning process and who intend to vote no on Bill 53-15.”
Heather Patti, the president of the White Marsh-Cowenton Community Association who has been actively opposed to the Paragon project, said that although the community association gave testimony last year against the development, she has become involved in actions independently from her position as association president.
“When I learned of the unanimous passage of Bill 53-15 in early August, I contacted the manager of White Marsh Mall to see what their plans were,” Patti said. “I proposed the idea of a petition with strong citizen support. They agreed and it became a collaborative effort. The mall hired Local Policy Collective to manage the petition work and provide counter PR from Paragon’s ‘Don’t Sign’ campaign.”
Patti said that she is pleased that the petition drive resulted in obtaining more than enough signatures.
“I am elated that the petition drive was a success. Not only have the citizens’ voices been heard, but I believe that the citizens’ signatures have set a precedent for Baltimore County,” Patti said. “We will join together and oppose legislation which does not support the collective community’s best interest.”
Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce President Keith Scott said his organization supports the Paragon project but that it has no plans to get involved in the legal battle or campaign.
“That isn’t our style, we support healthy business competition and try to foster commerce,” said Scott. “We don’t get involved in fighting commerce.”
Scott said that economies are always evolving and that his organization has found that it is unwise to disrupt the free market process.
“When we fight something new coming to the area it is usually the consumer that losses,” Scott said. “Business competition is good for communities and it leads to improvements and progress for all.”
Scott is optimistic that the controversy over the outlet mall project will eventually be settled in a way that benefits both sides.
“The extremes in life rarely come to fruition,” Scott said. “People usually find a way to meet in the middle.”