BALTIMORE — Howard County Planning Board recently voted to deny a development proposal for a Royal Farms convenience store, carwash and gas station in an industrial area located in Columbia, according to The Baltimore Sun.
The Maryland-based chain requested to build a 3,500-square-foot c-store, a Canton Car Wash and a 20-pump fueling station on a 3.8-acre site, stated the article.
The request received opposition from local business owners and some members of the community, reported the article, who argued that the development “violated zoning requirements for the industrial park and would increase traffic on an already congested road.”
The Columbia Association, which is the homeowners’ association representing Columbia’s 10 villages, also opposed the proposal, added the article.
Royal Farms representatives argued that the business “would encourage revitalization along the corridor and help reduce Columbia’s gas prices,” which are higher than other areas in Maryland according to a 2014 study commissioned by the company, informed the article.
Siding with community concerns about safety, the board voted four to one on Oct. 8, continued the article.
Josh Tzuker, board chairman, cited two expert witnesses called in by the groups opposing the project who testified that the “increased traffic – and a controversial right in/right out access point feeding directly onto Snowden River – would create dangerous conditions,” noted the article.
You can find the article here.
