A plan to build a regional outlet mall in White Marsh is expected to come up for a vote tonight in the Baltimore County Council, the next step in a long running controversy.
The council’s not voting on the mall itself, but a zoning change that would allow the project to go forward. Opponents had challenged the outlet mall, saying it would harm the environment and adversely affect the neighborhood. And it would hurt existing businesses at nearby White Marsh Mall and the Avenue at White Marsh.
The project was batted back and forth for months between the county board of appeals and an administrative judge. So, Council Chair Cathy Bevins co-sponsored a zoning change that would end the back and forth and clear the way for the project. She says the location at I-95 and White Marsh Boulevard is ideal for an outlet mall.
"You wouldn’t want to put a tire factory there," Bevins says. "I mean we have retail from the mall, the avenue, all the way down Campbell Boulevard extending down Philadelphia Road."
But Heather Patti is crying foul. Patti opposes the outlet mall and says changing the zoning rather than letting the process play out, reeks of catering to special interests.
"It’s kind of like pulling a card out of your sleeve when you’re losing the poker game to ensure that you win," says Patti.
County officials see the proposed outlet mall as an economic windfall. They expect it to create 2,000 jobs. And the outlet’s 100 stores are expected to generate $15 million in sales tax revenue for the county each year.
Councilman Tom Quirk says it makes sense for the county to cash in rather than have outlet mall shoppers go elsewhere.
"I know if I want to go to an outlet, or many of us do go to outlets we have to drive to Hagerstown or we have to drive to Queenstown, quite a commute," Quirk says.
But speaking of commutes, Jo Ann Paris has lived on Route 7, Philadelphia Road, near the proposed site, for 45 years. She told the council at a recent public hearing that the traffic is already horrible, and plopping an outlet mall there will make matters worse.
"You cannot go out in the morning until 11 o’clock, to get out of our driveway," she said. "In the evening, starting at 3, until 7, we cannot get out of our driveway."
The developer, Paragon Outlet Partners, plans to build a ramp from Route 7 to White Marsh Boulevard to help with the traffic.
Quirk, who is co-sponsoring the zoning change, says he expects it to pass, perhaps unanimously.