Wal-Mart solicits support for project

STEVENSVILLE — A month after Wal-Mart took out ads in a local newspaper asking Kent Island residents to phone a toll-free number to "register your support for a new Wal-Mart at Kent Commons," community affairs spokesman Daphne Davis says the company has received "several hundred calls."

Davis declined, however, to give an exact number of calls or to say how many calls were in favor of building the store. Local opposition groups, such as the Kent Island Defense League, have been encouraging those opposed to the project to call to register their feelings, too.

"It was not intended to serve as a public opinion poll," Davis said during a phone interview Friday. "Our intent was to give individuals that support the project an outlet."

Davis said Wal-Mart officials believe "a vocal minority has controlled the dialogue" about the proposed Stevensville project. The ads were "an outreach to people who support the project."

Callers are asked to leave their name, address and telephone number. Wal-Mart intends to stay in touch and keep them "informed about key dates that are coming up," Davis said.

"We don't question that there is a vocal minority opposed to the project, but we don't believe they speak for the whole community," she said.

"As you know the project itself is the subject of a legal debate," she added. "We feel the project was wrongly denied."
Petrie, Dierman Kughn of McLean, Va., and Coastal South Inc. of Stevensville hoped to build a Wal-Mart superstore, a 123-room hotel and a conference center, and restaurants, stores and offices on 28 acres of property just east of the Bay Bridge Marina, south of U.S. Route 50 and west of State Route 8.

The Queen Anne's County Commissioners, in their capacity as the sanitary commission, voted May 23 to deny PDK's application to buy 44,972 gallons a day capacity in the Kent Narrows Stevensville Grasonville sewage treatment plant and 28,202 gpd capacity in the water system.

On Sept. 18, Queen Anne's County Circuit Court Judge John W. Sause Jr. upheld the sanitary commission decision after a non-jury trial. He ruled that the county commissioners were within their rights to deny sewer and water allocation to the proposed development. Sause has not issued his written ruling in that case.

After that decision, Wal-Mart Stores East Inc. bought almost 25 acres of the property near the Bay Bridge for $4,873,776.59 on Oct. 12. Davis has indicated Wal-Mart intends to appeal Sause's decision to Maryland's Court of Special Appeals. 
"Before we note an appeal we need to receive a written opinion from Circuit Court," said attorney Joe Stevens.

Published 01/17/01
 
 
 

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