In Maryland's first foray into the municipal meeting rooms where suburban sprawl is born, the Glendening administration said yesterday that it will join Kent County to fight a proposed Wal-Mart on the Eastern Shore. 

State planning officials said they had filed court papers supporting last month's rejection by the Kent County Planning Commission of WalMart's plan to build on the outskirts of tiny Chestertown. The commission said the store would harm existing businesses, and the company has appealed. 

At the same time, state officials said, they have formally requested to help plan a residential development in Annapolis and another in Gaithersburg. Together, the three projects mark the first action since Gov. Parris N. Glendening's recent commitment for the state to intervene in local land-use decisions to prevent sprawl. 

In each case, Maryland is siding with local governments or offering its resources to them - a slightly different use of authority than some envisioned in May, when Glendening said he wanted to revive a 1974 law that had gathered cobwebs for more than a decade. 

The law allows the state to get involved in local affairs, and should be a tool, Glendening said at the time, to persuade governments to reject projects that gobble farmland and increase driving times. The governor said the state might oppose local officials - even take them to court - to thwart projects inconsistent with his Smart Growth policies. 

"We're starting slow. We're getting rolling here," said Roy Kienitz, secretary of the Maryland Department of Planning. "We're not trying to be overly polarizing. That doesn't mean the day won't come when we get involved in something thornier." 

In Chestertown, activists have been battling Wal-Mart's plans for nine years. In an argument that has echoes throughout the nation, they say the retailing giant's proposed store would chisel away at their small-town quality of life. 

"It is so gratifying to know there is a partner there to back you up," Mayor Margo Bailey, a Democrat, said yesterday. "Having a big powerhouse like the state jump in gives us credibility." 

The state's intervention doesn't come with many resources, yet. Assistant Attorney General Shelley Wasserman, counsel to the state planning department, said she will prepare the state's briefs in the Wal-Mart case as part of her regular duties. No other money is earmarked for the fight. 

Jeffrey Thompson, a land-use attorney representing Wal-Mart, said he thinks the state should stay out. 

"I don't think they should be involved in local zoning," Thompson said. "Local government is better handled by local officials. It goes from a local zoning issue to a statewide political issue." 

By keeping closer tabs on specific projects, state officials could have a say on everything from the color of bricks to the size of front yards - areas more narrow than those they typically get involved in. And those projects will then become linked - for better or worse - to the governor's legacy on Smart Growth, an area where he is forging a national reputation. 

Officials said they picked projects where the timing was right for state intervention, and where they could make a difference. 

In Gaithersburg, state officials say they want to participate in planning for the Parklands, a proposed development of several hundred homes along Interstate 270. 

"We are particularly interested in working with the city and the developer to examine modest design refinements that will strengthen connections between Parklands and the nearby rail stop," Kienitz said in a letter to Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney A. Katz. 

Those involved with the project welcomed the scrutiny. 

Asked if he thought the state was stepping on his toes, City Manager David B. Humpton said no. "We think it is important to have their involvement in the process, especially given that there are major funds that would have to come from the state to support transportation," he said. 

In Annapolis, state planners will review Acton's Landing, the planned conversion of soon-to-be-abandoned Anne Arundel Medical Center into about 100 homes and a park bordering historic homes. 

"We would like to be part of further conversations between the city, the developer and concerned citizens as the project's design evolves to make sure it meets all the criteria of smart growth development," Kienitz said in a letter to Annapolis planning director Jon L. Arason. 

Alan J. Hyatt, an attorney representing the developers, said Acton's Landing is "an ideal project for Smart Growth, right in the shadows of the State House." 

But does it mean one master too many to listen to? 

"What the hell is the difference?" Hyatt said. "We are going to have a lot of people at those hearings with a lot of opinions. One more is not going to make a difference." 

Absent from the state's announcement was any development in Carroll County. Glendening has noted the county as an example of poor planning. Kienitz said no reviewed projects from Carroll met his criteria for getting involved. 

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