 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Kent Island Defense League wins extension of time By MARGOT MOHSBERG, Kent Island Staff Writer Just 10 signatures short of forcing a referendum over the controversial 1,350-home Four Seasons project, the Kent Island Defense League has won a 40-day extension of the petition deadline. The county Board of Elections granted the extension Monday based on a county law which governs petitions for referendums. League President Rick Moser said he has no doubt that the group will collect enough signatures by the new, mid-November deadline. "A lot of people have signed our petition," he said. "There's a lot of people who don't like development in the critical areas or at all on Kent Island and they want to be able to vote on it in the next election." Few if any other groups in recent memory have forced a referendum onto the ballot. The Defense League's effort has organizations such as the Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce campaigning against the petition. "Unfortunately, I don't think the rank-and-file voter knows what can be lost if this issue goes to referendum," said Chamber President Jim Sowden. The Defense League needs to submit 2,200 signatures, or 10 percent of the registered county voters, to get on the 2002 ballot. It had 2,190 confirmed signatures by the deadline Sunday, and will be collecting more signatures this weekend at the Acme and Food Lion supermarkets. Two weeks after the county commissioners voted to allow intense development in the Critical Area, members of the grassroots organization announced their plan to circulate a petition to force a referendum on the issue. "We didn't get started until Sept. 15, so it was a pretty short deadline," Mr. Moser said. They argued that residents should have a bigger say in the age-restricted development planned for 562 acres on Castle Marina Road in both Stevensville and Chester. "That's the American way," said Mr. Moser. Specifically, the referendum will ask county voters if they believe the county should have granted growth allocation. If the dispute goes to a referendum, Four Seasons developer K. Hovnanian Cos. will change its plans to conform to current zoning regulations. "If the petition to referendum succeeds, K. Hovnanian cannot afford to wait another 14 months to see if we can even proceed with our proposed active adult community," Mark Stemen, area president of the company, told the Queen Anne's County Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 20. "We have made tremendous investments in our time and financial resources and we simply will not walk away from the land we own." So far, the county Board of Commissioners has not taken a position on the petition. However, Mr. Sowden, the chamber president, said that if Four Seasons is not given the growth allocation it needs to move forward as planned, the county will lose millions of dollars in tax revenues, sewer and water upgrades and support for local volunteer fire departments. It also will lose a major economic boost for local businesses. County officials will review all collected signatures to make sure they are valid. Published October 03,
2001,
The
Capital, Annapolis, Md.
Site by:
|
