The process of annexing more than 80 acres west of the City of Aberdeen, which municipal officials project could take 18 months to two years, started Monday night with the mayor and County Council voting 4-1 in favor of the plan.
Councilman Tim Lindecamp cast the lone vote against the annexation resolution, citing concerns about the provision of water to the Adams Property and Siebert Farm along Gilbert Road. He also had concern as to who will maintain Gilbert Road, which is currently a Harford County road.
“I think there’s still too many questions, and my vote is no,” Lindecamp said.
Mayor Patrick McGrady and council adopted Resolution 18-R-06, which sets out the city’s plan for annexing the two parcels at the request of the property owners and developers who want to build up to 400 residential units. The land is currently zoned agricultural, but city leaders plan to change that to integrated business district (IBD).
The annexation has been opposed by a number of people who live near the Adams and Sibert properties in areas such as Gilbert Road and Locksley Manor Drive.
A handful of residents of those areas, and even one person who lives in the city limits, continued to express their opposition during the public comment portions of Monday’s meeting.
“Since we’re a democracy, I think that they should have been consulted,” William R. Young of Doris Circle said of those living around the areas set for annexation.
Those who live in the surrounding neighborhoods have expressed concerns about increased traffic on Gilbert Road, which already experiences heavy traffic from nearby Ripken Stadium during minor league baseball season, as well as how it will affect the environment and local wildlife.
They reiterated those concerns Monday.
“We like wide-open spaces, natural wooded areas that have the animals, the farmland,” said Rosemary Queen, a Locksley Manor Drive resident. “That’s why we chose to live where we live.”
City Councilwoman Sandra Landbeck emphasized that the approval of the annexation plan resolution does not mean the property will be annexed the next day. She said it will kick off a lengthy process in which city officials determine how all services will be provided to the property.
“There will be an annexation agreement and that agreement is to protect you,” Landbeck said, addressing neighbors’ concerns. “It’s to protect the people who are living around this area. We will consider the roads, the water, the sewer — all of those things that you’re worried about we’ll worry about them too.”