Walmart has confirmed it wants to move forward with a Bel Air South store that includes partial access to Route 924 and, as a result, Harford County is requiring the company to run a new traffic analysis.
Representatives from Walmart and its traffic consultant, The Traffic Group, Inc., indicated to county planning officials in a meeting Friday that they intend to move forward with the project based on right-in, right-out access to Route 924, county spokesperson Cindy Mumby said.
"We said we will require another traffic analysis," Mumby said. "They asked us about moving forward and we told them what was required."
Walmart representatives also will meet with County Executive Barry Glassman this Friday, Mumby said.
The 186,000-square-foot project, set for part of a 35-acre tract at Plumtree Road and Route 924, was on hold for more than a year as the county waited for Walmart to complete required traffic studies and road upgrades.
One study, which is posted on the county's website at http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/Downloads.cfm?FormID=2023, was completed last fall; however, at the time the State Highway Administration had indicated its intent to deny any access to the site from Route 924, and the company's initial traffic studies reflected that decision.
But in January, SHA notified the county it had reversed its earlier position and would permit limited access from Route 924. In a follow-up letter to two county legislators written Feb. 12, SHA Administrator Melinda Peters explained that further analysis had determined the Route 924 limited access would provide better overall traffic flow to and from the store.
Because of the SHA decision, Walmart will be required to do a new study that analyzes traffic flow with the newly-granted access and return to the county with proposed mitigations based on the analysis, Mumby said Tuesday.
"It is our responsibility to make sure the developer mitigates the effect from the project," she said.
"We are continuing to work with county and state transportation officials and are updating the traffic impact study to address the recent right-in/right-out access granted by the State Highway Administration," Walmart spokesman Bill Wertz said in an emailed statement Tuesday. "We hope to come to a mutually agreeable plan in near future."
As talks between the county and Walmart continue, Bel Air South residents, who started a community lobbying campaign against the store two and a half years ago, are planning meeting next month to update the community about the planned store.
Steve Tobia, one of the opposition leaders, said Tuesday the meeting is tentatively scheduled for March 15, but the location has not be set.
"At that meeting, the Bel Air South Community Foundation's traffic engineer will be presenting information about some of the intersections involved that will require improvement," Tobia said.
He added he was a bit shocked to hear Walmart plans to meet with the county executive later this week.
"I am kind of surprised in that things are happening pretty quickly," he said.
County Councilman Jim McMahan, who represents part of the area around the store site, said many people have been blaming Gov. Larry Hogan for SHA's reversal on the 924 access issue, but that does not make sense, noting that the reversal was already in the works before Hogan was elected.
"If you follow the time line, there was communication pertaining to the change on Nov. 6, [2014], the day of the election. He [Hogan] and Glassman hadn't even been elected yet," McMahan said
McMahan reiterated, however, that he is surprised by the speed with which decisions seemed to be changing regarding Walmart.
"You do your homework and present your case on traffic and safety and SHA makes a sound decision, then you turn your back for a second to work on another issue and the rug is pulled out from under you," McMahan said of the SHA's switch. "I stand with the [county] administration as they continue to support the resolution from the county council."