More than a dozen Clarksville residents met with Howard County officials last night to again voice complaints about closing well-traveled Sanner Road for four months to allow construction of a housing development.

Last night's meeting at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City was the second that residents have had with officials since a stretch of Sanner Road -- adjacent to the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, near U.S. 29 and Route 32 -- was closed three weeks ago.

People who live on Sanner Road are allowed access, but other traffic is barred. As a result, residents said, traffic has become congested on Johns Hopkins and Pindell School roads.

They said motorists have knocked over barriers on Sanner Road and tried to drive through, but eventually are forced to make a U-turn.

"I've had more company on my property in the past two weeks then I've had in 22 years of living here," said Hattie Myers.

The decision to close the road was reached in an agreement last year between the county and Toll Brothers Inc., the developer of the 160-house project. The developer agreed to assume half of the costs of upgrading and widening Sanner Road to accommodate traffic from the development.

Residents have complained that the county allowed a developer to close the road without adequate notification. They also charged that the developer is in violation of county and state environmental regulations.

Some said they saw mud from the construction site flow into a stream that runs through the area. They charged that too many trees were being cut down to clear land for the houses.

But Richard L. Powell, chief of the sediment control division in Howard County's Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits, said that "where there have been problems, the developer and the developer's contractors have been very quick to respond."

Nancy Davis, a resident, was not swayed by Powell's response. Davis said she was steadfast in her belief that the developer is in violation of environmental laws.

Pub Date: 3/11/99