Dear Editor,

As the City election draws near, voters should not forget that eighteen months ago the Mayor and City Council approved the outrageous “Melford Village” plan to shoehorn 2,500 apartments and townhouses into the undeveloped part of the Melford Office Park northeast of Routes 3 and 50.

Instead of adding more jobs and diversifying the tax base, the plan will bring more traffic and congestion – 14,400 daily car trips from the estimated 5,000-6,000 residents (10% increase in population of the City), seven days a week, 24 hours a day. It is isolated from the rest of Bowie by two highways and is accessible only by car from a single entrance at Route 3 and Belair Drive. There are no plans for mass transit. The new residents will cut through residential areas to avoid congestion on Route 3. In addition, there are environmental impacts on the Patuxent River and the floodplain.

Even more appalling is that our tax dollars are being used to defend this crazy housing development in court! The City has joined with the developer in opposing a lawsuit brought by citizens challenging the project and who want it scaled back. This seems to be a secret that has not been shared with the community. Recall that the City spent taxpayer money on a lawsuit to keep housing OUT of the office park in the mid-2000s!

Now is the time to hold Mayor Robinson and the council members who voted for this monstrosity (Pollangin, Marcos, Gardner, Trouth) accountable for their actions! Councilman Dennis Brady, who is running for Mayor (in opposition to Robinson), is the only one who presented compelling evidence that the concept was flawed and he opposed it. It is not smart growth, it is urban sprawl. Send them a message at the ballot box that Bowie must not be controlled by developers.

Deborah & John Rice

Bowie, MD 20715