July 25, 1999

Ms. Jean Thompson
Chair, Accokeek Development Review District Commission
2307 Rockwood Road
Accokeek, MD 20607

Dear Jean,

Citizens for a Liveable 210 was founded because of very serious concerns about the impact of the proposed Wal-Mart at the intersection of Route 228 and 210 on our community. Citizens for a Liveable 210 is made up of residents from area neighborhoods, including Simmons Acres, Farmington Woods, Whitehall, Bryan's Road, AccoPark, Piscataway Hills and the Moyaone Reserve, as well as business owners in the 210 Corridor.

We are grateful to the Commission, since it was your work that alerted the residents of the greater Accokeek area to the proposed project. In a recent meeting with Prince George's County Council Chair M. H. Jim Estepp on this subject, he reiterated the high regard that he has for the Development Review Commission and urged us to communicate our concerns and opposition to this project directly to you.

In a meeting of Citizens for a Liveable 210 on Wednesday, July 21,, there was considerable discussion of the potential impact of this proposed development on both the Accokeek area and the 210 corridor. It was unanimously resolved by the more than 50 members attending the meeting that we present our views to you and the Commission via a letter stating our strong opposition to the proposed Wal-Mart for a combination of community, economic, environmental and traffic reasons, as explained in the paragraphs that follow.

First, the proposed Wal-Mart, which at 203,000 square feet would be the largest Wal-Mart in the State of Maryland, would unalterably change the character of our community. It would bring larger volumes of traffic into the area for 18 to 24 hours a day. It would contribute to continuing sprawl development along the 210 Corridor and would be inconsistent in both scale and business hours with the essentially rural residential character of the area. We believe that would also create both public safety and trash disposal problems in the area.

Second, the proposed Wal-Mart would have a serious adverse impact on existing businesses along the 210 Corridor. Analysis of existing shopping centers along the 210 Corridor shows fairly high vacancy rates, even in the newly constructed Accokeek shopping center at the intersection of Routes 373 and 210. This has been a concern for some time and through concerted and sustained efforts on many, including Prince George's County leaders, many are being revitalized. The proposed Wal-Mart would adversely affect businesses in these shopping centers for several reasons.

Wal-Mart's adverse impact on existing local business has been well documented in studies conducted in such diverse areas as California, Iowa and New Hampshire. Wal-Mart typically realizes the majority of its revenues by taking traffic and revenue away from local business. In addition, in a tight labor market such as we face today, Wal-Mart would also compete for employees. The combination of discount pricing, massive national advertising campaigns and competition for employees will have a direct, adverse impact on a bulk of the retail and service businesses in the 210 Corridor

Third, the impact on the environment, particularly the Mattawoman watershed, is another reason for the Citizens for a Liveable 210's strong opposition to the proposed project. The proposed Wal-Mart structure with nearly 5 acres under roof and a paved parking area of an additional 10 or more acres would create a massive, impermeable surface within the watershed of the Mattawoman Creek. The run off from this surface, contaminated with gas, oil and other chemicals, would inevitably reach, and have a devastating impact on, the Mattawoman and its fisheries. Another related environmental concern is that of light pollution from building and parking area illumination. As recently publicized, light pollution has a very harmful impact on native bird populations and would also impact Accokeek residents for miles around. Finally, a Wal-Mart, such as is being proposed, would attract and encourage sprawl growth in the area with its attendant negative impact on the natural environment in Accokeek.

Our fourth, and last, major concern is about the impact that the proposed Wal-Mart would have on the already congested traffic along Md. Route 210. Data from multiple studies indicates that a store of the size and apparent volume target of the proposed Wal-Mart will add at least 900 trips per hour to the Route 210/228-service area. In addition, there would be a substantial increase in truck traffic, as Wal-Mart depends on rapid turnover of a broad inventory for its profits and uses "just in time" delivery to replenish stocks rather than local storage.

As the Commission continues its work, please convey our strong opposition to this project both to the developer and to the appropriate County officials. We would be happy to share our research findings and any other information that might be useful with you. If the Citizens for a Livable 210 can be of assistance to the Commission or if you have questions or comments, please give me a call.

Sincerely

Margaret Schmid
Coordinator, Citizens for a Liveable 210