July 1, 2009
Press Release Citizens Group Presents Alternative to Highway Project
Fresh Ideas Would Spur County Economy and Save Mattawoman Creek
WALDORF—The Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County today released Trouble Ahead: Use Alternative Routes, an alternative proposal to the $60 million Cross-County Connector (CCC) highway. The report suggests the county redirect its resources to building dynamic neighborhoods and communities in and around Waldorf, and to safeguarding natural areas.
Currently, sprawl development in Charles County is consuming natural areas at one of the fastest rates in the state. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates suburban development in Charles County will destroy over 10,000 acres of forest in the next 20 years. The proposed highway and the houses that come with it would cut through the heart of one of the last natural gems of the Chesapeake Bay, the Mattawoman Creek watershed. "Let's rethink a decades-old highway plan, and use today's ideas about managing growth, revitalizing older communities, and transit-oriented development to create communities we want to live in, without destroying the natural wonders that make Charles County so unique," said Jim Long of the Mattawoman Watershed Society. "Federal and state agencies have publicly stated their numerous concerns and questions about the highway. The alternatives in the report accomplish what a new highway through the watershed never will." Researched and written by a consortium of state and local citizen groups, the 16-page study details short-term and long-term actions the county can take to meet its growth projections and increase economic prosperity, but also to protect the Mattawoman Creek—called by state biologists the best spawning area for migratory fish in the entire Chesapeake Bay. Largemouth bass in the tidal Potomac system—of which the Mattawoman tributary is a critical part—support a $60 million fishery, and nationally renowned tournaments. Trouble Ahead recommends three basic steps: 1) Build what we really need; 2) Build smart; and 3) Build green. The report finds the highway is not necessary now or in the future to handle traffic capacity, according to the county's own experts. The consortium applauds the county for beginning its Sub-Area plans for Waldorf and other areas, work that could focus most future development and job opportunities in appropriate urban and suburban areas. But the report concludes that the CCC actually will redirect development and financial resources away from the revitalization of Waldorf. "This is not about progress versus the environment. This is about a new idea whose time has come: building healthy communities rather than sprawling housing developments," said Kim Coble, Maryland Executive Director for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. If built, the CCC would be costly (about $1,300 per household in taxes) and redundant. A handful of other roads provide more than enough capacity, according to the county's own Department of Planning and Growth Management. The money would be better spent on light rail for the Waldorf area, something envisioned in the county's Sub-Area plans but not yet funded. In fact, county documents show officials have sought no funding for mass transit from the state at least through 2013 and instead intend to spend all transportation money on roads and highways. The county already has in place much of the infrastructure that could be used for such a rail system. The CCC proposal, however, is only a symptom of a larger concern. Directing growth into the watershed outside the state-approved growth area encourages harmful sprawl. The solution is to redirect growth to the state-approved Priority Funding Areas (PFA), and invest in targeted growth and transportation projects that support the county's existing communities. Ironically, the county's long-range growth plans for Waldorf endorse just the type of so-called smart growth called for in Trouble Ahead, but the county's zoning and budget decisions repeatedly have undercut the vision. "County officials say they want transit to help revitalize Waldorf, but the actual decisions the county is making only encourage expensive new development away from the city in the unspoiled Mattawoman watershed," said Waldorf resident Meredith Sweet. With rising gas prices and concerns about a clean environment, more and more people are looking to live and work in the same area. Today's community planners are focused on reducing congestion, with homes located closer to work, options for biking and walking, nearby parks and open spaces, and a stronger community feel. The old and costly idea of isolated developments far from neighbors, schools, jobs and shopping is losing its appeal. The proposal comes as the Maryland Department of the Environment and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers consider whether to issue permits to the county to destroy acres of wetlands and forest to construct the highway. "The lifeblood of a river is the system of little creeks and streams that feed it. We've already built right on top of many of those capillaries. Science tells us the CCC and the thousands of buildings that come with it could doom the Mattawoman. We can't take that risk," Long said.
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