A citizens group called Smart Growth for Northern York County has organized to battle a proposed Wal-Mart supercenter in Carroll Township, Pennsylvania. According to a report in The Patriot-News, Echo Real Estate Services of Pittsburgh aspires to build a 135-acre shopping center on land that is now a cattle farm near Routes 15 and 74, near Dillsburg, PA. The company says it has been shopping the plan to Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe’s. Echo boasts that it has seven Wal-Mart projects under its belt. The proposed Wal-Mart supercenter will be 183,000 s.f. This brings to 4 the number of Wal-Mart superstores that are proposed for midstate Pennsylvania. Carroll Township’s Manager has informed residents that Wal-Mart has “every legal right” to build on this parcel, according to the Patriot-News, and local officials are nervous about “locking legal horns with Wal-Mart (which) could cripple Carroll financially with legal costs.” But local opponents do not agree. “I read about this … and it was like I was struck by lightning,” said one resident, who lives in neighboring Warrington Twp. “It will be devastating for Dillsburg and the region. I feel very strongly about growth and development in the area. We’ve just got to keep it under control…I mean, 183,000 square feet for just one store! I don’t know what the total Dillsburg area’s population is … maybe 30,000 people?” she said. “You could get all of us in there at once.” The developer also faces a couple of zoning complications: in the middle of the highway commercial zone on this parcel, is a 5 acre area that is not zoned commercial, but is apartment and office zoned. The developer has had to ask the township to rezone that land to highway commercial. In addition, the developer has to convince state Dept of Transportation officials that a new intersesction at Route 74 and 15 should be created, which presumably state taxpayers would have to underwrite. The York County planning commission has voted not to recommend the zoning change, but the Carroll planning commission gave it a thumbs up. The township has scheduled a public hearing for February 25th, but the developer has asked for a delay. The Township Supervisor, noting that opponents came not only from Carroll, but from other surrounding townships, sarcastically suggested that maybe those other towns would help Carroll pay for any legal fees if the developer sues the township.
Maybe the Township Supervisor should ask Wal-Mart if the company is willing to pay the township’s legal bills if Smart Growth for Northern York county sues Carroll for rezoning apartment/office land to commercial, and for violating the townships comprehensive land use plan. The legal costs can cut both ways, Mr. Supervisor. For contacts in Carroll Township, contact [email protected]
