Bel Air residents say proposed Costco store would cause more traffic in an already congested area

Vehicles overflowed from the parking lot onto the front lawn of the Abingdon Fire Hall Thursday night as a crowd of more than 100 attended a community input meeting for a proposed Bel Air Costco store.

Costco’s proposal outlines construction of a 152,000 square-foot store with 821 parking spots and a 24-pump gas station at the corner of Plumtree and Emmorton roads. Costco is a membership-only warehouse club that sells groceries and home goods. If the project is approved, Costco’s Director of Real Estate and Development Erich Brann said Costco will hire all of its employees locally at a starting rate of $20.50 per hour.

Costco officials confirmed that they have not yet purchased the land; a community input meeting is the first step in the development process, per county regulations. Following the meeting, project officials are required to submit a transcript to the county’s Department of Planning and Zoning before proceeding to next steps. Officials at the meeting were unable to give a timeline for when they think the project would move forward.

During the meeting, residents voiced concerns about increased traffic and pedestrian safety.

“I love Costco. I just don’t think this is a proper location because you’re literally putting a Costco in the middle of a neighborhood,” Bel Air resident Vince Rachiell said during the meeting.

Brann said during the meeting that he understands traffic is a major concern for residents, so the site is being designed as “easily accessible.”

A Traffic Impact Analysis — a study of existing traffic conditions outlining needed improvements to mitigate congestion — is under way, and traffic counts at 22 nearby intersections are being considered in order to get ideas for improvements, Brann said.

“We want you to rest assured that Costco is designing the facility so you can get in and out as easily as possible,” Brann said. “We charge people to come shop with us so we want it to be easy for them to get in and out of our site.”

Brann noted that the store would be accessed from Emmorton Road and that developers have proposed installing several traffic signals, including one on Emmorton Road near the Bright Oak Drive neighborhood.

Since the Traffic Impact Analysis is not finished, proposals are subject to change.

It is up to Harford County government and the Maryland State Highway Association to accept or amend proposed traffic improvements before project approval.

Many meeting attendees were residents who live in communities surrounding the proposed development, and said they already have difficulty leaving their neighborhoods due to poor traffic conditions in the area.

“Costco will be successful wherever they are, so for us, if you want us to go to a Costco, let us out of our neighborhood,” said Julius Silvestri, a resident of the Glen Gate neighborhood, on Emmorton Road near the proposed Costco site.

The site in question, which is zoned B-3, permitting the highest intensity commercial development, has been vacant for many years.

Beginning in 2012, Walmart spent about three years working on a plan to build a 186,000 square-foot store on the 35-acre property. Area residents actively fought the plan, citing concerns about increased traffic congestion . They urged Walmart to expand an existing store at Constant Friendship, just a few miles away, but company officials said that would not be economically feasible.

In November 2015, Walmart said it would no longer pursue the proposed Bel Air South store, after being “unable to reach agreement on an additional extension of the contract to purchase the site.”

Bel Air resident Bill Wehland said he and other residents considered it a victory when Walmart withdrew its plans.

Wehland said Thursday that Walmart had anticipated up to 10,000 visits per day at the location — begging the question of how many daily visits Costco anticipates to receive.

Project representatives at the meeting were hesitant to give a number at first, then Brann stated they anticipate 5,500 trips per day. The answer was met with audible laughter from the crowd to which Brann responded “is 5,500 not a lot?”

“I honestly believe you’re going to generate more than 5,500 a day and if that’s what the Traffic Impact Analysis shows, that’s going to be a challenge,” Wehland said. “Costco is not worried about road improvements, just what comes in and out to their store — we are worried about what will happen in the outside world.”

A Bel Air mother of three, Amy Jahnigen, expressed concern for her two sons who attend Patterson Mill Middle High School. She explained that many students from the school — located less than a mile from the site — walk to businesses in the area, such as McDonald’s and Sonic.

Jahnigen said she worries that an increase in traffic from the proposed Costco store will result in unsafe conditions for pedestrians.

“The increased traffic is a major concern,” Jahnigen said. “Patterson is a middle and high school so you have kids of all ages walking all over.”