Hundreds Testify About Rezoning Amendments

Everyone with a concern about rezoning had a voice at Monday night’s county council meeting—if they were willing to wait for their turn to speak.

The public hearing for District 6 and 7’s portion of the comprehensive rezoning process took up three hours of the council’s five-hour session, which ended at the stroke of midnight.

More than 250 residents were packed into the county council’s chambers. The council heard from residents about properties ranging from a potential auto dealership in Edgewater, to a wedding chapel in Crownsville, a change to a Knights of Columbus building in Annapolis, and a host of others. Nearly all of the requests were to "upzone" property for the benefit of business owners.

A great deal of the public testimony revolved around the request of George Criswell, owner of Criswell Acura in Annapolis, who wants to open a Fiat car dealership on Solomon’s Island Road at the Entrance to Edgewater Beach. Criswell is seeking a higher-density commercial rezoning for his property, which is at the corner of Route 2 and Virginia Avenue.

Though Criswell’s zoning amendment wasn’t up for a vote on Monday, a horde of supporters and detractors filled the chambers to beyond capacity before the meeting even began.

Without the rezoning, Criswell and his associates reiterated that fast-food chains were hungry for that property, and he’d likely oblige them if his plans for another car dealership fell on deaf ears.

Criswell’s consultant John Pantelides spoke first, saying that they had met with property owners in the immediate area to create a list of covenants that would protect the property from objectionable uses, including a motel, adult entertainment and 24-hour restaurants. He criticized detractors of the proposal, saying that they had spread false rumors about what Criswell had planned for the property.

“It is hard to create trust after rumors and intimidation,” Pantelides said.

Criswell himself argued that while the gateway to south county has several fast-food chains, it doesn’t have a single car dealership, and he sees this as a good business opportunity.

Buddy Garland, president of the Edgewater Beach Association, said the fast-food option felt like a threat, and wasn’t the best to way to engage with the community.

“That’s not the way it works at my house. You don’t say, ‘If you don’t do this, I’m going to shoot one of the children,”’ he said.

Criswell’s property was not among the 19 rezoning amendments voted on Monday by the council. After the lengthy meeting, District 7 Councilman Jerry Walker said he “hasn’t made up his mind yet,” on the proposal.

The amendment requires him to bring it to the table for a vote. If that doesn’t happen by the council’s meeting on Aug. 1, the window of opportunity will be closed.

To view a list of all proposed amendments along with maps for each parcel, visit the county’s website located at http://www.aacounty.org/CountyCouncil/pendingLegis.cfm.