OPEN LETTER TO COUNTY EXECUTIVE LEGGETT - PART 2

Dear Mr. Leggett:

When I posted part 1 of this sequence, it was with the intention of a part 2, a follow-up on issues not covered in part 1.  But my real goal was to engage you in a public dialogue.  I am delighted that you replied to my first part and am pleased to quote your response (of February 27) in its entirety:

"Dear Mr. Adelman:

Thank you for your email and a copy of your "Open Letter." I appreciate your point of view.  

As I said in my letter, which you quote, I believe Costco locating in Wheaton is important for a whole host of reasons.  I acknowledge that questions have been raised about the gas station piece.  This part of the project has to go before the Board of Appeals, just like any other.

I am encouraging everyone who writes to me to contact them with their concerns.

I believe the Board of Appeals will air these issues fully and make an informed decision.  That is their job and I think I should let them do their job.

Again, thank you for writing.

Sincerely,

Isiah Leggett

County Executive"

Unfortunately, we seem to be having a failure to communicate.  After thanking me, you begin your response by focussing, yet again, (but implicitly this time) on the store and only secondarily on the "gas station piece" which you view as "part of the project".  To be extremely clear, once again, for the many citizens who are concerned about the adverse impacts of the proposed gas station, it is not part of a project: it IS the project.  Your claims as to the "whole host of reasons" why bringing Costco to Wheaton is good have never been adequately substantiated.  I had intended to address these flawed claims in this "part 2".  But now that we seem to have a dialogue going, the original part 2 will have to become part 3.

Let me make one more attempt to convey to you how the citizens view the manner in which you state: "I believe the Board of Appeals will air these issues fully and make an informed decision.  That is their job and I think I should let them do their job."  

They are the same citizens who recall how you attempted to pressure the County Council into passing a site specific ZTA so that Costco would be "home free" without having to even apply for a Special Exception and thus be required to justify their proposal to the Board of Appeals; a process by the way that is required of every applicant who wishes to build a gas station in Montgomery County.

They are the same citizens who remember how you pressured the same County Council, when it was debating the details of ZTA 12-07, lobbying various Council Members so effectively that the version of ZTA 12-07 that was actually passed guaranteed that Costco could move the site of the proposed gas station a few hundred feet away from healthy kids who swim at Kenmont and several hundred feet closer to the medically fragile kids who attend Stephen Knolls, and whose parents would be oh so happy if their kids could swim.

They are the same citizens who were delighted to learn that the state legislature was considering HB 835 (and SB 948) - legislation that would establish a statewide standard as to an adequate buffer between any mega gas station and any sensitive land use.  But those citizens came to learn that you sent your staff to Annapolis to lobby against that legislation.  And your minions were so zealous that they even mislead the delegates by stating that the Council Members were in agreement with you; when in fact the Council was totally unaware of your lobbying efforts.

If you can refute one single word of the above, I urge you to do so.

Absent any substantive reply from you on these matters, I will move on, in part 3 of this open letter, to clarify some of the concerns raised by your unsubstantiated claims as to the value of bringing  Costco to Wheaton.

Yours in earnest,

Mark R. Adelman 

PS:  You may recall that I "campaigned" for your election some years ago.  But then we all make mistakes from time to time................