Turf Valley

A group of development-wary residents have filed a lawsuit against Howard County that claims the government's process of making land-use decisions illegally denies citizens the right to challenge them by referendum. The 124-page suit, filed in federal court by residents contesting three prominent development projects, is the latest salvo in the decades-long clash over growth in the well-heeled county of about 270,000. The suit alleges that the county has violated the county charter for years by making land-use decisions via County Council resolutions and administrative decisions instead of by bill or ordinance.

Dr. Ernesto Molfino, a general surgeon, died of a heart attack Sunday while playing soccer with a recreation league team at Schooley Mill Park in Highland. The Ellicott City resident was 64. Born in Lima, Peru, where he received his medical education, he moved to the United States and did his surgical residency in Detroit. He then moved to Baltimore and practiced at the old Lutheran Hospital in West Baltimore. He also did a shock trauma fellowship with Dr. R. Adams Cowley at University of Maryland Medical Center.

Citing arsenic levels that are 60 times higher than normal, Howard County's top health official called yesterday for mandatory comprehensive testing of land at the Turf Valley planned community in Ellicott City, where the owner has been trying for two decades to add more than 1,000 homes. Health Officer Peter L. Beilenson said he ended negotiations with Turf Valley over voluntary ground testing for the project after learning last week of tests done two years ago that found a high arsenic level on the property.

Environmental testing and development I am writing in response to recent reports in The Sun and most of Baltimore's other major media outlets about the arsenic (60 times normal) and lead (240 ppm above normal) contamination found at Turf Valley. It is unforgivable that the developer's July 23 revelations date back to 2005 testing. This is in addition to the mercury, DDT and chlordane that was previously found at Turf Valley during limited testing (13 samples across more than 800 acres)

It has been a long time since anything related to Turf Valley, the luxury planned community and resort in Ellicott City, has been treated as routine. And tomorrow will be no different when the County Council holds a hearing on legislation to, in effect, extend public water and sewer to about 70 acres in the sprawling development. The legislation is largely regarded as pedestrian because most of the 800-plus-acre development is served by public water and sewer. Technically, the three bills, introduced by Councilman Calvin Ball on behalf of County Executive Ken Ulman, would add the property to the Metropolitan District, an administrative act that would permit the county to charge the developer a fee for public water and sewer service.

THE ISSUE: -- Is the Howard County government right in trying to get the owner of Turf Valley to perform more chemical tests before additional development occurs at the luxury resort and planned community? County is correct to demand testing The county should absolutely demand that adequate environmental testing be done prior to further development at Turf Valley. I applaud the initiative shown by Howard County health officer Dr. Peter Beilenson in working with the developer, and I thank the dedicated and concerned residents who worked tirelessly to bring this issue to the attention of government officials.

Developer explains Turf Valley plans In an effort to keep the community better informed of our development at Turf Valley, I want to share information regarding our progress and dispel any "myths" that might exist. Over the next decade, my family's land at Turf Valley will be developed into a mixed-used project designed to enhance the beauty, preserve the environment and provide services and housing choices much needed in western Howard County. Our development is planned as a Maryland Smart Growth mixed-use, master-planned project and has been part of the Howard County General Plan since 1982.

Come May, hot-air balloons will replace golf balls as the flying objects at Turf Valley Resort. This year - for the first time - Howard County will be included in the annual Preakness Balloon Fest. Promoters promise that the additional venue will offer an alternative to the traffic headaches associated with one of the event's other sites, Baltimore's Inner Harbor. "I've had people who have told me that they always wanted to go downtown but didn't want to fight the traffic," said Regina Ford, director of public relations for Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City.

Women may be American heroes in soccer, but Joseph B. Adamiak's wife, Myong, got different treatment when the couple recently tried to play golf together as guests at the Turf Valley Resort and Country Club in Ellicott City.Waiting to tee off at their scheduled 9 a.m. Saturday start time, they were told a male member had complained and women are not allowed on the club's "A" course before noon on weekends. She was hurt and embarrassed; he was furious."I got hot. This is 1999," said Adamiak, an Air Force retiree who urged a boycott of the club in a letter to the editor published July 25 by The Sun. "I just thought it was archaic and chauvinistic."

Women may be American heroes in soccer, but Joseph B. Adamiak's wife, Myong, got different treatment when the couple recently tried to play golf together as guests at the Turf Valley Resort and Country Club in Ellicott City.Waiting to tee off at their scheduled 9 a.m. Saturday start time, they were told a male member had complained and women are not allowed on the club's "A" course before noon on weekends. She was hurt; he was furious."I got hot. This is 1999," said Joseph Adamiak, an Air Force retiree who urged a boycott of the club in a letter to the editor published July 25 by The Sun. "I just thought it was archaic and chauvinistic."

CAC policy change Effective Sept. 8, the Community Action Council of Howard County will serve clients by appointment only. Walk-ins are available only for those whose electricity has been turned off or for those who are scheduled to be evicted the next business day. Call 410-313-6440 to make an appointment for energy and housing assistance. Band seeks director The Goldenaires, an all-volunteer band that plays "oldies but goodies" to entertain senior citizens throughout Maryland, is looking for an experienced director.

Howard's healthful outlook a good start As a dietitian, I think it's great that Howard County schools are getting students involved in efforts to offer healthier foods ["Students craft their own cafeteria offerings," March 22]. Introducing healthful foods in schools can be challenging, but support from the federal government could help. Congress is revising the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, which could help schools afford healthful foods. Under current legislation, the USDA subsidizes unhealthful foods, like high-fat meat and cheese.

The county's General Assembly members are conflicted over the mix of local and statewide issues in the roller-coaster effort to petition to referendum a County Council bill permitting a larger grocery store at Turf Valley. They say they don't want a missing middle initial or the use of a nickname to disqualify an honest signature on a petition. But they're leery of retroactively changing state law. "The whole situation is troubling," said Del. Guy Guzzone, who chairs the House delegation.

Both sides in the heated debate over the size of a grocery store in Turf Valley can agree on one thing these days: The battle looks to be on hold until another, more far-reaching question gets answered. And coming to a resolution on that issue - what constitutes a legal signature on a referendum petition in Howard County - is generating a discussion among public officials that has expanded to include consideration of voter rights. "The biggest problem associated with all of this is that it is not just a Howard County issue, it is a statewide issue," said Del. Guy Guzzone, a Democrat who presided over a meeting with members of the county's State House delegation Wednesday.

A group of development-wary residents have filed a lawsuit against Howard County that claims the government's process of making land-use decisions illegally denies citizens the right to challenge them by referendum. The 124-page suit, filed in federal court by residents contesting three prominent development projects, is the latest salvo in the decades-long clash over growth in the well-heeled county of about 270,000. The suit alleges that the county has violated the county charter for years by making land-use decisions via County Council resolutions and administrative decisions instead of by bill or ordinance.

The fight over an attempt to block a 55,000-square-foot supermarket from being built as part of a village center-style development at Turf Valley in western Ellicott City is intensifying. The County Council approved a bill in November allowing the supermarket to be larger than the 18,000-square-foot limit in earlier regulations, but some residents objected and began a petition drive for a referendum in the November 2010 elections. Marc Norman, a Turf Valley resident and persistent critic of growth plans at the 800-acre hotel/golf course community submitted petitions Feb. 3 containing 6,079 signatures.

If getting a new development approved and built is a battle, the skirmishes are escalating in and around Turf Valley. After the recent launch of a petition drive challenging a law that that affects the size of grocery stores, the Howard County Chamber of Commerce has issued a call to increase the number of signatures required on such a petition. "The ... County Charter requirement for 5,000 signatures to petition the ... action of elected bodies to referendum is low and antiquated," read an "advocacy alert" the chamber e-mailed to 1,600 people at 850 businesses last week.

A plan for a larger supermarket at Turf Valley's proposed town center was unanimously approved by the County Council on Monday night, despite objections from some residents. The five members approved one change to the bill that is intended to prevent big-box retailers from coming to the planned office/retail center near the western edge of the redeveloping 809-acre hotel/golf resort. The amendment, introduced by Fulton Republican Greg Fox, caps the size of any other store in the retail center at 20,000 square feet.

A state delegate receiving a campaign contribution from a developer is as common as electronic voting machines these days. But what if that delegate works in another county's planning department, where a project by that donor's firm is under consideration? That is the question that was been raised about a proposal for a larger supermarket at the Turf Valley development, just before the County Council's scheduled vote on the issue tomorrow night. Marc Norman, a critic of the Mangione family's plans to redevelop an 809-acre hotel/golf resort into a large mixed-use residential community, is asking for an ethics investigation into contributions made by Greenberg Gibbons, the firm developing the Turf Valley town center, to Del. Stephen Lafferty's campaign.

Thanks again for sharing the memories of our dad The children of James Riley McCrumb wanted to thank all the friends and family who attended the Celebration of Life service on Sept. 27. It was warming to see how many lives our father touched. It wasn't always easy being one of 1,000 kids vs. one of 3, yet knowing that we have so many brothers and sisters is comforting. Our father was a simple man who found his calling early. He lived and breathed Mount Hebron High School. He led by example.