In Clarksburg, the Year of Living Doggedly

But the board ruled that a set of edited plans was in order. That is, a document in which a 45-foot cap had been scrawled over with a new limit, four stories, had been changed as part of the flexible planning envisioned for the development. The women lost.

Presley tried a different agency, the Department of Permitting Services in Rockville. She asked for anything that might contain one of Clarksburg's site plans, legally binding documents describing what developers intend to do. On April 22, a worker found one in computer files.

It was an unaltered document showing a maximum height of 45 feet, not four stories -- received at Permitting Services in April 2003. Their hunch was right: The change wasn't made years before, in the planning process, but recently -- perhaps to cover tracks.

"I got it! I got it!," Presley exulted to Shiley on her cell phone.

The smoking site plan touched off a series of events. Wynn Witthans, the county planner assigned to Clarksburg, resigned. Her boss, Park and Planning Director Charles Loehr, retired abruptly. The planning board eventually reversed its ruling and halted construction in Clarksburg. It also froze issuance of certain building permits while it examined ongoing projects.

Back in her neighborhood, some residents grew uncomfortable. They liked their homes. They worried that all the attention and uncertainty would diminish property values and delay the project's completion. At that point, some people didn't care what kind of grocery store was coming. They just wanted groceries.

Presley and Shiley say they are not trying to delay the retail. They have been working to keep residents on their side. "We need to make sure the frustration is directed at the right place," Presley said at a Sept. 29 community meeting.

In the crowd of about 50 people, one man asked the activists whether they advocated tearing down homes that weren't in compliance. Another warned that they were running the risk of coming off as elitist in their desires for higher-end shopping .

But the audience was largely supportive.

One resident, Jody Hunt, thanked Presley and the others for their efforts, drawing applause.

"I got my pitchfork," he said. "What do we do next?"