Charles Seeks Delay on Connector

State's Approval Of Project at Risk

Charles County's planning director said he wants state officials to postpone a decision on the fate of the cross-county connector.

Melvin C. Beall Jr., the county's director of planning and growth management, said last week that he has requested that the Maryland Department of the Environment delay a decision on permits for the project for six months. His decision comes shortly after department officials had told county leaders that if they were required to make a decision by the original deadline, Nov. 30, they would probably rule against the project.

"I would not view our request for an extension as a delay to the project. I would view it as an administrative necessity," Beall said.

The connector, intended to provide commuters an easy link between Indian Head Highway and Route 5, would cut through ecologically valuable wetlands in the Mattawoman Creek watershed. Environmental groups say the highway would destroy more than seven acres of wetlands and lead to unchecked residential and commercial development in the area.

"Apparently, the county hasn't made its case, and that's a good sign for us," said Ken Hastings, a spokesman for the Smarter Growth Alliance for Charles County, a coalition of environmental groups that have rallied against the project.

Many Charles leaders said they were hoping that the permits on the $70 million roadway would be approved as soon as possible, citing additional costs anticipated because of any delays. But recently, the state Department of the Environment sent the county a letter saying that the department would not be able to make a favorable decision by the required time and encouraged county officials to request an extension.

The department was legally required to make a decision on the project by Nov. 30 unless the permit applicant, the county, requested a delay.

Beall said he did not see an option other than asking for a postponement because Amanda Sigillito, chief of the department's nontidal wetlands and waterways division, said in the letter that she needed more information from the county to make an informed decision.

"We have been asking since [September] what additional information they need, and they haven't given us any information," Beall said. "If there are still outstanding issues, we want to take the time to clear them up."