Senator Bob Cassilly’s Statement on Proposed Mitchell Farm Project

Senator Bob Cassilly, Candidate for County Executive
Provided by Bob Cassilly on July 17, 2022

I oppose the proposal that has been put forth for an ultra-mega distribution center on the Perryman Peninsula as unfair to, and unsafe for, the other landowners on the Perryman Peninsula and a risk to a fragile environment.

While property owners should be allowed to use their properties as the lawfully designated zoning permits, the proposed use does not fall within the current zoning that allows “warehouses.”  The current zoning category cannot be fairly interpreted to include ultra-mega distribution centers as such an extreme use does not fit with the concept of “warehouses” as described in the current zoning classification; such mega distribution centers did not exist anywhere in the country when the current zoning code was written.

While some of the traffic safety and congestion concerns might possibly be lessened with major road improvements, the highway infrastructure does not currently exist and is not planned to facilitate the extreme daily volume of 18 wheelers that would flow in and out of a mega distribution center 24/7/365 and our county has for too long allowed such projects to move forward despite the certainty that the projects will increase dangerous and crowded traffic conditions.

Finally, any major construction on the Perryman Peninsula needs to accommodate the sensitive environment of these lands that abut the Chesapeake Bay and impact the Harford County well fields and those concerns have not been adequately addressed by the developer to date.