Mattawoman advocates say tech park unsafe

Impact on creek, proximity to two schools criticized

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009

Local environmentalists vow to continue the fight against the development of a science and technology park in Bryans Road that they say will irreparably harm the Mattawoman Creek watershed.

The Charles County commissioners approved several months ago a request by COPT-FACC Indian Head, the developer of the site, to have a planned employment park overlay zone placed over land that is now zoned business park and medium density residential so that the Indian Head Science and Technology Park can be built on the 268-acre parcel. The next step in the process is to have the proposed general development plan approved for the project and the Charles County Planning Commission will hear public comment on the proposal Dec. 7 in La Plata.

The developers said during planning commission and county commissioner public hearings that the business park will be built in an environmentally friendly manner that will ensure the Mattawoman Creek watershed will be protected, but local environmental activists say the project is simply not appropriate for that parcel. The property harbors wetlands, steep slopes and two tributaries to the Mattawoman Creek, according to a county planning staff report.

"This is very serious; it's insane to put this technology park in an environmentally sensitive and forested area when there are so many boarded up buildings in Indian Head," said Bonnie Bick of the Southern Maryland chapter of the Sierra Club. "We support the idea of a tech park, just not in that location."

"They couldn't have picked a more destructive site to build this tech park in terms of the Mattawoman Creek," said Jim Long, coordinator of the Mattawoman Watershed Society.

"The county isn't following its own Mattawoman Creek watershed management plan. One of the elements of that plan is to protect stream valleys."

Charles County Commissioner Edith J. Patterson (D), who represents the district where the technology park will be built, said the county and the developers are making every effort to protect the environmentally fragile property the park will be built on. The developer said during the public hearings that about 117 acres of the property — 44 percent — will be placed in the county's resource protection zone.

"This is an ideal place for the tech park," Patterson said. "This facility will afford the citizens of the county decent salaries and an enhanced quality of life."

Bick said the Martin-Baker facility that will be producing energetics materials in the tech park will pose a great safety threat because the building will be located off Route 210 near Matthew Henson Middle School, J.C. Parks Elementary School and a day care center. Martin-Baker is a British firm that makes ejection seats for military airplanes.

"It should not be located near two schools and a day care center," she said. "Why put a high-risk industrial use so close to two schools? It's just terrible."

Patterson said stringent safety precautions will be in place at the facility, adding that there have been energetics activities on the Naval Support Facility Indian Head in town for years.

"We've factored in all of the safety aspects of this project," she said.

"The county is not reckless with the safety of our citizens, especially our children. This is what happens when people refuse to look at things with open eyes. They'll try any tactic to devalue or discredit any thoughts that have been given to this project by the county commissioners."

Patterson said the idea of building the technology center in the town of Indian Head does not hold water because of the amount of land needed for the facility, adding that to try to fashion such a project out of vacant buildings scattered throughout town does not make any sense.

"That parcel of land in Bryans Road is critical for this park because it's near Maryland Airport," she said. "The people who say the developer could use boarded up buildings in Indian Head are shortsighted."

Long said using already developed land would be more environmentally wise because much of the infrastructure is already in place.

"We certainly posed the idea to the commissioners but it seems they've ignored it," he said. "Some people said that the park would be closer to the Mattawoman if it was in the town but they're missing the point. A lot of the land is already paved [so there wouldn't be any new stormwater runoff flowing into the creek]."

Charles County commissioners' President F. Wayne Cooper (D) said the developers of the park are going to use asphalt and concrete in the tech park that allow water to pass through them.

"This project is what we've been trying to do for years," he said.

"It's very exciting and it's going to be a win-win for Charles County."

The developer said during the hearings that the technology park will hold 1.5 million square feet of retail, industrial, office and research and development flex space and employ about 3,000 people when the project is completed in about 14 years.

The tech park will be designed to offer energetics support to activities at NSF Indian Head, the developers said during the public hearings.

The facility will offer high-paying jobs right here in Charles County, saving folks from making a long commute to jobs outside of the county, Patterson said.

"This will be a secure facility," Patterson said. "We're trying to meet the needs of our citizens and now we've got a chance to do something about it."

nmcconaty@somdnews.com